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Full text of "Biographical and historical cyclopedia of Indiana and Armstrong counties, Pennsylvania"

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BIOGRAPHICAL  AND  HISTORICAL 

ll 


CYCLOPEDIA 


OF 


INDIANA  AND  ARMSTRONG  COUNTIES, 


PENlSrSYLVA.NIA. 


PUBLISHED    BY 

eJOHjs^  m:.  gresh^m  &  CO. 

MANAGED   BY 

SA^MUEL  T.  ^V\^ILEY, 

HISTORIAN  AND  EDITOR. 
Nos.   1218   and    1220   Filbert  Street,   Philadelphia. 


1891 


PRESS  OF 
B    RODQCRS  PRINTlNa  OO. 
k  04  N.  SIXTH  STREET, 
PHILADELPHrA. 


I       I'-'iE'^ 


PREFACE 


BIOGRAPHY  is  not  only  the  most  fascinating,  but  is  also  the  most 
instructive  and  popular  branch  of  history.  Biography  not  only  pos- 
sesses the  advantages  of  general  history,  but  often  brings  to  light  the  springs  of 
great  events  which,  in  the  comprehensive  range  of  history,  would  have  escaped 
attention.  Biography  is  the  analysis  of  history  ;  history  is  the  synthesis  of 
biography.  All  the  great  histori.ans  in  the  world  have  used  biograpliy  freely 
in  their  histories  ;  and  to  read  history  without  regard  to  biography  is  to  make 
it  unintelligible.  Biographical  history  is  history  by  induction,  which  is  the 
natural  and  philosophical  method.  It  is  far  more  complete  in  its  scope  than 
the  mere  chronicling  of  public  events,  for  in  it  is  contained  all  the  elements 
of  human  progress,  together  with  the  groupings  of  history  and  the  minutia 
of  biography.  The  history  of  any  nation,  State  or  country  is  best  and  most 
forcibly  written  in  the  life  records  of  its  energetic  and  enterprising  citizens, 
and  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  in  view  of  this,  in  1876,  recommended 
to  State  and  county  authorities  the  importance  and  necessity  of  collecting  and 
preserving  the  histories  and  biographies  of  their  prominent  men  and  useful 
citizens. 

Nothing,  however,  was  done  in  the  counties  of  the  Keystone  State  toward 
the  collection  of  biographical  history,  beyond  securing  a  few  sketches  of  public 
men  who  had  passed  away,  until  1889,  when  the  publisher  of  this  work 
compiled  and  published  the  first  cyclopaedia  of  biographies  that  was  ever  issued 
in  Pennsylvania.  In  Indiana  and  in  Armstrong,  as  in  all  other  counties  of  this 
great  Union,  the  present  generation  has  but  little  history  of  past  generations 
except  what  is  furnished  by  tradition,  which  is  the  most  uncertain  and 
unreliable  method  in  the  world  of  transmitting  aiu^estral  history.  In 
attempting   to    rescue  from    oblivion    and    divorce    from    tradition  the    early 


1 


PREFACE. 


history  of  many  of  the  old  and  leading  families  of  Indiana  and  Armstrong 
counties,  the  publisher  has  been  well  aided  by  the  enterprising  and  progres- 
sive citizens  of  these  counties.  Cotemporary  biographj-  has  been  given  in 
connection  with  ancestral  history,  and  thus  is  presented  the  lives  of  those  in 
the  present,  as  well  as  those  of  the  past,  who  have  been  instrumental  in  making 
each  of  these  two  counties  what  it  is  to-day — a  fitting  home  for  nearly  every 
industry  which  labor  and  capital  can  set  in  motion,  and  a  land  where  moral 
and  intellectual  progress  keeps  ])iice  with  rapid  commercial  and  industrial 
development. 

The  geological  feature  has  been  introduced  to  give  an  adequate  and 
correct  idea  of  the  great  mineral  wealth  of  these  counties.  The  geology  given 
is  taken  mainly  from  the  volumes  of  the  Second  Geological  Survey  of  Penn- 
sylvania. 

In  the  preparation  of  the  historical  part  of  this  work  over  a  thousand 
volumes  were  consulted  in  the  great  libraries  of  the  United  States,  besides  a 
careful  and  tedious  examination  of  public  records  and  State  archives.  On 
account  of  limited  space  many  events  of  local  history  were  condensed  from 
the  present  histories  of  the  two  counties,  and  the  sickness  of  S.  T.  Wiley,  the 
historian  and  editor-in-charge  of  the  work,  prevented  their  verification  from 
court  records  and  other  authentic  sources  of  information. 

In  this  cyclopedia  of  biographies  we  would  seek,  by  presenting  the  lives 
of  so  many  Avho  have  been  examples  of  industry  and  perseverance  in  the  way 
of  right,  to  excite  to  virtue  and  stimulate  to  exertion  the  sons  of  Indiana 
and  Armstrong  counties,  and  influence  them  to  pursuits  that  will  lead  to 
wealth,  fame,  happiness  and  honor,  as  well  as  to  influence  them  to  lead  lives 
such  as  will  prevent  their  names  from  being  carried  down  "  the  stream  of 
oblivion,  and  swallowed  up  in  the  gulf  of  unregistered  mortality." 

The  Publisher. 

Philadelphia,  Feb.  28,  1891. 


CONTENTS. 


INDIANA    COUNTY. 


INDIANA. 

PAQE 

Clark,  Hon.  Silas  M 81 

Adler,Noah 86 

Alexander,  Maj.  John  B.  .    .    .  89 

Altman,  Washington  P 91 

Barr,  M.D.,  Robert 92 

Barnes,  Joseph  F 93 

Bell,  Hugh  M 94, 637 

Bell,   John   A 96,  637 

Birkman,  Maj.Kichard  M.  .    .    .  96 

Blair,  Judge  John  P 97  j 

Braughler,  C'apt.  Adam  C.  .    .    .  99 

Carpenter,   Ephraim    ....  100 

Clark,  Thomas  B 100 

Collins,  AVilliara  S 101 

Cunningham,  Vincent  M.    ■    .    .  102 

Cuuniugham,  John   M 103 

Daugherty,  "William  S 104 

Douglass,  Frank 105 

Drum,  Augustus 106 

Earhart,  Martin 106 

Elkin,  Hon.  John  P 107 

Empfield,  Frank  T 109 

Hall,   D.D.,  David  .  •    ....  110 

Hasinger,  J.  Clement 113 

Hastings,  John  S 114 

Hildebrand,  Thomas  E 116 

Hill,  John  H 116 

Hood,  Hon.  George  W 117 

Jack,  Summers  M 118 

Johnston,  John  A.  .....   .  119 


PAOE 

Keener,  Frank 120 

Kelly,  James  M 121 

Langhara,  Jonathan  N 122 

Lemmon,  Charles  T 122 

Logan,  Hon.  James  A 123 

Lowry,  Horace  M 124 

Luckhart,  C'apt.  Davie  A.   .    .    .  125 

Mack,   David   C 126 

McGaughey,  John 127 

McGregor,  James 128 

Mitchell,  William  J 131 

Moorhead,  Fergus 132 

Nesbit,  C'apt.  James  S 133 

Nixon,  Edward 133 

Orr,  Edwin  G 134 

Owens,  D.D.,  Eev.  Wm.  S.  .   .   .  135 

Paul,  John  L 137 

Pennington,  Edward  A 138 

Pierce,  John  H 139 

Row,  Jonathan 139 

Row,  George 141 

Sansom,   Franklin 143 

Scott,  John  A 144 

Simpson,  David  W 144 

Sloan,  Hon.  Hannibal  K.  .    .    .  145 

Smith,  Robert  M 147 

Snyder,  M.S.,  Ph.D.,  Z.  X.  .   .    .  147 

Stanard,   Daniel 152 

St.  Clair,  M,D.,  Hon.  Thomas  .  152 

St.  Clair,  James 156 

Stewart,  William  M 157 


P4GI 

Stuchul,John  T 158 

Sutton,  Thomas 159 

Swigart,  Rev.  Daniel  W.  ...  Kil 

Taylor,  David  Blair 162 

Telford,  Stephen  J 1C3 

Thompson,  Sylvester  C 164 

Thompson,  Robert  ....     lii,5,  636 

Todd,  Hon.  James 168 

Tomb,  D.  Harbison 168 

Toner,  Rev,  Adam  F 169 

Torrence,  M,D.,  James  M.  .    .    .  170 

Vogel,  Edward  G 171 

Watson,  M.  C 172 

Watt,  James  M 176 

White,  Hon.  Thomas 177 

Wilson,   Andrew    W 177 

McCracken,  Lieut,  Alexander  .  179 

Wilson,  John  R 179 

BLAIRSVILLE. 

Ballard,  Augustus  M 185 

Baughman,  Jonah  B 186 

Berlin,  Edward  H 186 

Black,  Robert 187 

Carson,  M.D.,  John   B 187 

Conner,  John  M 188 

Crede,  Jr ,  George  W 188 

Devers,  John  H.  .    .    .            .    .  189 

Duncan,  William 190 

Graff,   Paul 191 

Harvey,  James  M 193 

7 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Hicks,  Isaac 194 

Hill,  D.D.,  Kev.  George  ....  194 

Innes,  George  W 196 

Kennedy,  Capt.  John  P 196 

Kiukaid,  John  M 197 

Kinter,  J.  .\ustin 198 

Klingensniith,  M  D.,  F  S  S., 

Israel    P 201 

Lowry,  D.D.S,  8anmel  >S.  .    .    .  203 

McCabe,  Richard  Butler              .  203 

Mooorhead,  Joseph 204 

Shepley,  A.M.,  ■Sannicl  llowanl  .  205 

Snyder,  Antes 205 

StiHey,  Samuel  D 207 

Stitt,  Robert  G 207 

Turner,  Lieut.  AVilliam  L.  .    .    .  208 

Wehrle,  Richard  W 209 

Wiley,  M.D.,  D.D.,  L.L.D.,  Rev. 

Lsaac  William 209 

Wilkin.son,  Ijieutenant-Colonel 

George 210 

Wilson,  Martin  M 213 

Wyini,  Isaac 214 

Knott,  Major  Wilson 215 

Stillinger,  Y  (!.,  Rev.  J.  A.    .    .  215 

SALTSBURG. 

Ansley,  M.D.,  William  B.      .    .  221 

Carson,  M.D.,  Thomas    ....  '222 

C'Uuk,  Hail 223 

Cooper,  Major  S.unuel  223 

Davis,  George  B 224 

McCauley,  Harry  K 225 

Miller,  D.D.,  Rev.  Samuel  W.   .  225 

Moore,  James  C 227 


PAGE 

Patterson,  Martin  V 228 

Paul,  Robert  A 228 

Kalston,  D.D.S.,  W.  < ' 229 

Stewart,  Robert 230 

Watson,  James  P 231 

Wilson,  Robert  H 231 

HOMER  CITY. 

Campbell,  M.D..  John  Gilbert   .  234 

Coy,  John 235 

Evans,  Dr.  John 233 

Moore,  Rev.  Carle 236 

Reed,  M.D.,  Hon.  William  L.--.  237 

St.  Clair,  John  I' 238 

Allison,  Andrew 239 

MARION. 

Allison,  M.D.,  Ale.'iander  H.  .    .  243 

Park,   John 244 

Thompson,     M.D.,     lion.     John 

Keene 244 

AVork,  James  M 246 

CONEMAUGH.  BLACK  LICK.   BURRELL 
AND  EAST  AND  WEST  WHEAT- 
FIELD  TOWNSHIPS. 

Burrell,  lion.  Jeremiah  Murry  .  261 

Campbell,  (Jen.  Charles   ....  263 

Davis,  Richard  W.  H 263 

Kelly,  John  K 264 

Mildren,  Kdwanl  J 264 

Robinson,  Robert  Sr.,       ....  266 

Rogers,  Robert 266 

Stonelxick,  Alfred  K 266 

Pound  Familv 267 


RAYNE,    WHITE     CENTRE,    CHERRY 

HILL,  BRUSH  VALLEY,  GREEN,  PINE 

AND  BUFFINGTON  TOWNSHIPS. 

PAGE 

Burns,   Thomas 275 

Campbell,  Hon.  Joseph  ....  275 

Creps,  Capt.  Jacob 276 

Hamil,  William  T 277 

Learn,  Andrew 278 

McElhoes,  Richard  J 635 

Mikesell,  Adam  K  .    .           .  278 

Pilson,  John  ....                .    .  279 

Shields,  J.  W 279 

Simpson,   James 280 

Stuchell,  Capt.  John 281 

Williams,  Richard    \\ 282 

BANKS.  MONTGOMERY.  CANOE. 
GRANT  AND  THE  MAHONING  TOWN- 
SHIPS. 

Crawford,  Archibald  J.  T.   .    .    .  635 

McEwen,  M.D.,  Christopher  .    .  286 

Morrow,   M.D.,  John   AV.  .        .  (i34 

Xeal,  John  'W 286 

Seanor,  Hon.  N 287 

Smitten,  Archibald  ....    289,  636 

Stitler,  John  F 290 

WASHINGTON,  ARMSTRONG  AND 
YOUNG  TOWNSHIPS. 


Elder,  Robert  Y 

294 

Kennedy,  Sylvester  C.  .    .    . 

.    295 

Telford,  Rev.  John  Crce    . 

.    296 

Carnahan,  David  Edward    . 

.    296 

Young,  Hon.  John   .... 

.    297 

\ 


V 


CONTENTS. 


ARMSTRONG    COUNTY. 


KITTANNING. 

PAGE 

Bufliiigtou,  Hon.  Joseph  ....  334 

Armstrong   Major-General  John  338 

Arnold,  Harry  A 339 

Aye,  Frederick 340 

Bailey,  W.   C 340 

Buffington,  Joseph  &  Orr  .        .  341 

Clark,  Austin 342 

Cochrane,  Hon.  Samuel  B.  .    .    •  343 

Crawford,  George  T 344 

Daugherty,  George  B 346 

Doveii^pike,  George  W 347 

Fiscus,  William  W 348 

Fox,  George   M 349 

Goerman,  H.  Lee 350 

Goerman,   S.  L 351 

Hays,  H.  J.  .   .   -. 352 

Heilman  Bros 353 

Henderson,   Josepli    B 354 

Heni-y,  Albert  G 355 

Henry,  Charles  Newton  ....  356 

Henry,    Boyd   »S 357 

Hill,   Frank    W 358 

Johnston,  Hon.  William  Freame  359 

Kettl,  Rev.  Frank  X 360 

Kline,  Dr.  Martin  Luther  ...  360 

Leasou,   Merion  F 361 

Leuz,  Charles 362 

Mayers,  Rev.  Henry  L 363 

McCain,  James  H 364 

McCuUough,  R.  A 365 

McNees,  George  W 365 

McVay,    Frank   B 367 

Meredith,  Hon.  William  B.  .    .  368 

Moesta,  Frank  A 3G8 

Oswald,   Marshall   B 369 

Otto,   Walter    S 370 


PAGE 

Owen,  Rev.  John  W.  •    ....  373 

Rayburn,   Hon.   Calvin  ....  374 

Reed,  David  J ■  375 

Reichert,  William  H 376 

Reynolds,  D.D.S.,  Francis  M.     .  377 

Robinson,  Robert  A 378 

Robinson,    William   D 379 

Eohrer,  Hon.  John  W 380 

Schreekengost,   A.   S 381 

Shadle,  C.  C 381 

Sini[>son,  John   Temple  ...  382 

i^laymaker,  Lieut.  Robert  S.  .    .  383 

Smith,  Robert  Walter 536 

Sturgeon,    Walter   J 384 

Mercer,  Brigadier-General  Hugh  385 

Potter,   Major-General  James  .  386 

APOLLO. 

Alexander,  David  D.  P 388 

Benjamin,  Jolm 388 

Chambers,  James  Hutchinson  •  389 

Cochran,  Michael  Hermoud  .  391 

Cochrane,  John  Q 302 

Cochran,  Capt.  Thomas  A.  .    .  393 

Elwood,  W.  J 394 

Fiscus,  John   M 394 

FuUertou,  Rev.  .lohn  (J.  A.  .    .  399 

Guthrie,  Walter  J 400 

Haraniitt,  Armand  C.  .        .    .    •  401 

Hunter,  George  M 402 

Hunter,  ^ViUiam   C 402 

Hunter,  Robert  Orr      403 

Jack,  Samuel 404 

Jacksou,    Geueral    Sauniel    Mc- 
Cartney    405 

Kepple,  Cyrus  J 407 

Kii-kwood,  James 408 


PAGE 

Kirkwood,  Hugh 409 

Kirkwood,  William  T.  .  409 

Laufnian,  W.  B 411 

McBryar,  M.D.,  William  .  412 

McMuUeu,  P.  S 417 

McCauley,  M.D.,  Robert  Emmett  418 

McQuilkin,  James  D 423 

Rudolph,  Henry  Absalom   .424 

Smeltzer,  H.  R 425 

Steele,  Cieorge  W.    .    .    .        42ti.  636 

Uncafcr,  Henry 426 

Whitlinger,  Simon  S 429 

Wliitworth,  James  S 430 

Wolfe,  Aiken  S 431 

Wray,  Frank  T 431 


LEECHBURG. 
Armstrong,  A.M.,  M.D.,  John  A. 
Artman,  James  J. 

Bole,  John  S 

Bowers,  Daniel 

Bredin,   Ezckiel    .    . 
Dufi;  William  Robert  .    . 
Elwood,  Thomsis  Jeflerson 

Euwer,  James  T 

Gooilsell,  George  H. 
Gosser,  Albert  M.  . 
Hicks,  Capt.  Alfred  . 

Hill,   Edward 

Hunter,  M.D.,  Robert  P. 
Irwin,  Tliomas  M.   .    .    . 
Irwin,  Thouias  vStevenson 

Leech,   David 

McKallip,  James  A.  .  . 
Montgomery,  William  . 
Orr,  M.D.,  Joseph  D.  .  . 
Parks,  Jacob  H 


434 
435 
4.35 
436 
437 
438 
439 
410 
441 
442 
445 
448 
149 
450 
450 
451 
452 
453 
454 
455 


10 

PAGE 

Schwalm,   John 456 

Steele,  William  John 45' 

Taylor,  Millard   F 458 

Taylor,  John .    .  459 

Thompson,  George  W 4(50 

Townsend,  William  Peter  .    .    .  461 

Van  Giesen,  Thomas  J 4(52 

Wanamaker,  Martin  Luther  .   .  4(')3 

FREEPORT. 

Craig,  James  W 466 

Edghill,  M.D.,  James 466 

Gallaher,  James  S 467 

Guckenheimer,  Isaac  .    .    .    .    .  467 

Iseman,  Nicholas 468 

Long,  J.  Luther 460 

Maxler,  Frank 470 

Miller,  Henry  X 470 

McCnllough,  Hon.  J.  A.  .    .        .  471 

Schwietering  Herman  H.    .    .    .  472 

Turner,  Samuel 473 

Watt,  J.  Fulton 474 

Alter,  M.D.,  David 475 

DAYTON  AND  PARKER  CITY. 

Adams,  Rev.  Matthew  S.  .    .    .  478 

Adams,  Edwin  D 479 

Barr,  Capt.  Winfield  S 479 

Beck,  J.  J 480 

Brewer,  Samuel  H 481 

Calhoun,  M.D.,  Noah  F.  .    .    .  482 

Calhoun,  J.  K 483 

Cooper,  George 484 

Cooper,  J.  T 485 

Eggcrt,  M.D.,  .ioseph 487 

Erviu,  S.  J 488 

Fullerton,  Henry  Keese   ....  489 

Henry,  M.D.,  John  Allison    .    .  490 

Hoover,  M.I).,  Albert  M.  .    .    .  491 

Lias,  George  W 492 

Marshall,  Thomas  A 493 

Marshall,  Joseph  W 494 

Marshall,  William 495 

Miller,  Wesley  Wade 496 

Milliron,  David 497 

Morrow,  Ephraiin 498 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Oltinger,  Franklin 499 

Parker,  Fullerton 500 

Parker,  George 501 

Pontius,  Augustus  T 502 

Randolph,  Erasmus  H 503 

Russell,  Alexander 504 

Sharp,  Dr.  Joseph  W. 505 

Smith,  John  T 506 

Tiusman,  Oliver 506 

Winsheimer,   l>r.   AVilliani  J.     .  507 

EAST  FRANKLIN,  PINE,  BOGGS.  VAL- 
LEY. MANOR  AND  KITTANNING 
TOWNSHIPS. 

Adams,  John 610 

Boltz,    Henry 511 

Bovard,  Charles  S 511 

Cunningham,  Jame.s 512 

Everhart,  Cyrus  A 513 

Fair,  John 514 

Frick,  Chambers 515 

(irahaiii,  William  A 515 

Guthrie,  John  P 516 

Heilman,  Samuel 517 

lleilman,  James 517 

Hood,  William 518 

Logan,  John  A 519 

Luke,  M.D.,  George  Washington  620 

Mai-shall,  Archibald  W 621 

Mateer,  John  H 521 

MeAfoos,  Daniel 622 

McClarren,  P.  F 623 

McCollum,  ^Villiam 624 

M(;Gregor,  John  B 524 

Mergenthaler,  Louis 525 

Milliken,John 526 

Nelson,  John  M 527 

Pepper,  Mathias  R 527 

Ralston,  M.D.,  Robert  (i.   .    .    .  528 

Reese,  Isaac 529 

Ross,  George 530 

Rupp,  David 531 

Schall,  Simon  P 531 

Schreckengost,  Joseph  J.    .       .  632 

Starr,  Shcdrick  A 533 


PAGE 

Stewart,  John 533 

Warner,  Andrew  H 534 

Wayman,  Marcus  D 535 

Wible,  John 635 

Smith,  Robert  W 536 

RED    BANK.    WAYNE,    COWANSHAN- 

NOCK.  PLUM  CREEK  AND  SOUTH 

BEND  TOWNSHIPS. 

Blaney,  John  A 538 

Bleakney,  Abraham  W 539 

Blose,  M.D.,  George  A 639 

Borland,  George  G 540 

Calhoun,  Samuel  S.  N 641 

Cuddy,  Johuson  C 542 

Duff,  Rev.  David  K 543 

Findley,  Archibald 545 

Gibson,  Addison  H 546 

Good,  Abraham 547 

Gourley,  George  A 547 

Haines,  Jacob  S 548 

Heckman,  John 649 

Heckman,  Jlichael 550 

Herron,  Margaret  Clark  .   .    .    .  551 

Jones,  Stephen      551 

Kirkpatrick,John  T 552 

McAdoo,  M.D.,  Calvin  P.   .    .    .  553 

McCullough,  David 553 

McLean,  James  D 554 

Montgomery,  Anthony   ....  555 

Neal,  Smith 656 

Pettigrew,  M.D.,  John  M.  .    .    .  557 

Pontius,  Wesley 557 

Ralston,  James  S 558 

Schrecengost,  Emanuel  Z.    .    .    .  560 

Sloan,  William  C 560 

Smith,  Michael  J 561 

Smith,  George  J 562 

Stockdill,  M.D.,  T.  F 563 

Marshall,  William 664 

HOVEY.  PERRY.  BRADYS  BEND. 
WASHINGTON.  MADISON  AND  MAHON- 
ING TOWNSHIPS 

Brown,  Eugene  L 566 

Cathcart,  Samuel 566 


CONTENTS. 


11 


PAGE 

Fowler,  James 567 

Hamilton,  C'apt.  J.  K 568 

Hetrick,  Peter  C 569 

James,  M.D.,  Josepli  \V.    .    .    .  670 

Jennings,  Richard 571 

Keener,  Nicholas 572 

Nolf,  Simon       573 

Park,  Harvey 673 

Robinson,  Samuel  M 574 

Robinson,  Elislia 575 

Schott,  John  A 576 

Shoemaker,  Philip 577 

Stockdill,  John  L 578 

Taylor,  Robert  M 578 

Tibbies,  George  JI 579 

Tniitt,  Alcinus  G 580 

Wallace,  M.D.,  R.  S 580 

•■Brady,  Capt.  Samuel 581 

Brodhead,  Gen.  Daniel     ....  582 

SUGAR  CREEK,  WEST  FRANKLIN. 
NORTH  AND  SOUTH  BUFFALO  TOWN- 
SHIPS. 

Boggs,  David  C 584 

Boney,  Samuel  C 585 

Bouey,  Robert  W 586 

Bo\v6er,  Van  Buren 587 

Bowser,  Jacob 587 

Bowser,  David 588 


PIGB 

Brown,  John  F 588 

Claypoole,  David  H 589 

Claypole,  Davitl  D 590 

Claypool,  Henry 590 

Cowan,  Robert  W 591 

Easley,  James 592 

Easley,  Casper  W 592 

Gaiser,  Martin 593 

Graff,  Peter 593 

Hall,  John  A 597 

Hawk,  John 598 


rJack,  James  S.  . 
King,  M.D.,  Jesse  H. 

Lardin,  Robert 600 

Leard,  William  H 601 

Maxwell,  M.D.,  John  K 001 

j  Obey,  James 603 

Williams,  John  M 603 


PARKS.   BETHEL.    GILPIN.   BURRELL. 
AND  KISKIMINETAS  TOWNSHIPS. 

Alms,  Henry  J 606 

Altman,  Amos 607 

Blyholder,  Samuel  S 608 

Bowman,  George 608 

Carothers,  William  T 609 

Chambei-s,  John  S 610 

Dunmire,  Henry 611 

Free,  John  S 612 


Guthrie,  William  G 613 

Heckman,  Gideon 614 

Hill,  Hiram 614 

Jackson,  James  Y 615 

Jones,  George  H 616 

Keppel,  William 617 

Kirkland,  John 618 

Klingensmith,  Henry  J 619 

Klingeusraith,  Josiah  W.    .    .    .  619 

Kuhns,  William  K 621 

Lessig,  Zachariah  T 621 

599  ^  McAdoo,  James 622 

599  I  McAwley,  John  S 622 

McGrann,  Philip  R 623 

Meyers,  Joseph 624 

Novinger,  Isaac 625 

Parks,  J.  B 625 

Parks,  Robert 627 

Townsend,  George 628 

Townsend,  Absalom  K 629 

AVilson,  John  H 630 

Wilson,  William  T 631 

Wray,  John  M •  632 

.   Wray,  Daniel 633 

MISCELLANEOUS. 


Crawford,  Archibald  J.  T.  .    .    .    635 

McElhoes,  Robert  A 635 

Morrow,  M.D.,  John  W 634 


HISTORICAL    AND    DESCRIPTIVE. 


Historical  sketoli  of  Indiaua  and  Armstrong  counties 17 

Geological  and  historical  sketch  of  Indiana  county 45 

Geological  and  historical  sketch  of  Armstrong  county  299 


INDIANA   COUNTV. 

Indiana 77 

Blaii-sville 181 

Saltsburg 217 

Homer  City 23.S 

Marion 241 

Conemaugh 247 

Black  I.ick 251 

Burrell 25.S 

East  Wheattield 254 

West  WheatHeld 254 

Rayne 209 

White 209 

Centre 209 

Cherry  Hill 272 

Brush  Valley 274 

Green      274 

Pine 275 

Bnftiugton      275 

Banks 283 

Montgomery 284 

Canoe 284 

Grunt      285 

North  Mahoning 285 

East  Mahoning 285 

South  Mahoning 285 

West  Mahoning 285 

Washington 291 

Armstrong 292 

Young 293 


ARMSTKONII    COUNTY. 

PAOE 

Kittanning 325 

Apollo 387 

Leechburg 433 

Freeport 465 

Dayton 477 

Parker 477 

East  Franklin 509 

Pine 509 

Boggs      509 

Valley 509 

Manor 509 

Kittanning     .    .            510 

Ked  Bank 537 

Wayne 537 

Cowanshannoek 537 

Plum  Creek 537 

South  Bend 538 

Hovey 565 

Perry 565 

Brady's  Bend 565 

Washington 565 

Madison      565 

Mahoniiig 565 

Sugar  Creek 583 

West  Franklin      583 

North  Buflalo 583 

South  Buflalo 583 

Parks      605 

Bethel G05 

Gilpin 605 

Burrell 605 

Kiskiminetas 605 


13 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


FAUE 

320 


\y 


INDIANA   COUNTY.  ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 

PAGE 

Clark,  LL.D.,Hon.  Sii,.\s  M 82     Court-house  and  Jail 

Clakk,  LL.D.,  Hon.  Silas  M.  Uesideuce  of )   ...  86      Orr,   Gen.  Robkrt 338 

Normal  School  Building .    .  148     Ruffinoton,  Hon.  Joseph 331 

County  Court-house 180  '  <>wen,  Rev.  John  W 373 

County  Jail 78  i  Fullerton,  Rev.  John  Q.  A 


399 


,    Hall,  D.L).  David,   .    . 
^    Mitchell,  William  J. 


110 


131 


McBryar,  M.D.,  William 412 

McBbyar,  Mrs.  Sarah  J 415 

McCauley,  M.D.,  Robert  E 418 

McCauley,  Mrs.  Martha  M 421 

Uncafer,  Henry 420 

GossER,  Albert  M 442 

Wilson,  M.  M 213     Hicks,  Capt.  Alfred 446 

Young,  Hon.  John 297     Graff,  Peter        598 


\      St.  Clair,  M.D„  Hon.  Thomas 152 

■-    Watson,  M.  C 172  i 


Klingensmitii,  M.D.,  F.S.S.,  Israel  P. 


201 


,   .  ^ .     -.,.    -.   .-,.■  ,'v-  "c'  ---i"  -^\-  '-v  .■'•-  '*>;■•  -"J-  /"■  ^t*-  ^'•<>'  '^' ■  ■'"'™  ''■^;='  z^-'  ■^■j'  ■^■•■■'  -^'■■'  ■'^'"'  ■'>■■  ^■*'--  ■<^"  '^^"  ■^■^^■'  <'^"  -^-'  -r^"  ^"^-yv 

^:',jiriziizxiizzzzzzzxxiixzxzizxiizziriziizixxirixxrzixxixirix2Xixxx2i^>> 

aik  ifik  au  ifA  K 

"A"  "A"  'A'  'A'  M 

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ir\..  .■'...  .        .         ,         , 


V>H  ■■     -     ^    'A' 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH 


OF 


Indiana  and  Armstrong  Counties. 


Pre-hialoric races — Ihe  Mound-builders — Tlie  Indians — 
Race  history  of  white  pioneers — The  Backwoodsmen 
of  the  Alleghenies — Irish,  German,  Scotch,  EmjUsh, 
Welsh  and  Scotfh-Irish  elements  and  the  Backwoods- 
711(11  s  place  in  our  National  Historij — Pcnnsi/lvania — 
William  Penn — Territori/  of  Indiana  and  Armstronr/ 
counties  under  Webtmoreland — French  and  English 
contest  over  the  Ohio  Valley— Early  English  settle- 
ments— Struggle  of  ihe  Backwoodsmen  and  the  Eng- 
lish over  the  Ohio  Valley — Burning  of  Hannaslown — 
Pioneer  settlements  in  Indiana  and  Armstrong — The 
history,  growth  and  development  of  these  counties — 
Their  future. 

IT  is  impossible  iu  a  work  of  this  kind  to 
allot  sufficient  space  for  a  complete  history 
of  the  present  territory  of  these  two  im- 
portant counties  of  western  Pennsylvania  ;  yet 
the  publisher  has  deemed  it  most  essential  tiiat 
some  account  of  the  life-story  of  their  ditferent 
inhabiting  races  should  be  given,  and  tiiat  a 
brief  presentation  of  the  salient  points  of  their 
history  should  be  made  before  procee<iing  to 
record  the  biographical  sketches  of  their  lead- 
ing citizens. 

The  historical   part  of  this  work  has    been 
completed  after  a  vast  amount  of  research    and 
was  prosecuted  at  considerable  expense ;  but  all 
2 


the  time  and  expense  is  repaid  by  the  fact  that 
it  leaves  a  solid  foundation  upon  whieii  tlie 
future  historian  can  build  a  comprehensive  and 
complete  history,  as  well  as  suggesting  to  tlie 
student  of  history  some  sources  of  heretofore 
unknown  historical  information  in  regard  to 
these  counties  and  the  deeds  of  their  pioneer 
white  settlers. 

The  history  of  Indiana  and  Armstrong 
counties  naturally  divides  itself  into  three 
distinct  periods,  each  of  which  is  characterized 
by  a  peculiar  inhabiting  race,  as  follows: 

1.  Aboritrinal  Period — Mound-builders. 

2.  Savage  Period — Indians. 

3.  Civilized  Period — White  Race. 

There  is  but  little  known  of  the  ancient  his- 
tory of  the  North  American  continent  despite 
the  most  exhaustive  researches.  Nearly  three 
or  four  centuries  ago,  wlien  human  eyes  in 
the  track  of  the  morning  sun-rays  first  be- 
held the  forest  shores  of  America,  it  was 
as  if  a  great  curtain  had  rolled  away  from  the 
western  world  of  waters. 

But  back  of  it  lay  a  continent  with  only  the 
Mound-builders'  ruins  and    the  Red  men's  tra- 

17 


18 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


ditions.  No  history  in  volumes  traced,  no 
record  in  rock-written  inscription,  to  tell  where 
the  one  race  with  a  civilization  but  no  history 
had  gone,  or  the  other  race  with  a  tradition  but 
no  civilization  had  come.  Of  the  Mound- 
builders'  origin  and  mysterious  fate — first  we 
have  supposition,  next  theory  from  relics,  then 
speculation  and  that  is  all. 

Came  they  from  Asia  when  Abram  sojourned 
in  the  land  of  Egypt?  Came  they  at  a  later 
date  across  the  trackless  wilds  of  inhospitable 
Siberia,  passing  over  the  Behring  strait  on  its 
ice-bound  floor  ;  or  did  they,  in  the  northern 
winter  land's  sickly  smile  of  summer,  coast 
along  the  chain  of  the  Aleutian  islands  stretch- 
ing from  Asia  to  America ;  or  left  they  fabled 
Atlantis,  when  it  was  sinking  in  earth-quake 
throes,  to  plant  themselves  westward  on  the 
North  American  shore?  No  one  can  tell. 
Mexican  and  Indian  traditions  and  relics  found 
in  the  mounds  favor  the  hypothesis  of  their 
migration  from  Asia  by  Behring  strait  or  the 
Aleutian  islands,  and  that  they  were  the  an- 
cestors of  the  Toltecs  and  Aztecs  of  Mexico. 

The  earliest  traces  of  human  life  found  in 
America  indicate  an  age  corresponding  with  the 
age  of  the  mammoth  and  reindeer  of  Europe. 
Corresponding  with  the  stone  age  and  the  be- 
ginning of  the  bronze  age  in  Europe,  was  a 
semi-civilized  state  of  life  in  America — a  race 
of  people  who  were  Mound-builders,  and  who 
undoubtedly  built  all  the  great  mounds  in  the 
United  States.  As  to  how  far  back  this  period 
extended,  none  can  tell.  David  Cusick,  an  ed- 
ucated Indian,  in  a  work  entitled  "Ancient 
History  of  the  Six  Nations,"  states  an  Indian 
tradition  assigning  the  Mound-builders  back 
twenty-two  centuries  before  the  landing  of 
Columbus.  Were  they  strong  in  numbers? 
Undoubtedly,  as  no  traces  exist  of  their  pos- 
sessing domestic  animals,  it  must  have  taken 
great  numbei's  of  men,  long  periods,  to  build 
the  great  works  whose  ruins  remain  to  this  day. 

These  great  works  were  of  two  kinds :  first, 


mounds;  second,  fortifications.  The  mounds 
may  be  considered  in  regard  to  form  and  use ; 
in  form  they  were  round,  oblong  and  pyr- 
amidal ;  as  regards  use  they  may  be  divided 
into  four  classes. 

Temple  Mounds. — The  first  great  class  is  pyr- 
amidal in  form  ;  and  in  the  west  they  are  from 
50  to  90  feet  high  and  from  300  to  700  feet 
long,  with  terraces  or  steps  ascending  to  their 
summits,  where  clear  traces  and  unmistakable 
signs  of  former  buildings  are  to  be  found,  in- 
dicating the  past  dwelling  of  chief  or  priest. 

Altar  Mounds. — The  second  great  class  in 
form  is  round,  aud  found  to  be  from  two  to 
four  feet  high,  and  five  to  eight  feet  across. 
On  the  top  is  always  a  depression  in  a  layer  of 
hardened  clay  ;  and  in  this  depression,  ashes  ; 
and  in  these  ashes,  evidences  of  burnt  sacri- 
fices; while  every  object  found  in  them  is 
broken  and  has  suffered  from  fire. 

Effigy  Mounds. — The  third  great  class  in 
form  body  forth  rude  representations  of  dif- 
ferent animals,  and  north  of  the  Wisconsin  river 
are  some  representing  the  human  form.  Repre- 
senting animals,  they  are  about  two  hundred 
feet  long,  4  feet  high,  and  25  feet  wide. 

Tomb  Mounds. — The  fourth  great  cla.ss  of 
mounds  in  form  is  round  and  oblong,  their  di- 
mensions widely  varying  in  different  localities. 
One  close  to  St.  Louis  is  40  feet  high,  and  300 
feet  long.  They  are  far  more  abundant  than 
those  of  the  other  classes.  They  are  of  two 
kinds :  first,  interment  mounds ;  and  second, 
battle  mounds,  where  the  slain  were  piled  up 
and  earth  heaped  over  them.  These  mounds 
in  the  Ohio  Valley  are  larger,  and  the  bones 
in  them,  by  an  advanced  stage  of  decomposi- 
tion, show  them  to  be  older  than  the  mounds 
of  the  Atlantic  Sta,tes.  A  careful  examination 
of  the  interment  mounds  in  many  places  gives 
unmistakable  and  indisputable  evidence  of  the 
practice  of  cremation  rites. 

Fortifications. — The  second  kind  of  these  great 
works,  may  be  considered  in  regard  to  form  as 


INDIANA   AND  ARMSTRONO   COUNTIES. 


19 


circular,  square  or  elliptical ;  ia  regard  to  use,  ! 
they  may  be  considered  as  of  two  classes.  | 

Old  Forts. — Tlie  first  great  class  existed  all 
over  the  Mississippi  Valley,  enclosing  from  a 
fevf  yards  up  to  several  acres  of  land.  Red 
Stone  Old  Fort  at  what  is  now  Brownsville, 
Pa.,  stood  on  the  site  of  the  Mound-builders' 
old  fort.  They  were  of  different  shapes,  and 
stood  on  the  banks  of  some  water.  Tliey  were 
earth  structures  east  of  the  Mississippi ;  while 
west,  stone  was  extensively  used  in  their  con- 
struction. I 

Fortified  Heights. — The  second  great  class  in  ' 
the  east  are  chiefly  found  in  Georgia;  where,  in 
one  section  of  the  State,  all  defensible  moun- 
tains were  fortified  by  this  extinct  race.  Mt. 
Yond,  4000  feet  high,  and  Stoue  mountain,  2;3(JO 
feet  high,  were  fortified  with  stone  rolled  and 
heaped,  and  built  up  into  defensive  walls. 

What  tools  did  they  employ  in  the  construc- 
tion of  their  great  works  ?  Revealed  by  the  i 
plow-share,  unearthed  from  the  mouud,  brought 
up  from  the  half-hidden  pit  and  concealed 
hiding-place,  they  are  comprised,  according  to 
material,  of  two  classes,  stone  and  copper.  Of 
stone,  a  rude  flint  chipped  in  shape  of  a  spade 
to  which  a  handle  was  attached  was  used  for 
digging.  Flint  spades,  axes,  tomahawks,  chis- 
els, wedges  and  knives  constituted  their  tools  of 
stone ;  while  as  weapons  of  stone,  they  had 
arrow  and  spear-heads,  besides  pipes,  tubes, 
pestles,  pendants,  sinkers  and  ornaments.  Of 
copper,  rudely  hammered  out,  were  tools,  such 
as  axes,  hammers  and  spoons,  weapons  and 
ornaments  obtained  by  working  mines  on  Lake 
Superior,  wiiere  a  block  of  copper  weighing  six 
tons  was  discovered  some  years  ago,  that  they 
had  commenced  to  take  out,  with  their  rude 
stone  and  copper  tools  lying  by  its  side.  Tiiey 
used  bone  and  horn  to  make  cups  and  spoons, 
clay  and  shells  to  make  ceramic  ware,  and  wood 
to  make  clubs  and  rude  mauls. 

Tools  and  weapons  were  found  iu  a  mound 
at   Marietta,   Ohio,   on  whose  top  trees   were 


growing  thirty  years  ago,  and  their  age  was  es- 
timated at  eight  hundred  years.  This  calcula- 
tion would  give  1050  a.d.  as  the  time  wheu 
tiie  mound  was  iu  existence,  whether  built  ear- 
lier or  not. 

There  were  found  at  Moundsville,  West  Vir- 
ginia, in  the  great  mound  of  that  place,  ivory 
beads  and  copper  bracelets,  and  a  siugular 
hieroglyphical  stone  incribed  with  characters  in 
the  aucient  rock  alphabet  of  16  right  and  acute 
angled  single  strokes  used  by  the  Pelasgi  and 
other  early  Mediterranean  nations.  Standing 
on  an  elevated  plain  75  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  Ohio  river  it  was  connected  by  low  earthen 
intrenchments  with  other  mounds.  They  took 
in  a  well,  walled  up  with  rough  stones  ;  and 
back  on  a  high  hill  were  found  the  ruins  of  a 
stone  tower,  apparently  a  watch-tower,  built  of 
rough  undressed  stones  laid  up  without  mortar. 
A  similar  tower  stands  on  a  high  Grave  creek 
hill,  and  one  across  the  Ohio  river  on  a  high 
projecting  promontory.  The  three  towers  seem 
to  have  been  built  as  watch-towers,  or  sentinel 
out  looks  for  the  numerous  mounds  dotting  this 
elevated  plain.  Howe  says:  "On  the  Green 
Bottom  iu  Cabell  and  Mason  counties  vestigres 
of  a  large  city,  with  traces  of  laid-out  streets 
running  to  the  Ohio  river,  covering  the  space  of 
a  half  mile,  were  once  visible." 

Wiiy  left  this  mighty  race  this  great  empire? 
Did  war  from  the  Indian,  famine  or  fever,  waste 
them  ?  Or  sought  they  a  southern  clime  more 
warm  than  glows  beneath  our  Northern  skies  ? 

None  with  certainty  can  tell.  Cusick  gives 
us  Indian  tradition,  that  the  Indians  drove  them 
south  2000  years  before  Columbus  came,  and 
that  the  Mound-builders  came  from  the  south; 
which  might  have  been  either  Louisiana  or  Mexi- 
co ;  but  there  are  many  things  to  imj)air  the  story. 
Theory  favors,  but  certainly  does  not  stamp, 
the  conclusion  that  the  Mound-builders  were 
the  ancestors  of  the  Aztecs  and  Toltecs,  and 
obeying  a  migratory  impulse,  sweeping  forward 
and  southward  to  the  plains  of  Mexico  and  Peru, 


20 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


established  themselves  uuder  the  reign  of  em- 
peror aud  the  rule  of  iuca. 

Leaving  this  country,  these  mounds  may 
have  been  the  rude  model-structures  of  ideas 
they  developed  into  those  wonderful  structures 
that  greeted  the  greedy  eyes  of  Cortez  and 
Pizarro.  The  introduction  of  stone  into  their 
mound-structures  here  must  have  represented 
an  idea  of  progress — an  experimental  mode  of  a 
proposed  change,  whose  consummation  might 
have  been  achieved  in  the  great  halls,  cities, 
temples  and  aqueducts  of  the  Montezumas. 

The  Mound-builders'  age  stands  as  the  twi- 
lisiht  of  American's  earliest  civilization.  On  its 
close  fell  a  niglit  of  barbarism,  resting  all  over 
the  land  and  extending  to  the  coming  of  Co- 
lumbus, the  dawn  of  America's  latest  and  the 
world's  brightest  civilization. 

The  Mound-builders  in  Indiana  and  Arm- 
strong must  have  come  up  the  Allegheny  river 
in  conformity  with  the  great  law  that  governed 
the  race,  in  following  the  rivers  and  settling  in 
their  valleys.  All  evidence  tends  to  sustain 
their  coming  up  the  Allegheny  from  the  site  of 
Pittsburgh  or  down  that  river  from  Lake  Chau- 
tauqua, New  York,  where  they  had  extensive 
settlements.  The  absence  efforts,  the  indispensa- 
ble accompaniment  of  their  established  settle- 
ments would  indicate  their  intention  of  but 
temporary  residence,  while  the  bones  in  their 
interment  mounds  would  show  temporary  occu- 
pation for  man}'  years ;  no  doubt  made  for 
hunting  the  game  then  wonderfully  abundant 
in  the  Allegheny  Valley.  The  bones  of  chil- 
dren in  the  mounds  and  the  remains  of  ancient 
pottery  found  prove  that  they  brought  their 
families  and  lived  on  the  river  close  to  their 
burial  mounds  while  temporarily  here. 

The  early  settlers  paid  but  little  attention  to. 
the  Mound-builders'  ruins  and  generally  re- 
garded them  as  the  work  of  the  Indians,  hence 
but  little  trace  has  been  preserved  of  them.  One 
of  the  forts  and  mounds  of  the  Mound-builders 
was  in  West  Wheatfield  township,  and  is  de- 


scribed in  Cauldwell's  History  of  Indiana  county 
as  follows  :  "  A  few  miles  north  from  the 
river,  on  the  old  Sides  farm,  stands  '  Fort 
Hill.'  Tiie  traditions  tell  us  that  it  was  known 
as  su(!ii  to  George  Finley  aud  the  early  settlers 
on  the  river.  The  soil  of  the  hill  is  very  rich, 
and  till  1817  or  1818,  it  was  nearly  all  covered 
with  an  improved  forest.  In  the  early  part  of 
the  century  the  outlines  of  a  fort  were  dis- 
tinctly marked,  being  slightly  elevated.  On 
the  inside  were  several  mounds."  In  Scott's 
Gazetteer  of  1806  we  read  the  following  :  "  In 
Wheatfield  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  is  a  remarkable  mound,  from  which  sev- 
eral strange  specimens  of  art  have  been  taken. 
One  was  a  stone  serpent  five  inches  in  diameter, 
part  of  the  entablature  of  a  column,  both  rudely 
carved  in  the  form  of  diamonds  and  leaves  ;  and 
also  an  earthen  urn  with  ashes."  The  mound 
above  alluded  to  was  on  the  inside  of  the  fort. 
Beside  the  articles  aforementioned,  there  were 
found  at  an  early  date,  fragments  of  pottery  of 
a  much  finer  texture  than  that  made  by  the 
Indians  ;  stones  of  peculiar  shape,  both  carved 
and  hollowed,  as  if  intended  for  utensils  for 
cooking  purposes  or  receptacles.  The  latter 
were  both  large  and  small. 

Smith  in  his  history  of  Armstrong  county, 
page  254,  makes  mention  of  an  ancient  earth- 
work on  Pine  creek  supposed  by  some  to  be  the 
work  of  Mound-builders.  On  page  288  he 
ffivesan  account  of  another  fortified  work  in  Cow- 
anshannock  township  enclosing  an  acre  and  a 
half  of  land.  It  was  circular  in  form,  had  a 
wall  some  five  feet  high,  and  was  surrounded 
with  a  trench.  Mr.  Smith  describes  (page  313) 
a  military  fortification  and  out-works  in  Manor 
township.  It  was  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
Allegheny  river,  and  on  some  of  its  parapets 
were  growing  trees  that  were  over  300  years  in 
age.  Numerous  relics  were  found  near  it,  and 
everything  seems  to  warrant  it  of  pre-historic 
origin. 

That  the  Mound-builders  were  cremationists 


INDIANA  AND  ARMSTRONG   COUNTIES. 


21 


is  beyoud  doubt.  This  is  established  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  tlie  bones,  which  everywhere  show 
the  action  of  fire,  as  well  as  by  the  ashes  and 
charcoal  found.  Most  probably  they  placed  the 
corpses  in  a  sitting  posture,  and  piled  wood 
around  tiiem  and  fired  it.  On  the  remains  earth 
was  thrown.  The  dead  were  placed  in  one  at  a 
time.  When  one  of  their  people  died,  the 
mound  was  opened,  the  corpse  was  placed  be- 
side the  one  last  put  in,  and  the  fiery  process 
repeated.  A  careful  examination  of  the  bones 
show  no  traces  of  death  by  violence,  and  seems 
to  contradict  the  theory  that  all  the  dead  in  their 
mounds  were  slain  in  great  battles. 

From  a  mound,  the  writer  obtained  a  strange 
skull  out  of  the  top  layer  of  bones.  Digging 
down,  we  came  upon  several  skulls  in  the  bot- 
tom layer,  but  could  not  get  them  out,  as  they 
crumbled  to  pieces  in  our  hands  ;  finally  the 
top  of  one  was  secured,  and  where  the  sutures 
meet  on  top  of  the  Caucasian  head,  they  were 
prevented  in  this  head  by  a  small  bone  of  about 
one  inch  in  length  bv  one  half  inch  in  width,  of  a 
peculiar  .shape.  All  the  other  skulls  possessed 
this  .same  peculiar  bone.  The  top  of  the  skull 
secured  and  the  others  tliat  crumbled,  showed  the 
heads  of  the  race  to  have  been  long  and  narrow, 
with  low  foreheads,  and  long  narrow  faces. 

The  Hon.  James  C.  McGrew  and  others,  in 
1834,  excavated  this  mound,  and  found  in  it  a 
peculiar  shaped  stone  pipe,  and  a  very  peculiar 
stone  relic  in  the  shape  of  an  hour-glass,  which 
was  mechanically  constructed,  neatly  dre.ssed,  and 
capable  of  being  used  for  the  purpose  of  recording 
time.  It  might  have  been  captured  and  placed  in 
the  mound  for  safe  keeping  by  an  Indian  ;  as 
the  Mound-builder  is  supposed  to  have  left  Asia 
when  the  sun-dial  was  used,  and  before  the 
invention  and  the  introduction  of  the  hour-glass. 
Fragments  of  ancient  pottery  have  been  plowed 
up  close  to  these  mounds,  similar  in  appearance 
to  the  ancient  ware  described  in  the  "  Antiqui- 
ties of  the  West  "  and  the  "  Ancient  Monuments 
of  the  Mississippi  Valley." 


The  fate  of  the  Mound-builders  of  the  Alle- 
gheny Valley  must  have  been  the  same  as  that 
of  their  whole  race.  When  the  race  left  the 
Mississippi  Valley,  those  of  the  Allegheny 
Valley  forsook  their  summer  hunting-ground 
here,  and  added  tlieir  numbers  to  swell  the 
migratory  columns  again  in  motion  toward  sun- 
nier regions  farther  south. 

Savage  Period :  Indians. — Twilight  deepens — 
the  Mound-builder  is  retreating.  Night  darkens 
— the  Indian  is  advancing.  Whence  comes  he? 
One  theory  credits  the  Indians  as  being  descend- 
ants of  the  Jews.  Succeeding  theories  blended 
tliera  with  the  Carthageniaus,  traced  them  to  the 
Phenicians,  derived  them  from  the  Egyptians, 
rendered  them  of  the  Grecians,  established  them 
of  the  Romans,  gave  them  origin  of  the  North- 
men, and  made  them  natives  of  the  .soil.  The 
best  supported  and  most  plausible  theory  of 
their  origin  is  that  they  are  of  JNIongolian 
extraction ;  that  while  the  wave  of  population 
in  the  old  world  was  from  east  to  west,  in  the 
new  world  it  was  from  north  to  south  ;  that  the 
Indian  was  the  second  wave  of  population  from 
Asia  following  in  the  track  of  the  first  wave, 
— the  Mound-builder  who  was  then  leaving  this 
country  and  sweeping  southward  to  the  plains 
of  Mexico  and  Peru. 

The  first  fact  in  favor  of  the  Indians  being  of 
Mongolian  extraction  is  that  all  their  traditions 
state  that  they  came  from  the  North. 

The  second  is  the  grammatical  affinity  of  all 
the  Indian  languages  constituting  the  sixth  or 
American  group  of  language.s,  which  in  princi- 
ple of  formation  and  grammatical  con.struetion 
bears  unquestionable  resemblance  to  the  Tartar 
or  third  group  of  languages,  which  is  one  of  the 
two  great  language  families  of  the  Mongolian 
race. 

The  Indian  occupation  of  the  United  States 
admits  of  two  theories  :  first,  a  peaceable  pos- 
session ;  second,  a  forcible  possession.  The  first 
is  the  most  likely,  as  the  Mound-builders  were  a 
semi-civilized  race,  and  from  their  great  works 


22 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


it  is  fair  to  presume  as  strong  in  numbers  as 
the  Indian  invaders.  But  it  is  fair  presump- 
tion, that  between  the  inferior-advancing  and 
the  superior-retreating  races,  the  clash  of  mor- 
tal conflict  would  be  inevitable.  The  with- 
drawal of  the  Mound-builder  from  the  field  of 
battle  after  repulsing  his  Indian  foe,  to  resume 
his  south  ward  journey,  would  give  to  the  Indian 
the  idea  that  his  enemy  had  fled;  and  on  this 
his  tradition  of  conquest,  repeated  to  white 
prisoners  in  1754-55  , was  undoubtedly  founded. 

The  Indians  east  of  the  Mississippi  were  tall, 
and  straight  as  arrows,  with  long,  coarse,  black 
hair,  which  they  generally  kept  shaved  off", 
except  the  scalp  lock  ;  high  cheek  bones  and 
black  piercing  eyes.  Their  limbs  were  supple 
by  exercise  and  their  muscles  hardened  by  con- 
stant exposure  to  the  weather. 

Their  dress  was  the  skins  of  wild  animals, 
smoked  or  tanned  with  the  brains  of  the 
animals  killed.  Their  wigwams  were  poles 
stuck  in  the  ground  and  bent  together  at  the 
top,  covered  with  chestnut  and  birch  bark. 
Their  weapons,  war-clubs,  bows  and  arrows 
and  stone  tomahawks,  until  they  procured  iron 
tomahawks  and  guns  from  the  white  traders. 
Their  boats  were  log  and  birch  bark  canoes. 

Their  religion  was  the  worship  of  the  Great 
Spirit,  and  they  believed  there  was  a  happy 
hunting-ground  in  the  spirit-land  beyond  the 
mountains  of  the  setting  sun,  where  brave  war- 
riors went  at  death  and  pursued  the  chase  for- 
ever and  ever ;  but  which  no  coward  was  ever 
permitted  to  enter. 

Their  laws  were  the  customs  handed  down  in 
the  traditions  of  the  old  men.  An  offense 
against  custom  was  punished  by  exclusion  from 
society.  If  the  offense  was  murder,  it  was 
punished  by  the  nearest  kinsman  of  the  slain. 
Their  legislation  was  enacted  by  the  grand 
council  called  together  by  the  chief  of  the  tribe 
upon  the  urgency  or  necessity  of  the  occasion, 
where  the  disposition  of  all  questions  rested 
upon   the  votes  of  the  whole  tribe,  and  where, 


commencing  with  the  chief,  all  had  a  right  to 
speak. 

Each  tribe  had  its  head  chief  or  sachem.  The 
succession  of  this  office  was  sometimes  hereditary, 
even  in  the  elevation  of  a  queen ;  sometimes 
M'as  bestowed  for  ability  and  bravery  upon  a 
warrior  of  another  tribe,  if  he  was  living  with 
them  and  was  brave  and  daring.  Each  tribe 
had  its  medicine  man,  who,  in  addition  to  gath- 
ering herbs  to  effect  cures,  was  its  historian, 
teaching  the  young  braves  the  traditions  of  their 
fathers,  and  to  count  time  by  the  moon — as  so 
many  moons  ago  such  a  thing  happened.  Some 
tribes  could  only  count  up  to  ten,  others  up  to 
ten  thousand.  The  medicine  man  and  the  old 
men  taught  the  young  brave  never  to  forgive 
an  injury  or  to  forget  a  kindness.  They  taught 
him  that  sternness  was  a  virtue  and  tears  were 
womanish,  and  if  captured  and  burning  at  the 
stake  to  let  no  torture  draw  a  groan  or  sigh 
from  him  ;  but  to  taunt  his  euemies,  recite  his 
deeds  of  prowess,  and  sing  his  death-song.  He 
was  also  taught  that  the  great  object  of  life  was 
to  distinguish  himself  in  war  and  to  slay  his 
enemies.  He  was  taught  to  be  faithful  to  any 
treaty  he  made ;  and  to  use  any  deceit  or  prac- 
tice any  treachery  upon  an  eneni}'  was  honor- 
able, and  that  it  was  no  disgrace  to  kill  an 
enemy  wherever  found,  even  if  unarmed. 

Marriage  among  the  Indians  was  attended 
with  but  little  ceremony.  An  Indian  could 
have  several  wives  at  one  time  if  he  wished,  but 
seldom  had  more  than  one.  The  husband  fur- 
nished the  meat  by  hunting,  and  the  wife  or 
squaw  raised  the  corn  and  did  all  the  work. 
The  husband  when  at  home  did  not  labor,  so  his 
limbs  would  not  be  stiffened,  but  would  remain 
supple  for  war  and  the  chase.  The  husband 
could  leave  his  wife  when  he  pleased,  but  on 
separation  the  children  remained  with  the  wife, 
and  she  kept  the  wigwam  and  had  the  privi- 
lege to  marry  again. 

The  Indian  copied  after  the  Mound-builder. 
He   used   flint  to   make   his  arrow  and  spear- 


INDIANA  AND  ARMSTRONG   COUNTIES. 


23 


heads,  and  stone  to  make  his  tomahawks,  ham- 
mers, pestles  and  ornaments  ;  clay  and  shells 
to  make  his  pottery  ware,  but  failed  to  work 
copper,  and  had  lost  all  trace  of  the  mines  left 
by  the  Mound-builders.  The  stone-grave  cham- 
ber of  the  Mound-builder  suggested  the  stone- 
pile  grave  of  the  Indian.  Stones  of  memorial 
constituted  the  second  class  of  Indian  stone 
heaps.  They  were  thrown  up  iu  heaps  at  the 
crossing  of  ti'ails,  and  on  the  summit  of  some 
mountain,  and  each  Indian  that  passed  added  a 
stone.  "  Lawson's  Carolina,"  published  in  1 709, 
at  page  309,  makes  mention  of  the  Indians  in 
the  South  piling  up  these  memorial  heaps. 
They  were  piled  up  in  Asia  by  the  Hindoos, 
according  to  "  Coleman's  Hindoo  Mythology," 
page  271. 

The  earliest  mention  we  have  of  memorial 
stones  was  when  the  Children  of  Israel  passed 
over  Jordan,  and  Joshua  pitched  twelve  stones 
as  a  memorial  heap  in  Gilgal,  to  commemorate 
Israel's  passing  over  on  dry  land.  Joshua  4  :  22. 
And  the  earliest  mention  we  have  of  stones  piled 
over  thedead  is  in  II  Samuel  18  :  17,  when  Ab- 
salom was  cast  into  a  great  pit  and  a  great  heap 
of  stones  laid  on  him. 

Stone  circles  existed  as  the  third  class  of  the 
Indians'  stone-heaps,  being  stones  piled  in  a 
great  circle  and  sometimes  placed  standing,  in- 
side of  which  the  East  Virginia  Indians  gath- 
ered and  went  through  a  great  many  ceremon- 
ies, according  to  Berkly's  History  of  Virginia, 
page  164. 

The  Indians  of  the  United  States  were  divided 
into  eight  great  families:  Algonquin,  Iroquois, 
Catawbas,  Cherokees,Uchees,  Mobilians,  Natches 
and  Dacotahs  or  Sioux.  The  great  plains,  the 
Rocky  mountains  and  the  Pacific  coast  were  in 
possession  of  powerful  tribes  not  in  the  above 
division.  Each  family  was  divided  into  numer- 
ous tribes,  and  these  tribes  were  generally  en- 
gaged in  bloody  wars  with  each  other. 

The  Lenni  I^enape  or  Delaware  Indians  came 
about  1700  into  the  territory  of  Indiana  and 


Armstrong  counties  on  account  of  the  game,  and 
were  soon  followed  by  the  Shawanees  from  east- 
ern Pennsylvania,  where  they  had  settled  in 
1677  when  driven  out  of  Georgia  and  South 
Carolina.  These  two  tribes  were  the  tenants  at 
will  of  the  Allegheny  Valley,  which  was  under 
the  dominion  of  the  Six  Nations  of  New  York, 
who  were  called  by  De  Witt  Clinton  the  Romans 
of  America,  and  whose  council  resembled  the 
WiUenagamott  of  the  Saxons. 

The  Delawares  and  Shawanees  did  not  have 
many  villages,  were  chiefly  hunters  and  a  more 
complete  account  of  them  will  be  found  in  the 
description  of  the  French  and  Indian  war  and 
in  the  individual  histories  of  the  two  counties. 

Cusick  gives  the  following  tradition  account- 
ing for  the  scarcity  of  Indian  towns  in  the  Al- 
legheny Valley  :  The  Mound-builders,  twenty- 
two  hundred  years  before  Columbus  discovered 
America,  lived  in  a  Golden  city  in  the  south, 
under  a  great  emperor.  This  emperor  invaded 
the  Mississippi  Valley,  and  built  all  its  mounds. 
The  Indians,  coming  from  the  north,  drove  him 
back  after  terrible  fighting  and  divided  the 
country  among  themselves,  excepting  the  Mon- 
ongahela  and  Allegheny  Valleys,  over  which 
various  tribes  waged  long  and  bloody  wars. 
They  finally  called  a  grand  council,  and  agreed 
that  no  tribe  was  to  inhabit  them  or  build  towns 
on  their  soil,  but  that,  on  account  of  the  wonder- 
ful abundance  of  game,  they  were  to  remain  a 
common  hunting-ground  for  all  the  tribes. 

The  M'Tiife  Race. — It  is  not  foreign  to  the 
history  of  Indiana  and  Armstrong  counties,  and 
will  add  much  to  a  right  understanding  of  the 
great  movement  by  which  they  were  conquered 
and  peopled  by  the  white  race,  to  glance  back 
over  the  race-history  of  their  English,  German, 
Irish,  Welsh  and  Scotch  pioneers;  and  that 
wonderful  Scotch-Irish  people  whose  advent 
into  the  territory  of  these  counties  was  but  a 
part  of  the  initial  step  of  the  winning  of  the 
"  Great  West "  by  the  Backwoodsmen  of  the 
.Vlleghenies. 


24 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


It  is  not  inappropriate  of  this  substantial 
section  of  country  to  make  more  intelligible  the 
hastily  sketched  record  of  its  English-speaking 
people,  to  notice,  also,  the  part  which  they  have 
played  in  modern  history. 

The  empires  of  the  ancient  world  were  under 
the  domination  of  a  single  idea,  while  the 
nations  of  modern  times  are  composed  of  di- 
verse elements  that  hold  each  other  in  check 
and  prevail  together.  Religious  motives  have 
influenced  the  political  movements  of  modern 
iiistory  which  commenced  with  the  barbarian 
ascendancy  of  the  fierce  north-land  German 
races  of  Europe  when  they  subverted  the  Roman 
Empire  and  conquered  the  sea-girt  realm  of 
Great  Britain. 

In  the  dawn  of  modern  history  arose  the 
rival  systems  of  Christianity  and  Mohammed- 
anism which  immediately  entered  into  a  great 
struggle  for  the  mastery  of  Europe.  In  the 
mighty  contest  which  followed  the  Crescent  fell 
before  the  Cro.ss  and  the  barbarian  conquerors 
of  Rome,  who  had  vanquished  the  hosts  of  the 
Prophet,  finally  embraced  the  Christian  faith. 
In  the  afterward  struggle  of  the  barbarians  to- 
wards civilization,  two  great  leaders  loomed  up 
in  Charlemagne,  the  Fraukish  sovereign,  and 
Alfred  the  Great  of  England.  The  next  period 
in  barbarian  history  was  that  of  Feudalism,  a 
system  growing  out  of  the  peculiar  military  in- 
stitutions of  the  Teutonic  race.  In  due  time 
came  the  Crusades,  which  were  followed  by  the 
rise  of  tiie  Free  Cities,  wlierein  were  born  po- 
litical liberty,  and  by  the  establishment  of 
Modern  Monarchy. 

The  overflow  of  the  Germanic  peoples  upon 
the  continent  of  Europe,  while  it  stimulated  the 
Latin  nations  into  vigorous  life,  yet  added  noth- 
ing to  the  increase  of  German  territory,  nor  con- 
tributed in  the  least  to  the  spread  of  the  German 
language.  But  "  the  day  when  the  keels  of  the 
low  Dutch  sea-thieves  first  grated  on  the  British 
coast  was  big  with  the  doom  of  many  nations.  I 
These  sea-rovers  who  won  Etigland,  to  a  great  ' 


extent,  displaced  the  native  Britons,  and  England 
grew  to  ditfer  profoundly  from  the  German  coun- 
tries of  the  mainland."  Celtic  and  Scaudinaviaa 
elements  were  introduced  into  the  Euglish  blood, 
and  the  Norman  conquest  brought  about  "  the 
transformation  of  the  old  English  tongue  into 
the  magnificent  language  which  is  now  the 
common  inheritance  of  so  many  widespread 
peoples." 

After  the  alleged  Pre-Columbian  discoveries 
of  portions  of  the  North  American  continent, 
Spaiu  was  the  first  nation  to  discover,  to  con- 
quer, and  to  colonize  any  portion  of  this  coun- 
try, but  England  soon  won  from  her  the  mas- 
tery of  the  sea  and  the  "  sun  of  Spauish  world- 
dominion  set  as  quickly  as  it  had  ri.sen."  In 
the  colonization  of  this  country  Spaiu  had  pow- 
erful rivals  in  England,  France  and  Holland. 
.  In  the  English  settlements  and  conquests  of 
the  Atlantic  sea-board,  southern  colonization 
was  (Mimmenced  by  the  Cavalier  at  Jamestown, 
northern  occupation  dates  to  the  landing  of  the 
Roundhead  or  Puritan  on  Plymouth  Rock,  and 
central  .settlement  was  inaugurate<l  by  Calvert, 
the  Catholic,  at  St  INEary's,  in  behalf  of  relig- 
ious toleration,  and  by  Penn,  the  Quaker,  at 
Philadelphia,  in  the  interests  of  universal  lib- 
erty. 

The  Puritan  swept  King  Philip  and  his  tribes 
from  the  face  of  the  earth  and  extended  New 
England  to  the  Hudson.  The  Cavalier  crushed 
Powhattan's  thirty-tribe  confederation  and  car- 
ried westward  his  line  of  .settlenients  in  Virginia 
and  the  Carolinas  to  the  Blue  Ridge  mountains  ; 
and  Peun  by  treaties  secured  the  peaceable  pos- 
session of  his  province  to  the  Su.squehanna  river. 

The  Bnckwoodsmcn  nf  the  Alleghenies. — At 
the  opening  of  the  eighteenth  century  the  Alle- 
ghenies  constituted  the  western  boundary  of 
Engli.sh  colonial  territory,  but  in  the  mountain 
valleys  between  the  tide-water  regions  of  the 
south  and  the  Alleghenies,  and  in  the  same  lon- 
gitudinal mountain  valleys  between  the  Susque- 
hanna river  and  the  Allegheny  mountains,  arose 


INDIANA  AND  ARMSTRONG   COUNTIES. 


25 


a  wonderful  class  of  people  whose  arms  and 
whose  courage  won  the  great  west  from  the  Al- 
leghenies  to  the  Rio  Grande  and  the  Pacific. 
They  will  be  known  in  tlie  future  as  the  Back- 
woodsmen of  the  Alleghenies,  a  name  applied 
to  them  by  Roosevelt  iu  his  work  entitled  "  The 
Winning  of  the  West." 

The  backwoodsmen  were  American  by  birtii 
and  parentage,  and  of  mixed  race,  Irish,  German, 
Scotch,  English,  Welsh  and  Scotch-Irish.  But 
the  dominant  strain  in  their  blood  was  the  Scotch- 
Irish,  whose  preachers  taught  the  creed  of  Knox 
and  Calvin.  The  English  clement  of  this  back- 
woods race  was  represented  by  Daniel  Boone 
and  its  Cavalier  spirit  had  fitting  exemplification 
in  Clarke  and  Blount,  while  the  German  element 
produced  the  Whetzels  and  the  Welsh  contribu- 
ted the  Morgans. 

Of  these  different  elements  the  Irish  possessed 
all  those  traits  of  national  character  for  which 
they  have  been  di.stinguished  for  centuries,  and 
bore  well  their  part  in  the  frontier  struggle. 

They  were  warm-hearted,  impulsive  and  gen- 
erous, and  when  a  settlement  was  established 
they  were  among  the  first  to  open  taverns,  build 
mills  and  distilleries  and  speculate  in  land. 
Many  of  that  blood  and  race  have  ever  since 
been  prominent  in  military  and  civil  life.  ' 

The  next  distinctive  class  was  the  German, 
who  came  principally  from  eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania, although  some  of  them  were  from  the 
Rhine  provinces  and  various  portions  of  Ger-  j 
many.  G.  D.  Albert  says  of  them  :  "  They  were 
not  so  aggressive  as  the  former  (Scotch-Irish), 
and,  as  a  rule,  they  laid  out  a  life-work  devoted 
to  labor.  They  were  a  strong  body,  yet,  owing 
to  their  detached  locations  and  their  character- 
istics in  not  meddling  in  public  affairs,  the 
whole  controlling  of  affairs  in  the  first  years  of 
our  history  was  monopolized  by  the  Scotch- 
Irish  and  the  Americans  of  English  descent." 
Toward  the  end  of  the  Revolution,  however, 
the  German  had  coalesced  with  the  other  ele- 
ments, and  they  were  prominent  iu  civil  as  well 


as  military  affairs.  Sober,  economic,  plain, 
honest,  religious  and  firm  in  discharge  of  duty, 
they  were  reliable  soldiers  and  scouts  and  indus- 
trious and  moral  citizens.  Their  progress  was 
slow  but  sure,  and  they  devoted  themselves  to 
agriculture  with  the  best  of  results. 

The  Scotch  were  few  in  numbers,  but  were  a 
hardy,  moral  and  fearless  people,  who  preserved 
amid  the  Alleghenies  the  lofty  spirit  of  inde- 
pendence which  they  inherited  from  their  fore- 
fathers in  the  highlands  of  Scotland.  They 
were  strong-willed,  and  self-reliant,  and  were 
distinguished  for  intelligence,  morality,  pru- 
dence, patient  industry  and  honest  thrift.  Brave 
on  the  battle-field,  sagacious  on  the  march  and 
wise  in  council,  they  were  a  valuable  element  of 
the  frontier  population. 

The  English  were  principally  of  Cavalier 
strain,  and,  in  addition  to  the  resolute  will  and 
great  determination  of  their  race,  were  noted  for 
a  high  sense  of  honor  and  a  lofty  .spirit  of  inde- 
pendence, such  as  was  possessed  by  their  ances- 
tors at  Runnymede  when  they  wrested  from 
King  John  the  immortal  3Iar/na  Charta.  They 
fought  bravely  and  furnished  many  leaders. 

The  Welsh  were  principally  from  Virginia, 
and  were  the  smallest  element  in  numbers,  but 
were  always  foremost  in  liDurs  of  danger,  and 
the  race  which  gave  Morgan  and  Jefferson  to 
American  history  can  never  be  disparaged  for 
bravery  or  intelligence. 

Scotch-Irish  Element. — It  was  the  largest  and 
most  important  element  of  the  Allegheny  Back- 
woodsmen. At  the  begiiniing  of  tlie  eighteenth 
century  the  Scotch-Irish  from  the  north  of  Ire- 
land commenced  to  c(ime  to  the  Colonics,  and  by 
17;50  they  were  fairly  swarming  across  the  ocean 
in  two  streams  ;  the  larger  landing  at  Philadel- 
phia and  j)ushing  west  of  the  Susquehanna 
river,  and  the  smaller  landing  at  Charleston  and 
•seeking  the  Carolina  back-country  from  which 
they  pushed  up  along  the  Alleghenies  till  they 
met  the  downward  stream  from  western  Penn- 
sylvania, their  great  breeding-ground  and  uur- 


26 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


sery.  They  stretched  a  broad  belt  from  north 
to  south,  a  shield  of  sinewy  men  thrust  in  be- 
tween the  people  of  the  sea-board  and  the  red 
warriors  of  the  wilderness. 

The  Scotch- Irish  as  a  race  has  been  ably  de- 
scribed by  Dr.  J.  S.  Macintosh,  in  the  follow- 
ing language  :  "  John  Knox,  under  God,  made 
the  Scotch  and  Scotch-Irish  and  theircharacter- 
istics — unyielding  grit,  granite  hardness,  close- 
mouthed  self-repression,  clear,  firm  speech  when 
the  truth  is  to  be  told,  God-fearing  honesty,  loy- 
alty to  friendship,  defiant  of  death,  conscience 
and  knee-bending  only  to  God.  Before  Knox 
wrought  and  eustamped  himself,  our  race  had 
abilities.  After  him,  we  have  achievements. 
Before  him  we  have  powers  ;  now  j^erformances. 
Before  him  strugglings ;  now  success.  In  long 
years  of  close  historic  reading  and  interested 
study  of  national  departures  and  racial  trends,  I 
have  found  many  a  marked  and  self-impressing 
leader  who,  for  some  time,  has  made  a  nation 
wax  and  molded  it  at  will ;  but  then  new  fires 
came  and  a  new  stamp.  But  I  have  not  found 
one  single  leader  lias  so  deeply,  pervasively  and 
permanently  enstamped  himself  on  a  people 
who,  of  all  folks,  stand  foremost  among  the 
self-asserting  races." 

Andrew  Jackson  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent, 
and  under  his  lead  many  of  his  race  served  with 
distinction  in  the  Creek  war  and  the  acquisition 
of  west  Florida,  while  numbers  of  them  immor- 
talized themselves  at  New  Orleans,  where,  clad  in 
hunting  shirt  and  leggings,  they  fought  in  the 
ranks  of  the  frontier  companies. 

Another  Scoth-Irish  leader  was  Houston,  who 
won  Texan  independence  from  Mexico  and  was 
largely  instrumental  in  urging  and  securing  the 
annexation  of  the  "  Lone  Star  State  "  to  the 
American  Union. 

These  frontiersmen  in  a  single  generation 
were  welded  together  into  one  people — a  free- 
dom-loving and  bold,  defiant  race.  They  dif- 
fered  from   the  world  in  dress,  in  customs  and 


in  mode  of  life.  As  a  class  they  neither  built 
towns  nor  loved  to  dwell  in  them. 

In  the  conquest  of  the  west  the  backwoods 
axe,  shapely,  well-poised,  with  long  and  light 
head,  and  the  long,  small-bore,  flintlock,  fron- 
tier rifle,  were  the  national  weapons  of  the 
American  Backwoodsmen,  who  have  never  been 
excelled  in  their  use.  "  The  Backwoodsman  was 
always  clad  in  the  fringed  hunting-shirt,  of 
home-spun  or  buckskin,  the  most  picturesque 
and  distinctively  national  dress  ever  worn  in 
America.  It  wtis  a  loose  smock  or  tunic, 
reaching  nearly  to  the  knees,  and  held  in  at  the 
waist  by  a  broad  belt,  from  which  hung  the 
tomahawk  and  scalping-knife." 

In  1748  Conrad  Weiser  crossed  the  Alle- 
ghenies  as  a  messenger  from  the  governor  of 
Pennsylvania  to  the  Indians  at  Logstown.  Two 
years  later  Christopher  Gist,  the  explorer  of  the 
Ohio  land  company,  with  his  own  and  several 
other  families  made  the  first  settlement  west  of 
the  AUeghenies.  This  settlement  was  destroyed 
by  the  French  in  1754  and  the  French  and 
Indian  war  stopped  Backwoodsmen  from  further 
settlement  until  the  fall  of  Ft.  Duquesne  in 
1758.  By  1769  the  American  Backwoodsmen 
had  increased  in  numbers  in  the  valleys  along 
the  AUeghenies,  so  that  they  were  ready  to  flood 
the  continent  beyond.  From  1769  to  1774 
they  poured  in  a  steady  stream  into  western 
Pennsylvania  and  northwestern  Virginia  de- 
spite the  king  of  England's  proclamation  pro- 
hibiting settlement  west  of  the  AUeghenies. 

In  the  south  during  the  above  named  period 
they  pushed  across  the  mountains  into  Kentucky 
under  the  lead  of  Boone  and  into  Tennessee, 
where  Robertson  and  Sevier  founded  the 
"  Watauga  Commonwealth.  "  They  plunged 
into  a  great  forest  region,  where  between  their 
scattered  settlements  intervened  miles  on 
miles  of  shadowy,  wolf-haunted  woodland,  in 
whose  tangled  depths  lurked  the  hawk-eyed  and 
wolf-hearted  Indian. 

The  Indian  was  a  terrible  and  cruel  foe.   On 


INDIANA  AND  ARMSTRONG   COUNTIES. 


their  own  ground  in  the  woods  they  were  far 
more  forraidable  than  the  best  European  troops. 
Although  inferior  in  numbers,  tliey  defeated 
Braddock's  grenadiers  and  Grant's  higidanders. 
The  finest  drilled  veteran  troops  of  the  world 
failed  when  led  against  the  dark  tribesmpn  of 
the  forest.  When  on  his  own  ground  and  any 
ways  near  equal  in  numbers  the  Indians  were 
never  defeated  by  any  enemy  except  the  Back- 
woodsmen of  the  Alleghenies,  who  won  their 
most  notable  victory  over  the  Indians  at  the 
battle  of  Point  Pleasant,  or  the  Great  Kanawha 
in  1774. 

Before  the  Revolution  commenced,  in  1774, 
the  British  Parliament  had  by  the  Quebec  Act 
declared  the  country  between  the  Great  Lakes 
and  the  Ohio  to  be  part  of  Canada  and  had 
not  the  Backwoodsmen  under  Boone  and 
Clarke  and  other  frontier  leaders  been  successful 
in  conquering  it  we  would  be  cooped  up  to-day 
between  the  sea  and  the  Allegheny  mountains, 
while  the  Dominion  of  Canada  wonld  now  in- 
clude the  greater  part  of  the  Mississippi  Valley. 
This  act  has  been  entirely  overlooked  by  most 
American  historians,  while  ignored  by  others ; 
yet  it  was  intended  to  have  a  decided  bearing 
on  Colonial  affairs,  and  but  for  the  Revolution- 
ary struggle  for  Independence  it  would  have 
been  an  important  event  in  the  history  of  this 
country  as  a  part  of  the  Empire  of  Great 
Britain.  The  founding  of  this  great  Republic 
was  on  the  Atlantic  shore  by  the  Puritan,  the 
Cavalier,  the  Patroon,  the  Catholic,  the  Quaker 
and  the  Huguenot ;  but  its  wonderful  growth 
and  great  increase  of  tei'ritory  is  due  to  the 
Backwoodsmen  of  the  Alleghenies,  who  passed 
off  the  stage  of  action  without  ever  realizing 
tlie  importance  or  magnitude  of  the  work 
which  they  accomplished  in  the  building  of  the 
United  States. 

"  During  the  Revolutionary  war  the  men  of 
the  west  for  the  most  part  took  no  share  in  the 
actual  campaigning  against  the  British  and 
Hessians.     Their  duty  was  to  conquer  and  hold 


the  wooded  wilderness  that  stretched  westward 
to  the  Mississippi ;  and  to  lay  therein  the  foun- 
dation of  many  future  commonwealths.  Yet 
at  a  crisis  in  the  great  struggle  for  liberty,  at 
one  of  the  darkest  hours  for  the  patriotic  cause, 
it  was  given  to  a  band  of  western  men  to  come 
to  the  relief  of  their  brethren  of  the  sea-board 
and  to  strike  a  telling  and  decisive  blow  for  all 
America.  When  the  three  southern  provinces 
lay  crushed  and  helpless  at  the  feet  of  Corn- 
wallis,  the  Holston  backwoodsmen  suddenly 
gathered  to  assail  the  triuni])hant  conquerer. 
Crossing  the  mountains  that  divided  them  from 
the  beaten  and  despairing  j)eople  of  the  tide- 
water region,  they  killed  the  ablest  lieutenant 
of  the  British  commander,  and  at  a  single 
stroke  undid  all  that  he  had  done." 

The  Backwoodsmen,  under  Campbell,  Wil- 
liams and  Shelby,  used  Indian  tactics  in  captur- 
ing the  British  forces  at  King's  Mountain,  and 
the  next  year  another  backwoods  leader,  in  the 
person  of  Morgan  the  "  Wagoner  General,"  de- 
feated the  daring  and  dashing  Tarleton  at  the 
ever  memorable  battle  of  the  Cowpens. 

"  The  Backwoodsmen  were  above  all  things 
characteristically  American  ;  and  it  is  fitting 
that  the  two  greatest  and  most  typical  of  all 
Americans  should  have  been  respectively  a 
sharer  and  an  outcome  of  their  work.  Wash- 
ington himself  passed  the  most  important  years 
of  his  youth  heading  the  westward  movement  of 
his  people  ;  clad  in  the  traditional  dress  of  the 
backwoodsmen,  in  tasseled  hunting-shirt  and 
fringed  leggings,  he  led  them  to  battle  against 
the  French  and  Indians,  and  helped  to  clear  the 
way  for  the  American  advance.  The  only  other 
man  who  in  the  American  roll  of  honor  stands  by 
the  side  of  W^ashington,  was  born  when  the 
distinctive  work  of  the  pioneers  had  ended ; 
and  yet  he  was  bone  of  their  bone  and  flesh  of 
their  flesh ;  for  from  the  loins  of  this  gaunt 
frontier  folk  sprang  mighty  Abraham  Lin- 
coln." 

Another  peculiarly  distinctive  and  eminently 


28 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


great  Backwoods  leader  and  politician  was 
Andrew  Jackson,  who  was  born  of  Scotch-Irish 
parents.  In  1796  Albert  Gallatin  describes 
him  as  follows  ;  "A  tall,  lank,  uncouth-looking 
personage,  with  locks  of  hair  hanging  over  his 
face  and  a  cue  down  his  back,  tied  with  an  eel 
skin  :  his  dress  singular,  his  manners  and  de- 
portment those  of  a  rough  backwoodsman." 

The  famous  victory  of  January  8,  1815, 
crowned  Jackson's  fame  as  a  soldier,  and  made 
him  the  typical  American  hero  of  the  nine- 
teenth century.  In  1823  Jackson  was  elected 
to  the  United  tStates  Senate,  and  nominated  by 
the  Tennessee  Legislature  for  the  presidency. 
This  candidacy,  though  a  matter  of  surprise,  and 
even  merriment,  speedily  became  j)opuIar,  and 
iu  1828  he  was  triumphantly  elected  president 
over  Adams  after  a  campaign  of  unparalleled 
bitterness. 

During  his  closing  years  he  was  a  professed 
Christian  and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  No  American  of  this  century  has  been 
the  subject  of  such  opposite  judgments.  Kewas 
loved  and  hated  with  equal  vehemence  during 
his  life,  but  at  the  present  distance  of  time  from 
his  career,  while  opinions  still  vary  as  to  the 
merits  of  his  public  acts,  kw  of  his  countrymen 
will  question  that  he  was  a  warm-hearted, 
brave,  patriotic,  honest  and  sincere  man.  If  his 
distinguishing  qualities  were  not  such  as  consti-  j 
tute  statesmanship,  iu  the  highest  sense,  he  at 
least  never  pretended  to  other  merit  than  such 
as  were  written  to  his  credit  on  the  page  of 
American  history,  not  attempting  to  disguise 
the  demerits  which  were  equally  legil)lc.  The 
majority  of  his  countrymen  accepted  and  honored 
him,  in  spite  of  all  that  calumny  as  well  as  truth 
could  allege  against  him.  His  faults  may 
therefore  be  truly  said  to  have  been  those  of  his 
time;  his  magnificent  virtues  may  also,  with  the 
same  justice,  be  considered  as  typical  of  a  state 
of  society  which  has  nearly  passed  away. 


PENNSYLVANIA. 

BEFORE  proceeding  to  speak  of  the  history 
of  these  counties  a  word  in  regard  to  the 
State  of  which  they  are  political  divisions 
might  not  be  out  of  place. 

Pennsylvania  is  situated  between  39  deg.  43 
min.  and  42  sec.  north  latitude,  and  2  deg.  17 
min.  east,  and  3  deg.  31  min.  west  longitude, 
from  Washington.  Its  mean  length  is  280.39 
miles  ;  mean  breadth,  158.05  miles  ;  its  greatest 
length,  302  13-40  miles,  and  greatest  breadth 
175  miles  and  192  perches. 

The  latitude  of  Greenwich  is  51  deg.  27  min. 
39  sec.  north,  and  the  latitude  of  Washington 
38  deg.  53.3  min.  The  longitude  of  Philadel- 
phia from  Greenwich  is  75  deg.  18  min.  west, 
and  the  longitude  of  Greenwich  from  Washing- 
ton is  77  deg.  00.6  min.  east. 

Topographically  Pennsylvania  is  divided  into 
three  parts — a  southeastern  or  sea-board  district 
of  scatteretl  hills,  a  middle  belt  of  mountains, 
and  a  great  western  table  land  or  bituminous 
coal  district,  which  is  everywhere  deeply  seamed 
by  numerous  tributaries  of  the  Allegheny, 
Monongahela  and  Susquehanna  rivers.  In  the 
first  district  is  the  garden  portion  of  the  State. 
In  the  Ap]ialacl)ian  belt  is  the  great  anthracite 
coal  field  of  the  United  states  while  the  western 
district  is  rich  with  treasures  of  oil,  iron  ore  and 
bituminous  coal  and  the  Connellsville  coking 
region,  which  produces  the  typical  coke  of  the 
world.  The  third  district  embraces  one  half  of 
the  area  of  Pennsylvania,  being  bounded  on 
three  sides  by  State  lines  and  on  the  east  by  the 
last  westward  ridge  of  the  Alleghenies. 

The  Allegheny  mountains  also  divide  the 
State  into  two  nearly  equal  parts  which  are  en- 
tirely different  in  geological  formation  and  sur- 
face relief  The  western  one  of  these  parts,  or 
western  Pennsylvania,  lies  in  the  Mississippi 
Valley ;  while  the  eastern  part,  or  eastern 
Pennsylvania  is  embraced  within  the  area  of 
the  Atlantic  sea-board. 


INDIANA  AND  ARMSTRONG  COUNTIES. 


29 


Western  Pennsylvania  is  almost  an  unbroken 
bituminous  coal-field  which  originally  united 
witii  the  eastern  anthracite  coal-bed  when  both 
extended  over  the  whole  State.  Western 
Pennsylvania  is  divided  by  the  rock-wave  of 
Chestnut  ridge  (150  miles  long)  into  two  sec- 
tions— the  eastern  highlands  or  Allegheny 
mountain  region  and  the  western  hill  country 
extending  westward  from  the  mountains  to  tlie 
Ohio  State  line.  The  Pittsburgh  coal  bed  once 
extended  all  over  western  Pennsylvania,  but  has 
been  so  swept  away  during  the  countless  ages  of 
the  past  that  it  is  now  limited  in  area  to  Wash- 
ington and  Green  and  to  parts  of  Westmorland, 
Allegheny,  Indiana  and  Somerset  counties.  The 
bituminous  coal  measures  of  western  Pennsyl- 
vania are  divided  by  rock-waves  into  six  grand 
basins  whose  combined  coal-beds  can  furnish 
fuel  for  the  United  States  for  many  centuries  to 
come. 

The  geological  structure  of  Pennsylvania  is 
complicated  of  form,  and  various  of  quality  and 
age.  The  Laurentian  or  oldest  system  of  geol- 
ogy is  slightly  represented  in  some  of  the 
eastern  counties,  while  its  successor  in  age,  the 
Hurouiau  System,  has  never  been  recognized  in 
the  State.  But  the  Paleozoic  or  Older  Sec- 
ondary System  —  beginning  with  No.  1,  the 
Potsdam  sandstone,  and  terminating  with  No. 
XIII.,  the  coal  measures  of  Carboniferous  for- 
mation, is  grandly  developed  in  every  section  of 
the  State. 

The  subterranean  floor  of  Pennsylvania  is 
formed  of  granite,  gneiss,  mica,  slate  and  marble, 
lies  beneath  tiie  present  surface  at  from  a  thou- 
sand to  twenty  thousand  feet  and  rests  upon 
the  same  rocks  which  form  the  hill  country  of 
Lake  Superior  and  contain  vast  deposits  of  iron 
ore,  but  at  inaccessible  depths  beneath  every 
county  of  the  State.  The  rocks  composing  this 
great  floor  were  originally  sandstone  and  lime- 
stone, but  were  converted  into  granite,  slate, 
gneiss,  mica  and  marble,  by  pressure,  heat  and 
chemical  action. 


On  tills  floor  was  deposited  formation  alter 
formation  of  the  Paleozoic  System  until  its  ter- 
minal coal  measures  were  formed  just  at  sea- 
level,  when  the  second  great  change  in  the  rela- 
tive level  of  sea  and  laud  occurred  in  the  sur- 
face of  Pennsylvania.  The  land  rose  into  the 
air  in  the  central  and  western  part,  erosion  com- 
menced and  drainage  was  established.  A  third 
])rincipal  change  in  laud  and  sea-level  followed 
when  the  eastern  borders  of  the  continent  arose 
and  carried  up  in  its  swell  the  surface  of  tlie 
eastern  part  of  the  State,  which  had  l)een  mostly 
in  the  bed  of  a  long  salt-water  bay.  Frost  and 
rain  then  commenced  their  work  of  destruction 
on  these  elevated  surfaces  and  drainage  carried 
the  soil  and  rock  thus  loosened  on  the  east  to 
build  up  New  Jersey,  Delaware  and  the  tide 
water  region  of  Maryland  and  Virginia,  while 
on  the  west  it  bore  the  eroded  earth  to  form 
Alabama,  Mississippi  and  Louisiana. 

The  Paleozoic  System  has  been  divided  into 
thirteen  formations,  of  which  in  Indiana  and 
Armstrong  counties,  numbers  I,  IV,  VII,  IX, 
X  and  XII  are  massive  sand-rocks  ;  III,  V, 
VIII,  XI,  are  slate  formations,  II  and  VI, 
are  principally  limestone  strata  and  the  Xlllth 
includes  the  coal  measures. 

The  coal  measures  are  the  highest  series  of 
number  XII  or  the  Carboniferous  formation, 
which  is  three  thousand  feet  in  thickness.  They 
are  divided  into  three  parts ;  the  first  or  lower 
coal  series  carries  coal  beds  A,  B,  C  or  Kittan- 
ning  (3  feet),  D  or  Lower  Freeport  (3  feet)  E 
or  LTpper  Freeport  (G  feet)  and  F  or  Elk  Lick 
(1  foot) ;  the  second  or  Barren  Measures  with 
coal  bed  G  (1  foot)  and  the  third  or  upper  coal 
series,  with  coal  beds  H  or  Pittsburgh  Bed  (6  to 
12  feet),  I  or  Limestone  coal  (2  feet),  K  (3  feet), 
and  L  or  Brownsville  (6  feet). 

By  the  waters  of  the  calm-flowing  Delaware, 
in  1634,  Gustavus  Adol|)hus,  "the  greatest 
benefactor  of  mankind  in  the  line  of  Swedish 
kings,"  sought  to  establish  a  mighty  empire  in 
which  religious  thought  should   be   free   and 


30 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


human  servitude  should  never  exist.  But  to 
other  hands  was  left  the  founding  of  this  grand 
ideal  State  and  upon  the  weak  and  feeble  New 
Sweden  of  the  warrior  King  of  Sweden  was 
planted  the  strong  and  prosperous  Quaker 
province  of  William  Penn,  which  is  now  the 
powerful  and  populous  Keystone  State  of  the 
American  Union.  Prior  to  Gustavus  Adolphus' 
idea  of  founding  a  State  on  the  Delaware,  the 
Dutch  West  India  company  and  the  English  of 
Connecticut  had  made  ineffectual  attempts  at 
colonization  on  the  "  South  River."  The  first 
permanent  settlement  in  Pennsylvania  was  made 
at  Upsal  (now  Chester)  in  1638,  by  Swedes  and 
Finns  and  was  under  the  direction  of  Oxeu- 
stiern.  These  settlers  came  from  Gottenburg, 
on  two  vessels  named  the  "Key  of  Calmar"  and 
the  "  Griffin."  They  were  sent  out  by  a  Swedish 
West  India  company  which  was  founded  by 
William  Usselinex,  who  had  been  instrumental 
in  forming  the  Dutch  West  India  company. 
Their  first  governor  was  Peter  Minuet,  a  former 
governor  of  the  New  Netherlands.  In  1655 
New  Sweden  was  captured  by  the  Dutch  and 
was  New  Netherlands  until  1664,  when  it  was 
wrested  from  the  Dutch  by  the  English.  In 
1673  a  Dutch  squadron  recaptured  the  country, 
but  one  year  later  gave  it  up  to  the  English  by 
the  treaty  of  Westminster. 

In  1681  the  province  of  Pennsylvania  was 
granted  to  William  Penn  in  liquidation  of  a 
debt  of  16,000  pounds  which  the  British  gov- 
ernment owed  to  his  distinguished  father,  Ad- 
miral Sir  William  Penn, 

The  following  from  Dr.  Egle's  History  of 
Penu.sylvania  will  throw  light  upon  the  naming 
of  the  State:  "The  King  affixed  his  signature 
on  March  4,  1681,  naming  the  province  Penn- 
sylvania, for  the  reasons  explained  in  the  sub- 
joined extract  from  a  letter  of  William  Penn  to 
his  friend  Robert  Turner,  dated  5th  of  1st 
month,  1681  :  'This  day  my  country  was  con- 
firmed to  me  under  the  great  seal  of  England, 
with  large  powers  and  privileges,  by  the  name 


of  Pennsylvania;  a  name  the  King  would  give 
it  in  honor  of  my  father.  I  chose  New  Wales, 
being,  as  this,  a  pretty  hilly  country,  but  Penn 
being  Welsh  for  a  head,  as  Penmaumoire  in 
Wales,  and  Penrith  in  Cumberland,  and  Penn 
in  Buckinghamshire,  the  highest  land  in  Eng- 
land, called  this  Pennsylvania,  which  is,  the 
high  or  head  woodlands,  for  I  proposed,  when 
the  Secretary,  a  Welshman,  refused  to  have  it 
called  New  Wales,  Sylvania,  and  they  added 
Penn  to  it,  and  though  I  much  opposed  it,  and 
went  to  the  King  to  have  it  struck  out  and 
altered,  he  said  it  was  past,  and  would  take  it 
upon  him  ;  nor  could  twenty  guineas  move  the 
under-secretary  to  vary  the  name,  for  I  fear  lest 
it  be  looked  on  as  vanity  in  me,  and  not  as  a 
respect  in  the  King,  as  it  truly  was,  to  my  father, 
whom  he  often  mentioned  with  jiraise.'  " 

William  Penn  landed  in  his  province  in  1682. 
He  founded  the  city  of  Philadelphia  which 
afterward  became  the  metropolis  of  the  thirteen 
colonies  and  the  birthplace  of  American  inde- 
pendence. He  established  his  colony  upon  the 
broad  principles  of  Christian  charity  and  con- 
stitutional freedom.  Penn  was  proprietor  of 
Pennsylvania  until  1693,  when  the  crown  as- 
sumed the  government  which  it  did  not  restore 
to  him  for  two  years.  He  then  continued  as 
proprietor  until  his  death  in  1718,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  sons  John,  Richard,  and  Thomas, 
who  were  successively  proprietors  until  1776. 

The  first  governor  of  Pennsylvania  was 
elected  in  1790,  and  since  then  Pennsylvania 
has  had  a  regular  succession  of  governors  under 
the  constitutions  of  1790,  1838  and  1873. 

At  the  opening  of  the  Revolutionary  war 
the  settlers  between  the  Susquehanna  and  the 
Hudson  owned  larger  farms  than  the  people  of 
New  England,  although  their  farms  were  less 
than  the  plantations  of  the  south.  There  was  a 
greater  diversity  of  nationalities  in  Pennsyl- 
vania than  in  any  other  colony.  From  the 
southeast  and  north  and  westward  were  the 
following    elements    of    population:      "First 


INDIANA  AND  ARMSTRONG   COUNTIES. 


31 


Swcvles,  next  English,  then  Germans,  and  lastly 
New  Englanders  ;  while  the  whole  front  of  this 
mass,  from  the  west  branch  of  the  Susquehanna 
southward,  was  Irish,  \\^elsh,  Scotch  and  Scotch- 
Irish."  The  spirit  of  liberty  in  Pennsylvania 
was  stubborn  but  not  fierce. 

During  the  Revolution  Pennsylvania  bore 
her  part  in  achieving  independence,  and  since  its 
close  the  State  has  increase*!  rapidly  in  popu- 
lation and  wealth  until  the  present  time. 

The  Indian  title  to  the  State  was  liquidated 
by  six  successive  purchases,  made  respectively 
in  1682,  1736,  1749,  1758,  1768,  and  1784. 

The  Whiskey  Insurrection  occurred  in  1794, 
in  the  western  counties,  where  frontier  and  In- 
dian history  will  be  given  under  a  succeeding 
topic. 

In  1798  the  Fries  Insurrection  occurred  in 
eastern  Pennsylvania,  and  the  next  year  the 
State  capital  was  removed  from  Philadelphia  to 
Lancaster,  where  it  remained  until  1822,  when 
it  was  established  at  Harrisburg. 

As  early  as  1825  Pennsylvania  inaugurated 
a  vast  and  important  sy.stem  of  internal  im- 
provements in  a  great  canal  uniting  the  eastern 
and  western  parts  of  the  State.  This  canal  was 
the  succes.sur  of  extensive  turnpikes,  and  be- 
came the  predecessor  of  her  present  magnificent 
system  of  railways. 

In  1834  the  State  established  one  of  the  most 
progressive  and  successful  free-school  systems 
that  has  ever  been  put  into  successful  operation, 
and  to  increase  its  efficiency,  in  1854,  created 
the  office  of  county  superintendent. 

The  bloodless  "  Buckshot  War  ''  occurred  in 
1889,  and  seven  years  later  Pennsylvania  sol- 
diers served  in  the  Mexican  War  with  the  same 
unflinching  courage  which  distinguished  them 
in  the  War  of  1812. 

In  1861  Penn.sylvania  responded  nobly  to 
the  call  of  President  Lincoln  for  troops,  and 
Pennsylvania  soldiers  were  the  first  to  reach 
the  National  capital.  During  the  war  Penn- 
sylvania sent  to    the  Union  army   270  regi- 


ments, numbering  287,284  men,  which  included 
25,000  militia,  which  were  in  service  in  Sep- 
tember, 1862.  The  decisive  battle  of  the 
late  civil  war  was  the  great  struggle  at  Gettys- 
burg, on  the  soil  of  Pennsylvania,  where  Lee's 
veteran  legions  suffered  their  first  great  defeat. 
The  State  suffered  three  Contiederate  invasions, 
in  one  of  which  the  town  of  Charabersburg  was 
burned. 

In  1865  the  Legislature  passed  the  act  estab- 
lishing the  Soldier's  Orphan  Schools  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  under  its  provisions  the  State  has 
done  handsomely  by  the  orphans  of  her  .soldiers 
who  fell  during  the  late  civil  war.  Governor 
Geary  said  :  "  The.se  children  (soldiers')  are  not 
mere  objects  of  charity  or  pensioners  upon  our 
bounty,  but  the  wards  of  the  Commonwealth, 
and  have  just  claims,  earned  by  the  blood  of 
their  fathers,  upon  its  (the  State's)  support  and 
guardianship." 

In  1871  there  were  some  labor  troubles  at 
W^illiamsport,  and  five  years  later  the  First 
Centennial  ot  American  Independence  was  ap- 
propriately celebrated  in  Philadelphia,  where 
for  six  months  the  centennial  exposition  build- 
ings were  filled  by  an  immen.se  throng  from  all 
parts  of  tiie  world.  The  next  year  was  noted 
for  the  labor  riots  of  Pittsburgh,  and  on  May 
31,  1889,  occurred  the  Johnstown  Flood,  which 
filled  the  whole  land  with  a  thrill  of  horror 
over  the  loss  of  the  thousands  who  were  swept 
down  to  death  by  the  raging  waters  of  the  bro- 
ken South  Fork  dam. 

Pennsylvania  ranks  first  among  the  "  Iron 
States"  of  the  Union,  and  produces  more  of 
this  metal,  and  articles  manufactured  from  it, 
than  all  the  other  states  and  territories  together. 
The  State  was  chiefly  agricultural  till  1790, 
when  Nicho  Allen  discoveretl  coal  on  Broad 
Mountains.  The  next  year  Philip  Ginter 
found  coal  near  Mauch  Chunk,  and  from  that 
time  on  Pennsylvania  has  been  prominent  as  a 
mining  and  manufacturing  Commonwealth.  No 
State  has  better  facilities  than  ours  in  its  abund- 


32 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


ance  of  water-power,  coal  and  iron.  In  addi- 
tion to  colve  and  iron  manufactures,  marble, 
zinc,  graphite,  copper  and  nickel  mines  are 
worked,  and  in  the  western  part  of  the  State 
productive  salt  wells  are  operated.  In  18u9 
petroleum  came  into  commercial  importance  on 
Oil  Creek,  and  to-day  the  oil  product  of  the 
State  is  above  5,000,000  barrels.  In  1883  the 
great  natural  gas  reservoirs  west  of  the  Alle- 
ghenies  were  tapped,  and  since  then  natural  gas 
has  been  largely  used  for  fuel.  The  State  con- 
tains 19  canals  and  nearly  150  railroads,  which 
are  engaged  in  transporting  her  products  to 
mai'ket. 

In  1867  a  law  was  passetl  for  the  establish- 
ment of  12  normal  schools,  the  most  of  which 
are  now  in  operation.  Over  30  universities 
and  colleges,  ably  representing  the  leading 
professions  are  located  in  the  State,  while  the 
press,  now  recognized  as  a  public  e<lucator,  is 
in  a  flourishing  condition.  The  American 
Weekly  Mercury  was  issued  in  1719.  In  1776 
there  were  9  papers,  in  1880,  620;  and  now 
nearly  700  are  published  in  the  State. 

The  old  militia  system  of  the  State  has  been 
replacetl  by  the  National  Guard  of  Pennsylva-  j 
nia,  which  has  achieved  an  enviable  record  for  j 
itself  ! 

The  population  of  Pennsylvania  in  1790  was 
434,373;  in  1800,602,365;  in  1810,  810,091  ; 
in  1820,  1,348,233;  in  1840,  1,724,033;  in 
1850,2,311,786;  in  1860,  2,906,215;  and  in 
1870,  3,512,951;  in  1880,  4,547,096;  and  in 
1890  was  over  5,000,000.  j 

We  have  not  deemed  it  advisable  to  give  in 
this  sketch  census  .statistics  of  the  State  beyond 
those  of  population,  and  in  place  of  numerous 
lists  of  statistics  omitted  (which  can  be  found 
readily  in  census  reports)  we  give  the  presiden- 
tial vote  of  the  State  since  1824.  This  vote 
has  been  carefully  compiled  from  reliable 
sources,  and  if  it  has  ever  been  published  be- 
fore we  have  been  unable  to  find  it. 


Popular  Vote  of  Pennsylvania  at  Presidential  Elections 
From  1824  to  1888. 


1824. 

1828. 
1832. 

1836. 
1840. 

1844. 

1848. 
1852. 
1856. 
1860. 

1864. 

1868. 
1872. 

1876. 

1880. 

1884. 


Republican  . 
Coalition  .  . 
Republican  . 
Republican  . 
Democrat .  . 
Nat.  Rep.,  . 
Democrat .  . 
Nat.  Rep.,  . 
Anti-Masonic 
Democrat .  . 
Whig.  .  .  . 
Whig.  .  .  . 
Democrat .  . 
Liberty .  .  . 
Democrat .  . 
Whig.  .  .  . 
Liberty  .  .  . 
Whig.  .  .  . 
Democrat .  . 
Free  Soil  .  . 
Democrat .  . 
Whig.  .  .  . 
Free  Dem.,  . 
Democrat .  . 
Republican  . 
American  .  . 
Republican  . 
Democrat .  . 
Ind.  Dem.  . 
Cona't  Union 
Republican  . 
Democrat .  . 
Republican  . 
Democrat .  . 
Republican  . 
Dem.  &  Lib. 
Temperance . 
Democrat .  . 
Republican  . 
Democrat .  . 
Greenback  . 
Prohibition  . 
Republican  . 
Democrat .  . 
Greenback  . 
Prohibition  . 
Republican  . 
Democrat .  . 
Greenback  . 
Prohibition  . 


,  Andrew  Jackson   .    . 
.  John  Q.  Adams  .    .    . 
.  William  H.  Crawibrd 
.  Henry   Clay  .... 
.  Andrew  Jackson  .    . 
.  John  Q.  Adams  .    .    . 
.  Andrew   Jackson  .    . 
.  Henry   Clay   .... 
.  William  Wirt.    .    .    . 
.  Martin  Van  Buren  . 
.  William  H.  Harrison 
.  William  H.  Harrison 
.  Martin  Van  Buren 
.  James  G.  Birney  . 
.  James  K.  Polk  .    . 
.  Henry    Clay   .    .    . 
.  James  G.  Birney  . 
.  Zachary  Taylor  .    . 
.  Lewis  Ca?.s  .... 
.  Martin  Van  Buren 
.  Franklin  Pierce  .   . 
.  Winfield  Scott  .    . 
.  John  P.  Hale.   .    . 
.  James  Buchanan,  . 
.  John  C.  Fremont 
.  Millard  Fillmore   . 
.  Abraham  Lincoln  . 
.  John  C.  Breckinridgi 
.  Stephen  A.  Douglas 
.  John  Bell  .... 
.  Abraham  Lincoln  . 
.  George  B.  McClellan 
.  Ulysses  S.  Grant  . 
.  Horatio  Seymour  . 
.  Ulysses  S.  Grant   . 
.  Horace  Greeley  .    . 
.  James  Black   .    .    . 
.  Charles  O'Connor. 
.  Rutherford  B.  Hayes 
.  Samuel  J.  Tilden  . 
.  Peter  Cooper  .    .    . 
.  Green  Clay  Smith  . 
.  James  A.  Garfield  . 
.  Winfield  S.  Hancoc 
.  James  B.  Weaver  . 
.  Neal    Dow  .... 
.  James  G.  Blaine  . 
.  Grover  Cleveland  . 
.  Benjamin  F.  Butler 
.  John  P.  St.  John  . 


k 


36,100 

5,440 

4,206 

1,609 

101,652 

50,848 

90,983 

56,716 

91,475 

87,111 

144,021 

143,676 

343 

167,535 

161,203 

3,138 

185,513 

.  171,176 

11,263 

198,568 

179,174 

8.525 

230,710 

147,510 

82,175 

,  268,030 

178,871 

16,765 

12,776 

296,391 

276,316 

.  342,280 

.  313,382 

.  349,589 

.  212,041 

.      1,630 

,  348,122 
.  366,158 
.  7,187 
1,319 
.  444,704 
.  407,428 
.    20,668 

.  473,904 
.  392,785 
.  16,992 
.    15,283 


INDIANA  AND  ARMSTRONG  COUNTIES. 


33 


1888.  Republican  .  .  Benjamin  Harrison  .    .  526,091 

Democrat .    .  .  Grover  Cleveland  .    .    .  446,033 

Prohibition  .  .  Clinton  B.  Fisk  ....    20,947 

Greenback    .  .  Alson  J.  Streeter  .    .    .      3,873 

PeiHLsylvania  needs  no  eulogiiim  ;  her  past 
honorable  career  and  present  commercial  suprem- 
acy are  sufficient  guarantees  of  lier  future 
greatness. 

WU/niin  Pain, — In  concliuliiig  this  brief 
account  of  the  "  Keystone  State "  we  append 
Lossing's  sketch  of  lier  founder  :  "  In  glorious 
contrast  witii  the  inhumanity  of  Spaniards, 
Frenchmen  and  many  Englishmen,  stands  the 
record  on  Hi.story's  tablet  of  tlie  kindness  and 
justice  toward  the  feeble  Indian  of  the  founder 
of  Pennsylvania. 

"  '  Thou'lt  find,'  said  the  Quaker, '  in  me  and  mine, 
But  friends  and  brothers  to  thee  and  to  thine. 
Who  abuse  no  power,  and  admit  no  line 

'Twixt  the  red  man  and  the  white.' 
And  bright  was  the  spot  where  the  tjuaker  came 
To  leave  his  hat,  his  drab,  and  his  name, 
That  will  sweetly  sound  from  the  trump  of  Fame. 
Till  its  final  blast  shall  die. 

— Hannah  F.  Gould. 

"William  Penn  was  born  in  the  city  of  Lon- 
don, on  the  14tli  of  October,  1644,  and  was 
educated  at  Oxford.  His  father  was  the  emi- 
nent Admiral  Penn,  a  great  favorite  of  royal- 
ty. William  was  remarkable,  in  early  youth, 
for  brilliant  talent  and  uuatl'ccted  piety.  While 
yet  a  student  he  heard  one  of  the  new  sect  of 
(Quakers  preach,  and,  with  other  students, 
became  deeply  impressed  with  the  evangelical 
truths  which  they  uttered.  He,  with  several 
others,  withdrew  from  the  Established  Church, 
worshipped  by  themselves,  and  for  non-con- 
formity were  expelled  from  the  college.  Penn's 
father  sought,  in  vain,  to  reclaim  him ;  and 
when  at  length,  he  refused  to  take  off  his  hat 
in  the  presence  of  the  admiral,  and  even  of  the 
king,  he  was  expelled  from  the  parental  roof. 
He  was  sent  to  gay  France,  where  he  became 
a  polished  gentleman  after  a  residence  of  two 
years ;  and  on  his  return  he  studied  law  in 
3 


Loudon  until  the  appearance  of  the  great 
plague  in  1665.  He  was  sent  to  Ireland  in 
1666,  to  manage  an  estate  there  belonging  to 
his  father,  but  was  soon  recalled,  because  he 
associated  with  Quakers.  Again  expelled  from 
his  father's  house,  he  became  an  itinerant 
Quaker  preacher,  made  many  proselytes,  suffered 
revilings  and  imprisonments  '  for  conscience' 
sake,'  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years 
wrote  his  celebrated  work,  entitled  No  Cross, 
HO  Crown,  while  in  prison  because  of  his  non- 
conformity to  the  Clnu'ch  of  England.  He  was 
released  in  1670,  and  .soon  afterwards  became 
the  possessor  of  the  large  estates  of  his  father, 
who  died  that  year.  He  continued  to  write 
and  preach  in  defence  of  his  sect,  and  went  to 
Holland  and  Germany,  for  that  purpo.se  in 
1677. 

"  In  March,  1681 ,  Penn  procured  from  Charles 
the  Second,  a  grant  of  the  territory  in  America 
which  yet  bears  his  name ;  and  two  years  after- 
wards he  visited  the  colony  which  he  had 
established  there.  He  founded  Philadelphia — 
city  of  brotherly  love — toward  the  close  of  the 
same  year;  and  within  twenty-four  months 
afterward,  two  thousand  settlers  were  planting 
their  homes  there.  Penn  returned  to  England 
in  1684,  and  through  his  influence  with  the 
kins:,  obtained  the  release  of  thirteen  hundred 
(.Quakers,  then  in  prison.  Because  of  his  per- 
sonal friendship  toward  James,  the  successor  of 
Charles  (who  was  driven  from  the  throne  by 
the  revolution  of  1688,  and  had  his  place  filled 
by  his  daughter,  Mary,  and  William,  Prince  of 
Orange),  he  was  suspected  of  adiierence  to  the 
fallen  monarch,  and  was  imprisoned,  and 
deprived  of  his  projirietary  rights.  These 
were  restored  to  him  in  1694;  and  in  1699  he 
again  visited  his  American  colony.  He 
remainetl  in  Pennsylvania  until  1701,  when  he 
hastened  to  England  to  oppose  a  parliamentary 
proposition  to  abolish  all  proprietary  govern- 
ments in  America.  He  never  returned.  In 
1712  he  was  prostrated  by  a  paralytic  disorder. 


34 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


It  terminated  his  life  on  the  30th  of  July,  1718, 
at  the  age  of  seventy- four  years.  Penu  was 
greatly  beloved  by  the  Indians ;  and  it  is 
worthy  of  remark  that  not  a  drop  of  Quaker's 
blood  was  ever  shed  by  the  savages." 

Time  in  his  flight  has  numbered  nearly  a 
decade  over  two  hundred  years  since  William 
Pcnn  set  foot  on  the  soil  of  the  present  mighty 
and  populous  State  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the 
results  of  his  work  on  the  Delaware  are  ti'uth- 
fully  given  on  the  tablet  in  Independence  Hall 
on  which  is  inscribed,  "  William  Penn,  born  in 
London,  October  14th,  1644,  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  universal  liberty  A.  D.  1682,  in  the 
privileges  he  then  accorded  the  emigrants  to 
Pennsylvania  and  thus  enabled  their  descendants 
to  make  the  colony  the  Keystone  State  of  the 
Federal  Union  in  1789." 

Territory  of  Indiana  and  Armstrong  coun- 
ties.— This  territory  is  traced  back  as  portions 
ol  previous  counties  until  1682,  when  the  origi- 
nal counties  of  Pennsylvania  were  Philadelphia, 
Chester  and  Bucks,  whose  boundaries  were  in- 
definite. May,  1729,  an  act  was  passed  erect- 
ing the  county  of  Lancaster,  to  embrace  "  all 
and  singular  the  lands  within  the  province  of 
Pennsylvania  lying  to  the  northward  of  Octo- 
raro  creek,  and  to  the  westward  of  a  line  of 
marked  trees  running  from  the  north  branch 
of  the  said  Octoraro  creek  northeasterly  to  the 
river  Schuylkill;  .  .  .  and  the  said  Octoraro 
creek,  the  line  of  marked  trees  and  the  river 
Schuylkill  aforesaid, .shall  be  the  boundary  line 
or  division  between  said  county  and  the  coun- 
ties of  Chester  and  Philadelphia." 

Thus  the  nominal  jurisdiction  of  Lancaster 
county  extended  westward  to  the  western  limits 
of  the  province,  including  the  larger  part  of  the 
territory  which  now  forms  the  counties  of  In- 
diana and  Armstrong. 

In  1749  the  inhabitants  of  the  western  parts 
of  I^ancaster  county  prayed  for  the  formation 
of  a  new  county  from  that  part  of  Lancaster ; 
whereupon,  on  the  27th  of  January,   1750,  it 


was  by  the  General  Assembly  enacted,  "  That 
all  and  singular  the  lauds  lying  within  the 
province  of  Pennsylvania  aforesaid  to  the  west- 
ward of  Susquehanna,  and  northward  and  west- 
ward to  the  county  of  York,  be  and  are  hereby 
erected  into  a  county  named  and  hereafter  to  be 
called  Cumberland,  bounded  northward  and 
westward  with  the  line  of  the  province,  east- 
ward partly  with  the  river  Susquehanna  and 
partly  with  the  said  county  of  York,  and  south- 
ward in  part  by  the  said  couuty  of  York,  aud 
part  by  the  line  dividing  the  said  province  from 
that  of  Maryland." 

For  more  than  twenty  years,  a  period  cover- 
ing tlie  campaigns  of  Washington  and  Brad- 
dock  and  the  planting  of  the  earlier  settlements 
in  the  valleys  of  the  Allegheny  and  Monon- 
gahela,  Cumberland  couuty  continued  to  include 
the  region  west  of  the  Laurel  Hill  range.  On 
March  9,  1771,  that  region  (embracing  the 
present  counties  of  Indiana  and  Armstrong  and 
contiguous  country)  passed  to  the  jurisdiction 
of  Bedford  county,  which  was  erected  by  an 
act  of  that  date  to  include  "  all  and  singular 
the  lands  lying  and  being  within  the  boundaries 
following,  that  is  to  say,  beginning  where  the 
province  line  crosses  the  Tuscarora  mountain, 
and  running  along  the  summit  of  that  moun- 
tain to  the  Gap  near  the  head  of  the  Path  val- 
ley;  thence  with  a  north  line  to  the  Juniata; 
thence  with  the  Juniata  to  the  mouth  of  Shav- 
er's creek ;  thence  northeast  to  the  line  of 
Berks  county ;  thence  along  the  Berks  county 
line  northwestward  to  the  western  bounds  of 
the  province ;  thence  southward,  according  to 
the  several  courses  of  the  western  boundary  of 
the  province,  to  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
province,  and  from  tlience  eastward  with  the 
southern  line  of  the  province  to  the  place  of 
beginning." 

The  territory  of  Bedford  couuty  west  of 
Laurel  Hill  became  Westmoreland  by  the  pass- 
age (February  26,  1773)  of  an  act  erecting  the 
last-named  county  to  embrace  "  All  and  singu- 


INDIANA  AND  ARMSTRONG  COUNTIES. 


35 


lar  the  lauds  lying  within  the  province  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  being  within  the  boundaries  fol- 
lowing, that  is  to  say,  beginning  in  the  province 
line,  where  the  most  westerly  branch,  common- 
ly called  the  South,  or  Great  Branch  of  Yough- 
iogheny  river  crosses  the  same ;  then  down 
the  easterly  side  of  the  said  branch  and  river 
to  the  Laurel  Hill ;  thence  along  the  ridge  of 
the  said  hill  northeastward,  so  far  as  it  can  be 
traced,  or  till  it  runs  into  the  Allegheny  Hill ; 
thence  along  the  ridge  dividing  the  waters  of 
the  Susquehanna  and  the  Allegheny  rivers  to 
the  purchase  line  at  the  head  of  Susquehanna ; 
thence  due  west  to  the  limits  of  the  province,  { 
and  by  the  same  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

This  purchase  line  of  Nov.  5,  1768,  extended 
from  the  site  of  Cherry  Tree,  on  the  east  Indi- 
ana county  line,  to  the  site  of  Kittanning,  in 
Armstrong  county,  on  the  Allegheny  river; 
and  thus  the  larger  part  of  Indiana  and  the 
smaller  part  of  Armstrong  counties  were  in- 
cluded in  tiie  territory  of  Westmoreland  until 
the  two  first-named  counties  were  established 
respectively  in  1800  and  1803.  The  portion 
of  Armstrong  north  of  the  purciiase  line  be- 
longed to  Allegheny  and  Lycoming  counties 
from  1785  to  1800,  and  that  part  of  Indiana 
north  of  the  same  line  was  a  part  of  Lycoming 
from  1784  to  1803.  The  detailed  history  of 
these  county  establishments  and  the  purciiase 
line  of  1708  will  be  given  in  tlie  respective 
sketches  of  the  two  counties,  in  which  will  also 
be  included  full  accounts  of  the  early  settlers. 

Of  the  territory  of  Indiaua  and  Armstrong 
Prof  Leslie  says:  "The  Allegheny  and  all  its 
head-waters  flow  through  rocks  below  the  coal, 
in  valleys  with  precipitous  sides,  seldom  exceed- 
ing five  hundred  feet  high,  supporting  a  general 
table-land  of  the  Lower  Coal  Measures.  Bor- 
ings in  the  valley  beds  always  reach,  at  the 
depth  of  a  few  hundred  feet,  sand-rocks  charged 
with  rock  oil  and  salt  water,  in  scant  or  copious 
measure. 

"  In  the  valley  of  theConemaugh  and  Kiski- 


minetas,  however,  the  lower  coal-beds  rise  from 
the  water  six  times,  and  six  times  sink  beneath 
it,  the  upper  coal-beds  occurring  in  the  hill- 
tops only  at  Blairsville  and  Saltsburg." 

The  climate  of  these  counties  is  the  best  of 
the  temperate  latitudes.  They  lie  between  the 
isothermal  lines  of  48  and  50  degrees,  and  are 
favored  with  an  annual  rain-fall  of  thirty-six 
inches. 

The  fauna  and  flora  of  these  counties  are 
similar  to  the  fauna  and  flora  of  the  other 
counties  of  western  Pennsylvania. 

French  and  Emjlish  Contest. — Many  of  the 
early  settlers  of  these  counties  had  been  partici- 
pants in  the  struggle  of  England  and  France 
over  the  Ohio  Valley,  and  all  of  them  were  Alle- 
gheny Backwoodsmen. 

In  the  era  of  English  colonization  in  what  is 
now  the  United  States,  the  Appalachian  moun- 
tains stood  for  many  years  as  a  great  bar  against 
the  westward  tide  of  emigration,  and  the  plant- 
ing of  the  line  of  settlement  along  the  western 
mountain  slopes  was  a  herculean  task.  The 
period  of  its  complete  establishment  spanned 
the  years  of  half  a  century.  The  story  of  many 
of  its  founders  has  been  quaintly  told  by  Pritts, 
Withers,  Doddridge,  Kercheval,  McClurg,  Day, 
De  Haas,  McDonald  and  others.  The  account 
of  some  of  its  divisions  and  founders  has  formed 
the  theme  of  the  volumes  of  McKnight,  Draper, 
Irvine,  Butterfield  and  Veech.  A  limited  his- 
tory of  its  establisluiient  and  the  struggles  over 
it  are  topias  in  the  later  and  more  comprehen- 
sive efforts  of  Tripplett  in  "  Conquering  the 
Wilderness;"  Kelsey  in  "Pioneer  Heroes," 
and  Mason  and  Ridpath  in  "  Conquering  the 
Ohio  Valley."  But  none  have  traced  this  great 
frontier  line  of  mighty  mountain  ridges,  or  even 
outlined  its  full  history  ;  whereby  some  actors 
and  events  that  should  be  general  remain  as 
local.  Its  full  history  and  the  true  part  played 
in  it  by  the  Allegheny  Backwoodsmen  has  only 
within  the  past  five  years  been  secured  from  State 
archives  and  governmental  papers,  and  presented 


36 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


by  Roosevelt  iu  "Winning  the  West"  and  by 
some  otiiers  who  have  made  careful  and  con- 
scientious research  among  authentic  records, 
which  in  many  cases  were  beyond  the  reach  of 
the  early  historians. 

The  movement  of  population  in  the  Atlantic 
colonies  of  His  Britannic  Majesty  George  II. 
was  pushing  the  great  frontier  line,  by  settle- 
ment, westward  to  the  Appalachian  mountains, 
then  called  Green  and  White  mountains  in 
New  England,  and  known  as  the  Allegheny 
mountains  in  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia.  In 
1750,  in  New  England,  the  great  frontier  line 
extended  along  the  southern  coasts  of  Maine  ; 
then  sweeping  north  to  Lake  Champlain,  with 
a  great  curve,  only  included  about  one-half  of 
Vermont  and  New  Hampshire.  With  another 
srreat  curve  it  came  down  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Mohawk  in  New  York;  next  following  a 
straight  line  down  the  Hudson  river  to  the 
Delaware,  and  with  it  to  the  Alleghenies,  and 
with  these  mountains,  with  a  great  curve,  it  fell 
away  toward  the  northwest  corner  of  Maryland  ; 
here  it  sent  out  a  narrow  tongue  of  population 
toward  the  great  lakes  via  the  site  of  Pitts- 
burgh ;  with  another  inward  curve  from  the 
Maryland  corner  it  swept  on  to  the  Kanawha, 
and  thence  within  100  miles  of  the  Alleghenies 
to  their  base  in  Alabama,  round  which  it  bent, 
and,  sweeping  with  another  inward  curve,  it  i 
struck  the  Atlantic  along  the  Georgia  and 
Florida  lines.  This  great  frontier  line,  with  ins 
and  outs,  from  where  it  left  the  coast  of  Maine 
until  it  fell  back  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  at  ' 
Florida,  was  over  2000  miles  in  length — over 
two  millions  English  were  enclosed  within  its  ! 
limits ;  a  few  thousand  Spaniards  were  south  of 
it  in  Florida.  One  hundred  thousand  French 
were  iu  Canada,  and  with  a  feeble  line  of  settle- 
ments they  stretched  along  the  Mississippi  on 
the  west. 

Between  the  French  and  English  were  the 
Indians,  principally  occupying  the  east  Missis- 
sippi Valley.     Careful  estimates  place  the  fight- 


ing strength  of  these  Indians  at  ten  thousand 
warriors.  In  New  York  were  the  celebrated 
Six  Nations  of  the  Huron-Iroquois  family. 
West  of  the  Alleghenies  were  the  Shawanees, 
Delawares,  Wyandottes,  Ottawas,  Miamis  and 
several  other  tribes.  Along  the  southern  part 
of  the  line  were  the  Creeks,  Cherokees,  Cataw- 
bas  and  other  tribes.  On  the  south  were  the 
Serainoles,  while  in  New  England  were  the  rem- 
nants of  several  tribes  who  were  in  daily  com- 
munication with  the  Indians  of  Canada. 

The  unreasonable  policy  pursued  by  the  Eng- 
lish officers  and  some  unjust  measures  enacted 
on  the  part  of  the  Colonial  authorities,  alienated 
nearly  all  of  the  Indians  in  the  Ohio  Valley, 
and  made  them  allies  of  the  French. 

There  were  white  explorers  west  of  the  Alle- 
gheny mountain  line  before  1750,  but  they 
came  in  the  character  of  traders,  and  not  for  the 
purpose  of  settlement.  The  French  came  from 
Canada  to  trade  with  the  Indians  for  furs.  The 
English  were  largely  Pennsylvanians,  who  came 
by  the  way  of  the  Juniata,  and  also  by  Wills 
Creek,  Md.  Veech  says  these  traders  made 
their  trips  before  1740,  and  Ellis  traces  them 
as  early  as  1732.  The  Pennsylvania  Archives, 
Vol.  II.,  p.  14,  gives  a  list  of  Indian  traders 
licensed  in  1748  by  Pennsylvania,  in  which 
occur  the  names  of  George  Croghan  and  Hugh 
Crawford. 

The  French  in  Canada,  by  the  freezing  of  the 
St.  Lawrence,  were  shut  up  from  intercourse 
with  Europe  for  a  large  portion  of  the  year. 
Fj'cnch  statesmen  formed  a  grand  idea  of  open- 
ing communication  between  Canada  and  their 
settlements  on  the  Mississippi  by  the  way  of  the 
lakes  and  the  Illinois  river.  This  scheme 
would  have  given  them  uninterrupted  inter- 
course with  Europe,  secured  all  the  territory 
west  of  the  Mississippi  and  the  Illinois,  and 
placed  them  in  possession  of  nearly  all  the  In- 
dian trade.  But  instead  of  establishing  this 
great  water-line  boundary,  and  protecting  it 
with  a  chain  of  forts,  the  French  were  dazzled 


INDIANA  AND  ARMSTRONG   COUNTIES. 


37 


with  the  brilliant  but  rash  idea  of  a  line  of 
forts  from  Lake  Erie  to  the  Allegheny,  and 
down  the  Ohio,  virtually  making  the  Ap])ala- 
chian  mountains  a  boundary  to  Anglo-Ameri- 
can power,  and  hemming  the  English  in  to  the 
Atlantic  sea-board.  "  Out  of  the  nettle  danger 
they  hoped  to  pluck  the  flower  safety,  but, 
grasj^ing  for  a  little  more,  they  lost  all  that  they 
had  already." 

England  would  cross  this  great  mountain- 
line  boundary  to  secure  the  Indian  trade  and  to 
push  commerce  to  the  Mississippi.  Sargent 
answers  the  question  why  English  settlements 
were  not  sooner  attempted  west  of  the  Alleghe- 
nies :  the  conflicting  claims  of  Virginia  and 
Pennsylvania  to  the  territory  prevented  Eng- 
lish settlement  between  1730  and  1750. 

The  French  and  the  English  fur  traders  were 
in  constant  rivalry  for  the  Indian  trade.  Galis- 
sioniere,  the  governor  of  Canada,  sent  in  1748 
a  command  of  three  hundred  men  along  the 
Allegheny  i-iver  to  bury  leaden  plates  with  in- 
scriptions claiming  the  country.  In  1750  some 
French  troops  under  Joncaire  visited  the  Ohio 
country,  and  captured  all  the  English  traders 
they  could  find. 

In  the  mean  time,  on  the  part  of  the  English, 
the  Ohio  company  (which  had  been  chartered 
in  1749),  of  Virginia,  was  preparing  to  take 
possession  of  its  grant  of  600,000  acres  from 
George  II.  Its  objects  were  to  wrest  the  In- 
dian trade  from  Pennsylvania  and  to  anticipate 
France  in  the  possession  of  the  Ohio  Valley. 
The  company  was  to  locate  its  lands  between 
the  Monongahela  and  Kanawha  rivers. 
Christopher  Gist  was  employed  to  explore  the 
country  west  of  the  mountains,  while  Nema- 
coliu,  an  Indian,  was  to  mark  a  road  from 
Wills  creek  (Cumberland)  to  the  forks  of  the 
Ohio  (Pittsburgh). 

The  Ohio  company  erected  a  stoi'e-house  at 
the  mouth  of  Redstone  creek  which  was  called 
the  Hangard,  and  then  commenced  a  fort  at 
"  Forks  of  the  Ohio,"  which  was  captureil  by 


the  French  on  the  18th  of  April.  The  Indian 
name  for  the  spot  was  Deundaga.  The  French 
first  named  their  fort  the  Assumption  of  the 
Holy  Virgin,  but  changed  it  to  Fort  Duquesne 
in  honor  of  the  governor  of  Canada.  As  the 
Oiiio  company  fell  back  from  the  disputed 
territory,  a  new  opponent — the  Colony  of  Vir- 
ginia— came  forward  to  contest  with  the  French 
the  occupation  of  their  new-won  possessions, 
Ijut  the  termination  of  Washington's  campaign 
in  the  valley  of  the  Youghiogheny,  in  1754, 
left  France  master  of  tiie  disputed  territory. 
In  this  same  year  occurred  the  "  Delaware  Re- 
volt," which  was  caused  by  an  egregious  colonial 
blunder  made  on  June  19,  1754.  Several 
colonies  sent  commissioners  with  presents  to  the 
Indians  at  a  treaty  held  at  Albany,  New  York. 
The  Six  Nations  agreed  not  to  aid  the  French, 
and  to  assist  the  English  ;  but  the  Pennsylvania 
commissioners  secretly  bought  of  the  Iroquois 
tribe  all  the  lands  in  dispute.  Thus  the  Dela- 
wares  and  Shawanees  had  their  hunting-grounds 
sold  out  from  under  their  feet,  and  to  aggravate 
their  distress,  the  Iroquois  ordered  them  to  re- 
move. For  over  two  hundred  years  the  Six 
Nations  had  ruled  the  Delawares  and  Shawanees, 
and  received  unquestioning  obedience;  but  now 
the  "  nephews  "  became  unruly  to  their  "uncles," 
they  revolted  and  \vent  over  to  the  French  ;  and 
English  treasure  was  largely  expended,  and 
PjUglish  blood  flowed  freely  to  pay  for  this 
greedy  blunder.  The  Delaware  tribes  on  the 
Susquehanna  formed  a  league,  with  Tadeuskund 
{ King  of  the  Delawares)  at  its  head,  hostile  to  the 
Six  Nations  and  the  English.  Thompson  (p. 
77)  says  the  Six  Nations,  afterward,  in  their 
grand  council  at  "  Onondago,"  repudiated  the 
sale,  but  it  was  too  late  to  remedy  the  fault. 

The  crossing  of  the  Alleghenies  was  proving 
to  be  a  very  serious  matter  to  the  English.  The 
Ohio  company  had  been  defeated.  Virginia 
had  failed  and  a  united  expedition  of  Virginia, 
Maryland  and  North  Carolina  was  abandoned. 
England    now    proposed   to   secure   what    the 


38 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


colonies  had  failed  to  win,aud  authorized  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor Horatio  Sharpe,  of  Maryland, 
to  raise  a  force  from  Maryland,  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina  and  recapture  the  "  Forks  of 
the  Ohio."  Sharpe  failed  in  his  projected  cam- 
paign ;  he  acted  an  important  part  in  the  pre- 
cijjitation  of  the  Revolutionary  struggle — in 
connection  with  Dinwiddle,  he  was  responsible 
for  the  royal  order  of  November  12,  1754,  set- 
tling the  comparative  rank  of  provincial  and 
regular  officers.  This  order,  so  unjust  to 
American  officers,  aroused  their  opposition  to 
English  authority,  and,  although  hitherto  un- 
noticed, yet  was  an  important  cause  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary war. 

England,  in  1765,  sent  Braddock  to  capture 
the  Ohio  Valley,  and  his  dreadful  defeat  at  the 
battle  of  the  Monongahela  is  so  well  known  as 
■  to  need  no  description  here  beyond  the  correc- 
tion of  the  error  existing  in  so  many  histories, 
that  Washington,  after  Braddock's  fall, assumed 
command  of  the  army  and  conducted  the  re- 
treat. 

The  Destruction  of  Kittanning. — On  Septem- 
ber 8,  1756,  Gen.  John  Armstrong  surprised 
and  destroyed  the  Indian  town  of  Kittanning 
on  the  Allegheny  river,  from  which  Capt. 
Jacobs  and  Shiugas  sent  forth  many  war  parties 
to  harass  the  frontier  settlements,  but  a  full  ac- 
count of  this  will  be  found  in  the  sketch  of 
Armstrong  county. 

Forbes'  Expedition. — In  1758  Gen.  John 
Forbes,  with  an  army  of  seven  thousand  men, 
was  sent  by  England  to  regain  what  Braddock 
had  lost  and  to  capture  Fort  Duquesuc  Wash- 
ington urged  Forbes  to  take  the  old  Braddock 
road,  but  Col.  Bouquet  prevailed  upon  Forbes 
to  cut  a  new  road  from  Bedford,  Pa.,  through 
what  is  now  Westmoreland  county,  to  Fort 
Duquesne.  Bouquet  led  the  advance,  and  in  Sep- 
tember made  hiscamp  onthebank  of  Loyalhanna 
creek,  where  his  engineers  erected  a  stockade 
which  he  named  Fort  Ligonier,  in  honor  of  Sir 
John    Ligonier,  under  whom    Bouquet  served 


in  Europe.  On  the  11th  of  September,  Bou- 
quet sent  Maj.  Grant  with  eight  hundred  men 
to  reconnoitre.  He  drew  up  in  order  of  battle 
before  Fort  Duquesne,  on  September  13th,  where 
he  was  attacked  and  his  force  routed,  M'ith  the 
loss  of  three  hundred  men.  The  French  and 
Indians,  fourteen  hundred  strong,  marched  from 
Fort  Duquesne  after  defeating  Grant,  and  on 
the  12th  of  October  made  two  attacks  on  Bou- 
quet, at  Fort  Ligonier,  but  were  repulsed  and 
retreated.  The  English  lost  twelve  men  killed 
and  fifty-five  wounded.  In  November,  Forbes 
arrived  with  the  main  division  of  the  army, 
and  Washington  was  sent  forward  to  open  the 
road  to  Fort  Duquesne,  which  was  cut  out  past 
the  sites  of  Hannastowu  and  Murrysville.  On 
November  24th,  Gen.  Forbes  captured  Fort 
Duquesne  and  the  soil  of  Westmoreland, 
Indiana  and  Armstrong  counties,  and  the  Ohio 
Valley  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  race. 

The  principal  actors  in  the  French  and  In- 
dian war  wei'e  the  English  and  French.  The  sub- 
ordinate actors  were  the  American  colonies  and 
the  Indians.  The  mistake  of  France  in  fighting 
for  a  mountain-line  boundar}'  instead  of  accepting 
and  establishing  a  water-line  boundary,  which 
resulted  in  the  loss  of  all  her  North  American 
territory,  was  equaled  by  the  error  of  the 
English  in  employing  American  colonial  troops 
in  the  war,  which  drilled  them  for  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  whereby  England  lost  the  most 
valuable  part  of  her  North  American  territory. 

Battle  of  Bushy  Enn. — The  country  was 
garrisoned  by  the  English  from  1758  to  1763. 
In  that  year  Pontiac  led  the  Indian  tribes 
north  of  the  Ohio  against  the  English  forts, 
from  Detroit  to  Ligonier.  Colonel  Bouquet 
was  dispatched  to  the  relief  of  the  forts  of 
Western  Pennsylvania.  He  raised  the  siege 
of  Fort  Ligonier,  and  marched  for  the  relief  of 
Fort  Pitt,  with  a  force  of  five  hundred  Scotch 
highlanders  and  Colonial  volunteers.  On  Au- 
gust 5,  1763,  near  the  site  of  Harrison  city, 


INDIANA  AND  ARMSTRONG   COUNTIES. 


39 


Westmoreland  county,  he  was  drawn  into  an 
Indian  ambuscade.  Darkness  saved  his  army 
from  terrible  defeat,  and  on  the  next  day,  by 
masterly  strategy,  he  drew  the  Indian  force 
into  an  ambuscade  by  a  feigned  retreat,  and 
finally  route<l  them  with  great  slaughter.  This 
battle,  so  nearly  lost  on  the  first  day  by  the 
carelessness,  and  so  brilliantly  won  on  the  sec- 
ond day  by  the  masterly  generalship  of  Colonel 
Henry  Bouquet,  is  classed  by  Parkman  (the 
historian)  as  one  of  the  "  decisive  battles  of  the 
world ;"  for  mighty  Pontiac's  grand  dream  of 
Indian  empire  was  wrecked  when  his  warrior 
hosts  were  crushed  and  scattered  at  Bushy 
Run. 

With  the  army  of  Forbes  came  the  first  set- 
tlers of  Westmoreland  county.  Many  of  them 
located  at  Fort  Ligonier,  without  any  legal 
right  to  the  soil  but  that  of  possession,  and 
were  reinforced  the  next  year  by  quite  a  num- 
ber of  Forbes'  soldiers,  who  settled  by  military 
permit.  One  of  the  earliest  settlements  in  the 
county,  after  the  one  at  Fort  Ligonier,  was 
made  by  Andrew  Byerly  in  1759,  on  Bushy 
creek,  and,  ten  years  later,  Westmoreland 
county  settlers  had  pushed  north  of  the  Forbes 
road  into  the  territory  of  Indiana  and  Arm- 
strong counties. 

Struggle  of  the  Backwoodsmen  and  Englwh. 
— By  the  treaty  of  1758,  the  authorities  of 
Pennsylvania  surrendered  to  the  Six  Nations 
all  the  teri'itory  northward  and  westward  of 
the  Allegheny  mountains ;  and  Virginia,  who 
also  claimed  all  territory  west  of  the  Alleghe- 
nies,  forbade  all  settlement.  Penal  laws  were 
passed  by  both  provinces  against  hunting  and 
settling  west  of  these  mountains,  but  had  no 
effect  to  check  the  tide  of  settlers  who  came 
into  the  Monongahela  and  Allegheny  valleys. 
Proclamations  were  issued  by  the  Penns  and 
the  Governor  of  Virginia,  and  by  the  King  of 
England ;  but  the  Scotch-Irish,  Germans  and 
other  backwoodsmen  paid  no  attention  to  Qua- 
ker or  Cavalier,  and  gave  no  heed  to  even  roy- 


alty itself.  The  Pennsylvania  authorities  sent 
agents  to  warn  off  tiiese  settlers,  and  Euglish 
soldiers  were  sent  out  from  Fort  Pitt  to  enforce 
the  King's  proclamation ;  but  the  Backwoods- 
men only  retired  east  of  tiie  mountains  until 
the  agents  and  soldiers  left,  and  then  returned 
to  their  clearings.  In  this  struggle  the  Back- 
woodsmen were  successful,  and  in  1768  Penn- 
sylvania purchased  a  large  portion  of  the  land 
which  was  offered  it  for  sale  as  early  as  17G9. 
Virginia  also  claimed  this  territory  as  a  part 
of  lier  county  of  Augusta,  which  was  organized 
in  1738,  and  offered  ranch  of  the  present  coun- 
ties of  Fayette  and  Westmoreland  for  sale. 
Often  the  same  piece  of  land  was  sold  by  both 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  and  the  respective 
claimants  for  possession  were  on  the  vei'ge  of 
coming  to  bloodshed  over  their  conflicting  titles ; 
but  this  threatened  strife  between  the  two 
provinces  was  averted  by  the  opening  of  the 
Revolution,  when  the  hostile  factions  harmo- 
nized in  the  common  war  waged  for  independ- 
ence. The  struggle  over  this  territory  between 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  was  finally  settled 
in  Baltimore  in  1779,  wheu  Virginia  relin- 
quished all  claim  to  the  present  territory  of 
Pennsylvania  west  of  the  Allegheny  moun- 
tains. 

Revolutionary  War.  —  The  rifle  shots  on 
"  Lexington  Common "  awoke  patriotism  in 
the  hearts  of  the  Westmoreland  pioneers,  whose 
answer  was  emphatically  given  in  the  Hannas- 
town  Declaration  of  Independence.  It  was 
'  made  on  the  16th  of  May,  1775,  and  in  the 
form  of  resolutions  condemned  the  system  of 
English  tyranny  imposed  on  Massachusetts, 
and  declared  that  Westmorelanders  "  would 
oppose  it  with  their  lives  and  fortunes."  The 
inhabitants  of  Westmoreland,  at  this  general 
meeting,  also  resolved  to  form  themselves  into 
a  military  body,  to  consist  of  several  compa- 
nies, and  to  be  known  as  the  "  Association  of 
Westmoreland  County."  This  regiment  of 
Westmoreland  Associations  was  organized  un- 


40 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


der  Colonel  Proctor,  and  most  of  its  members 
afterwards  served  iu  different  Pennsylvania 
regiments,  and  fought  in  nearly  all  the  battles 
of  the  Revolution.  Westmorelanders  were  with 
Arnold  amid  the  snows  of  Canada,  suffered 
untold  privations  at  Valley  Forge,  were  with 
Washington  at  Trenton  and  Princeton,  won 
imperishable  renowu  at  Saratoga  under  Arnold 
and  INIorgan,  fought  with  Wayne  at  Stony 
Point,  and  were  at  Yorktown.  Six  companies 
were  enlisted  iu  Westmoreland  county  for  the 
Continental  army.  Their  captains  were  John 
Nelson,  William  Butler,  Stephen  Bayard,  Jo- 
seph Erwin,  James  Carnahan  and  Matthe\^■ 
Scott.  Seven  of  the  eight  companies  of  the 
Eighth  Pennsylvania  were  raised  in  the  county. 
This  regiment  was  organized  in  July,  1776,  to 
protect  the  western  frontier,  but  iu  three  months 
was  called  to  the  front,  served  under  Washing- 
ton and  Gates,  and  in  1778  were  sent  to  Fort 
Pitt  for  the  defence  of  the  western  frontiers. 
General  Arthur  St.  Clair  was  the  leading  char- 
acter of  Westmoreland  county  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  while  prominent  among  her  many 
brave  sons  in  that  great  struggle  were  Lieuten- 
ant John  Hardin  (afterwards  General  John 
Hardin),  of  Kentucky,  C^aptains  Van  Swearin- 
geu  and  David  Kilgore.  Some  of  those  who 
afterward  became  pioneers  in  settling  Indiana 
and  Armstrong  counties  were  officers  and  sol- 
diers from  Westmoreland  iu  the  Eighth  Penn- 
sylvania. 

Lochry's  Expedition. — In  the  spring  of  1781  I 
General  Rogers  Clarke  j)roposed  to  lay  waste  the 
Oiiio  Indian  country,  and  thus  protect  the  fron- 
tiers of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia.  The  Penn- 
sylvania authorities  ordered  Colonel  Archibald 
Lochry  to  raise  fifty  volunteers  in  Westmore- 
land county  and  join  Clarke's  forces.  Lochry 
collected  one  hundred  and  seven  men  at  Carna- 
lian's  block-house,  eleven  miles  northwest  of 
Hannastowu.  He  had  two  companies  of  rang- 
ers, commanded  respectively  by  Captain  Thomas 
Stokely  and  Captain  Samuel  Shearer,  and  one 


company  of  horse  under  Captain  Charles  Camp- 
bell. On  July  25,  1781,  Colonel  Lochry  de- 
parted to  join  Clarke  at  Wheeling  (then  Fort 
Henry).  Arriving  there  he  found  Clarke  gone, 
and,  according  to  orders  left  by  the  general, 
proceeded  down  the  Ohio  river,  but  did  not 
overtake  him.  General  Clarke  had  failed  to 
receive  troops  from  Kentucky,  and  was  com- 
pelled to  push  rapidly  down  the  Ohio,  as  his 
men  were  deserting  in  cousiderable  numbers. 
Lochry's  force,  when  it  arrived  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Kanawha  river,  was  nearly  out  of  provi- 
sions and  needed  ammunition.  Lochry  sent 
foin-  men  in  a  boat  to  overtake  Clarke  and 
notify  him  of  their  condition.  The  Indians 
cajjtured  these  men,  learned  from  Lochry's  let- 
ter, which  they  carried,  of  his  destitute  condi- 
tion, and  made  preparations  to  attack  him.  On 
the  24th  of  August  Lochry  landed  at  the  inlet 
of  a  creek  on  the  Ohio  river,  some  nine  miles 
below  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum.  He  was 
here  attacked  by  the  Indians,  and  a  desperate 
encounter  ensued,  in  which  Lochry  and  forty- 
two  of  his  men  were  killed  and  the  remainder 
of  his  command  taken  prisoners.  The  Indians 
held  these  prisoners  until  1783,  when  they  were 
ransomed  by  the  British  in  Canada  and  ex- 
changed. But  more  than  half  of  Lochry's 
command  never  returned  to  Pennsylvania,  and 
Westmoreland  county  lost  over  fitly  of  her 
bravest  sons  by  that  unfortunate  expedition. 

Crairford's  Expedition. — In  May,  1782,  Col- 
onel William  Crawford  led  an  expedition  of 
four  hundred  and  eighty  men  against  the  Ohio 
Indians.  In  May,  1782,  his  force  was  attacked 
on  the  Sandusky  plains  by  the  Indians  and 
badly  defeated.  Colonel  Crawford  was  cap- 
tured and  burned  at  the  stake.  His  men  were 
from  what  is  now  Fayette  and  Washington 
counties,  and  his  home  was  near  the  site  of 
Connellsville,  Pa. 

Biiruinf/  of  Hannastown. — From  1781  to 
1783  was  the  midnight  period  in  the  early  his- 
toi'v  of  Westmoreland   county.      It  seems   that 


i 


INDIANA  AND  ARMSTRONG   COUNTIES. 


41 


in  the  sutiimer  of  the  latter  year  the  Brit- 
ish iu  Canada  projected  an  expedition  against 
Fort  Pitt,  in  which  they  were  joined  hy  a  con- 
siderable force  of  Indians  and  a  large  number 
of  Tories.  A  report  of  reinforcements  at  Fort 
Pitt  deterred  them  from  an  attack  on  tiiat 
place,  and  several  small  bodies  were  detached 
from  the  main  force  against  defenceless  points 
along  the  western  frontiers.  One  of  these  de- 
tachments, numbering  about  one  hundred,  and 
composed  of  Tories  and  Indians,  was  sent 
against  Hannastowu.  On  Saturday,  July  13, 
1782,  this  band  arrived  at  Michael  Hutlhagle's, 
about  one  and  one-half  miles  north  of  Han- 
nastown,  where  the  settlers  had  gathered  on 
that  day  to  cut  Huffnagle's  harvest.  The 
Indians  were  discovered  in  time  for  the  set- 
tlers to  make  good  tlieir  escape  to  tlic  fort  at 
Hannastowu.  Tradition  has  suggested,  but 
history  is  silent  as  to  who  the  leaders  of  the 
Tories  and  Indians  were.  By  the  time  the 
renegades  and  Indians  arrived  at  Hannas- 
towu, the  court,  which  was  in  session  that  day, 
and  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  town,  were  safely 
within  the  palisades  of  the  fort.  The  exasper- 
ated enemy  set  fire  to  Hannastowu,  which  con- 
sisted of  about  thirty  K)g  houses  and  cabins. 
All  the  buildings  were  burned,  except  Robert 
Hanna's  and  another  house,  which  stood  close 
to  the  stockade.  Within  the  fort  were  twenty 
men,  who  had  only  nine  guns ;  without,  one 
hundred  savages  and  Tories,  who  were  well 
armed.  Foiled  in  their  attempt  to  surprise 
the  place,  they  invested  the  stockade,  and  sent 
out  a  party  of  forty  or  fifty,  who  surprised  and 
captured  Miller's  block-house.  Burning  the 
block-house  and  surrounding  cabins,  they  re- 
turned with  several  prisoners.  None  of  the  in- 
mates of  the  stockade  fort  were  killed  or 
wounded  by  the  desultory  fire  of  the  force,  ex- 
cept ]\Iargaret  Shaw,  who  lost  her  life  in  res- 
cuing a  child  which  was  crawling  toward  the 
stockade  pickets.  In  the  evening  the  enemy 
fixed  their  camp  in  the  Crabtree  hollow,  where 


they  killed  one  prisoner  and  made  the  others 
run  the  gauntlet.  During  the  night  thirty  men 
from  George's  station  succeeded  iu  approaching 
and  entering  the  Hannastowu  fort.  (Japtain 
Matthew  Jack  and  David  Sliaw  risked  their 
lives  in  notifying  the  settlers  outside  the  forts. 
Towards  morning  the  Indians  became  apprehen- 

■  sive  of  their  retreat  being  cut  off  by  forces  from 
Fort  Ligouier,  and  fled.  They  killed  Captain 
Brownlee  and  several  of  their  captives  during 
their  retreat.  They  crossed  the  Kiskiminetas 
near  the  site  of  Apollo,  and  distanced  the  pur- 
suit of  the  whites.  They  took  about  twenty 
prisoners,  and  killed  over  one  hundred  head  of 
cattle,  with  a  loss  of  only  two  warriors,  who 
were  shot  at  Hannastowu.  The  Indians  traded 
their  scalps  and  prisoners  to  the  British  in  Can- 

1  ada.  The  prisoners  were  afterwards  exchanged 
and  returned  to  ^\'estmoreland   county. 

Among  those  who  helped  defend  the  Hannas- 
towu stockade  was  Captain  Clark,  the  grand- 
father of  Judge  Clark,  of  Indiana. 

Hannastowu,  where  the  first  English  court  of 
justice  was  established  west   of    the  Allegheny 

j  mountains,  made  the  first  protest  against  Brit- 
ish tyranny,  and  was  really  the  last  battle-field 
of  the  Revolution. 

Harmar's  Defeat.— From  1782  to  1784  the 
settlers  west  of  Chestnut  ridge,  in  AVestmore- 
laud  county,  planted  no  crops  and  were  gathered 
into  the  frontier  forts  and  block-houses.  From 
1784  to  1790  was  a  period  of  peace  in  West- 
moreland, and  many  settlers  came  into  the 
county.  In  1790  Gen.  Harmar  collected  one 
thousajid  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  militia, 
and  marched  from  the  site  of  Cincinnati  toward 
Miami  to  punish  the  Indians  for  their  continued 
depredations  in  Ohio.  In  October  he  was  at- 
tacketl  and  badly  defeated,  with  a  loss  of  two 
hundred  men  and  half  his  horses.     One  of  his 

I  bravest  officers  was  Col.  Christopher  Truby,  of 
Greensburg. 

St.  Clair's  Defeat. — The  next  year  Gen.  St. 
Clair  set  out  with  two  thousand  men  to  retrieve 


42 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


Harmar's  failure,  but  at  the  battle  of  the 
Wabash,  ou  November  4,  1791,  he  suffered  a 
terrible  defeat  at  the  hands  of  the  Indians,  by 
which  he  lost  over  seven  hundred  men  and  his 
artillery.  One  company  of  Westmoreland  mi- 
litia was  in  his  army  and  fought  very  creditably 
in  this  disastrous  battle. 

Last  Indian  Troubles. — The  success  of  the 
Indians  in  Ohio  emboldened  the  tribes  along  the 
Allegheny  river,  and  the  northern  part  of 
Westmoreland  and  Indiana  and  Armstrang 
counties  were  frequently  raided  by  war  parties 
from  1790  to  1795.  During  this  period  ranger 
and  militia  companies  were  stationed  at  the 
forts  and  block-houses  throughout  these  counties. 
In  1792  a  party  of  Cornplanter  Indians  came 
into  Derry  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
where  they  killed  Mrs.  Mitchell  and  took  her 
son  Charles  prisoner.  In  the  same  year  they 
captured  Massy  Harbison,  whose  captivity  and 
sufferings  have  so  often  been  related  in  the  his- 
tories of  the  frontier. 

Wayne's  victory  at  the  battle  of  the  Fallen 
Timbers  forever  broke  the  Indian  powerand  gave 
peace  to  the  frontier  of  western  Pennsylvania. 

Pioneer  Settlements. — Indiana  county  had 
been  explored  in  1766  and  in  1769  a  settle- 
ment was  made  at  the  juncture  of  Conemaugh 
river  and  Black  Lick  creek.  Among  the  first 
settlers  were  Fergus,  Samuel  and  Joseph  Moore- 
head  and  James  Kelly,  who  commenced  im- 
provements near  the  town  of  Indiana  in  1772. 
The  early  settlers  were  principally  Scotch-Irish 
of  Presbyterian  fiith  and  came  from  AVest- 
luoreland   county  and  the  Cumberland  Valley. 

The  early  pioneers  of  Arm.strong  were  prin- 
cipally Scotch-Irisi)  and  (Tcrman  and  came  from 
the  same  counties  of  Pennsylvania  as  the  early 
settlers  of  Indiana  county.  Thrifty,  moral  and 
economical,  they  soon  cleared  out  large  farms 
and  formed  settlements  which  within  the  course 
of  a  couple  of  generations  became  populous 
and  wealthy. 

These  counties  possess  an  interesting  history 


which  will  be  given  in  the  sketch  of  each 
county.  Settled  by  the  Backwoodsmen  of  the 
Alleghanies,  their  early  settlers  were  prominent 
in  the  Indian  wars  of  the  Colonies  and  the 
early  years  of  the  Republic,  while  their  de- 
scendants fought  well  in  the  war  of  1812  and 
the  Mexican  war  and  made  an  enviable  record 
for  devotion  to  the  Union  and  bravery  in  battle 
during  the  late  civil  war.  The  pioneer  stock 
of  the  "  Great  AVest,"  for  over  three-quarters  of 
a  century,  has  drawn  largely  of  its  numbers 
from  the  green  hills  and  pleasant  valleys  of 
Indiana  and  Armstrong,  and  thousands  of 
loving  hearts  throughout  this  great  rejiublic 
cherish  them  fondly  as  the  land  of  their  birth 
and  the  home  of  their  fathers. 

The  growth  and  development  of  these  coun- 
ties have  been  slow  but  steady  and  sure.  The 
record  of  their  progress  shows  that  they  stand 
in  the  front  rank  of  the  counties  of  western 
Pennsylvania — a  rank  which  they  are  justly 
entitled  to  by  their  immense  material  resources  ; 
by  their  educational  advantages  ;  by  their  re- 
ligious standing,  and  by  an  intelligent  press, 
wielding  a  potent  influence  for  the  public  weal 
and  contributing  to  the  high  moral  character 
which  these  counties  have  abroad  for  peace  and 
good  order. 

Their  Future. — In  all  the  features  which  dis- 
tinguish a  prosj)erous  and  progressive  country 
as  connected  with  religion,  morality,  benevo- 
lence, industry  and  education,  Indiana  and 
Armstrong  are  behind  no  counties  of  their  size 
in  the  Union. 

Their  vast  resources — iron,  coal,  limestone, 
timber,  soil  and  climate — have  only  been  brought 
to  public  notice  within  the  last  decade.  Their 
great  mineral  wealth,  from  present  indications, 
will  be  developed  in  a  sound  and  business-like 
manner,  and  the  new  era  which  is  just  dawning 
will  lead  to  the  establishment  of  numerous  and 
varied  manufacturing  industries,  which  in 
time,  will  make  these  counties  one  of  the  im- 
portant and  favored   manufacturing  regions  of 


INDIANA  AND  ARMSTRONG  COUNTIES. 


43 


the  United  States.     This  development  will  not 
be  confined  to  manufactures  alone,  but  will  pre-  j 
vail    in    agriculture,    commerce   and    railroad 
building,  for  these  counties  are  but  in  tlie  infancy 
of  a  long  career  of  future  prosperity. 

In  the  vote  on  prohibition,  in  1889,  Indiana 
gave  a  majority  for  prohibition,  and  Armstrong, 
in  a  vote  of  over  seven  thousand,  only  recorded  ' 
a  majority  of  a  little  over  one  hundred  against 
it.  In  the  Whiskey  Insurrection  of  171)1-95, 
when  all  western  Pennsylvania  was  more  or  less 
engaged  in  that  uprising,  we  can  find  no  instance 
of  any  of  the  citizens  of  Indiana  or  Armstrong 
counties  participating  in  any  of  the  proceedings 
of  the  insurgents.  When  the  United  States 
army,  that  was  sent  out  to  repress  it,  arrived  in 
the  rebellious  region,  there  were  no  ti'oops  sta- 
tioned in  either  of  these  counties. 

The  ^yhiskey  Insurrection  was  the  first  re- 
bellion against  the  United  States.  It  was  con- 
fined to  Fayette,  Washington  and  Allegheny 
counties,  Pa.,  and  Monongalia  and  Ohio  coun- 
ties, Va.  (now  West  Virginia).  As  early  as 
1785,  Graham,  the  excise  collector  for  West- 
moreland county,  was  driven  out  of  Greensburg, 
and  in  June,  1794,  John  Wells,  who  was  serv- 
ing in  the  same  capacity,  was  captured  and 
escorted  beyond  the  county  line.  William 
Findley  and  many  other  citizens  were  promi- 
nent in  this  insurrection,  that  died  for  want  of 
military  leaders.  Its  undeveloped  elements  of 
strength  were  such  that  Alexander  Hamilton 
said  that  it  endangered  the  foundations  of  the 
newly  established  republic,  and  that  Washing- 
ton purposed  leading  in  person  again.st  it  an 
army  of  fifteen  thousand  men,  whose  divisions 
were  commanded  by  his  ablest  generals  of  the 
Revolutionary  war.  On  October  22,  1794,  a 
meeting  was  held  at  Greensburg,  and  resolu- 
tions were  passed  by  the  citizens  present  to 
yield  obedience  to  the  laws  of  the  country.  The 
insurgents  dispersed  before  the  United  States 
army  arrived,  and  all  of  the  guilty  participants 
were  eventually  pardoned  by  the  government. 


Western  Pennsylvania  was  specially  adapted 
to  the  production  of  grain,  and  there  was  at 
that  time  (1791)  nothing  produced  which  was 
marketable  but  ginseng,  beeswax,  snake-root 
and  whiskey.  It  is  true  that  some  trappers  on 
the  Laurel  Hill  could  get  something  for  wolf- 
scalps,  which  had  to  be  taken  over  the  moun- 
tains or  two  thousand  miles  down  the  rivei"S. 
Judge  Veacli  says  that  while  improved  land  in 
W  estmoreland  could  be  assessed  at  five  dollars 
per  acre,  and  in  Lancaster  at  fifty  dollars  per 
acre,  a  percentage  of  taxation  might  be  fair,  but 
a  ta.x  of  seven  cents  per  gallon  on  whiskey 
made  on  Chartiers  was  one-fourth  its  value, 
while  if  made  on  the  banks  of  the  Braudywine 
it  was  perhaps  less  than  one-eighth  its  value. 
William  Findley,  in  a  letter  to  Gov.  Mifflin,  in 
November,  1792,  says  plainly  that  the  injustice 
of  being  obliged  to  pay  as  much  excise  out  of 
two  shillings,  with  difficulty  procured,  as  other 
citizens  better  situated  have  to  pay  out  of  per- 
haj)s  three  times  that  sum,  much  easier  obtained, 
comes  home  to  tlie  understanding  of  those  who 
cannot  comprehend  theories. 

Under  the  confederation  the  appropriation  of 
Pennsylvania  for  the  allowance  to  the  army, 
under  an  act  of  Congress  of  1780,  remaining 
unpaid,  an  eifort  was  made  about  1785  to  col- 
lect some  of  the  fund  still  remaining  unpaid, 
out  of  her  excise  law  of  1772.  This  law  met 
with  great  opposition,  especially  west  of  the 
Alleghenies,  and  there  is  no  evidence  that  the 
excise  was  ever  paid  in  that  section.  The  ex- 
cise tax  not  being  collected,  gave  occasion  to 
the  eastern  part  of  the  State  to  grumble,  and  in 
June,  1785,  a  collector  by  the  name  of  Graham 
.  was  sent  out.  With  much  trouble  he  collected 
some  in  Fayette  county  and  a  little  in  West- 
moreland. 

This  State  law  was  repealed,  and  the  people 
scarcely  looked  for  it  again,  but  in  1791  Con- 
gress passed  a  law  levying  a  tax  of  four  pence 
per  gallon  on  all  distilled  .spirits.  The  mem- 
bers  of  western    Pennylvania — Smiley,    from 


44 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  INDIANA  AND  ASMSTEONG   COUNTIES. 


Fayette,  and    Findley,  from   Westmoreland —  ! 
stoutly  opposed  it.     This  tax  led  to  the  Whis- 
key Insurrection   that   has   been  so   much  dis- 
cussed and  is  so  little  understood. 

These  counties  are  wonderfully  blessed  with 
fuel  for  heating  and  manufacturing  purposes  in  i 
their  natural  gas  and  Connellsville  coking  coal. 

In  1865  the  soldier  was  lost  in  the  citizen, 
and  peace, the  "gladness-giving queen/'  reigned 
supreme  throughout  the  land.  After  the  war  ! 
the  people  of  Westmoreland  county,  very 
soon  turned  their  attention  largely  to  the  de- 
velojjment  of  their  immense  coal  beds  in  the 
Connellsville  coking  belt.  In  1873  the  South- 
west Pennsylvania  railroad  was  completed 
from  Greensburg  to  Scottdale,  and  from  that 
time  until  the  present  the  coke  industry  has 
increased  with  wonderful  rapidity.  The  num- 
ber of  coke  ovens  in  the  county  has  increased 
from  a  few  hundred  in  1873,  to  many  thou- 
sands in  1890.  These  ovens  produce  the  typi- 
cal coke  of  the  world,  and  now  are  beginning 
to  light  lip  at  night  the  valleys  of  Indiana 
county. 

The  natural  gas  wells  in  the  Murrysville  and  | 
Grapeville  districts,  in  Westmoreland  county, 
are  conceded  by  ge(jlogists  to  be  the  greatest  on 
the  globe.  These  wells  have  given  no  sign  of 
failure  for  over  ten  years,  and  supply  Pitts- 
burgh and  many  towns  over  thirty  miles  away. 


The  abundance  and  cheapness  of  this  gas  has 
bi'ought  steel,  iron  and  glass  works  to  the 
county,  and  has  increased  three-fold  Its  volume 
of  business.  It  has  led  to  a  buildiny;  boom  iu 
all  the  main  towns  of  that  county,  and  led  to 
the  founding  and  growth  of  Jeannette,  "the 
magical  city  of  glass,"  that  in  one  year  after 
being  laid  out  numbered  two  thousand  people. 
If  such  is  the  j)rosperity  of  the  southern  border 
at  the  present  time  of  Westmoreland  county, 
brought  about  by  the  use  of  natural  gas  as  a  fuel, 
we  need  not  lye  surprised,  when  the  wells  in  the 
last-named  two  counties  are  developed,  to  see 
them  increase  wonderfully  in  wealth  and  popu- 
lation. 

To  write  the  history  of  these  counties,  treat- 
ing of  the  living  as  well  as  the  dead,  is  a  deli- 
cate task.  To  write  this  history,  making  a 
faithful  presentation  of  facts,  may  not  render  it 
acceptable  to  the  extreme  euthusiastical,  too 
prone  to  over-exalt ;  or  the  over-critical,  too 
liable  to  under-estimate.  To  gather  a  large 
portion  of  the  events  of  this  history,  from  scant 
records  and  imperfect  sources — is  an  undertak- 
ing of  no  small  degree.  While  it  unavoidably 
possesses  considerable  to  make  it  a  wearisome 
task,  it  also  necessarily  contains  much  to  I'cnder 
it  a  work  of  pleasure  to  some  citizen  of  these 
counties,  either  of  which  possesses  men  compe- 
tent to  perform  such  a  work. 


%:xxxixxixxxz!:ixxizxxixxxixxxxxxxxzxxxxxzxizxxxzzzzzzzxzxxzxxzxzi»i3f 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 


OF 


INDIANA    COUNTY. 


Boundaries  and  area — Geology — Surface  features — In- 
dians— Conrad  Weiser — Armstrong's  march — The 
Purchase  line — Early  seltlements — -Frontier  forts — 
Old  Frankstown  road — County  formation — Salt  wells 
— Pennsylvania  canal — Underground  railroad — Mail- 
roads —  Great  Civil  war — Progress  and  material  de- 
velopment—  The  press,  education,  churches  and  banks 
—  The  bar  and  medical  profession — Political  history — 
Census  statistics — County  officials — Miscellaneous. 

INDIANA  COUNTY,  Pennsylvauia,  lies 
-■-  between  forty  degrees  twenty-three  min- 
utes and  forty  degrees  fifty-six  minutes 
nortli  latitude ;  and  seventy-eight  degrees  forty- 
nine  minutes  and  seventy-nine  degrees  fourteen 
minutes  west  longitude  from  Greenwich,  or  be- 
tween one  degree  forty-nine  minutes  and  twenty 
degrees  fourteen  minutes  west  longitude  from 
Washington  C'ily.  As  a  political  division  of  the 
State  it  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Jefferson 
county  ;  on  the  east  by  Clearfield  and  Cambria 
counties ;  on  the  south  by  Westmoreland  coun- 
ty, from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Cone- 
maugh  river,  and  on  the  west  by  Armstrong 
county.  Indiana  county  occupies  the  centre  of 
western  Pennsylvauia  and  its  bituminous  coal 
fields.      The    western    boundary    line    has    a 


straight  course  from  the  Conemnugh  river 
northeast  twenty  miles;  aud  thence  due  north 
nine  miles  to  the  Jefferson  county  line.  The 
northern  boundary  line  runs  due  east  twenty- 
one  and  a  quarter  miles  to  a  point  from  which 
the  eastern  boundary  line  starts  and  runs  due 
south  thirteen  miles  to  Cherry  Tree  corner ; 
thence  south  fifteen  degrees  west  twenty-three 
miles  to  the  Coneraaugh  river,  which  makes  the 
southern  boundary  from  the  centre  of  the  gap 
through  Laurel  Hill  range  to  Salina  post-office, 
a  distance  of  twenty-eight  miles  in  a  straight 
line.  Indiana  county  has  a  computed  area  of 
828  square  miles,  or  529,920  acres.  Its  geo- 
graphical centre  aud  centre  of  population  are 
supposed  to  be  not  very  far  apart,  and  both  but 
a  short  distance  from  the  county-seat. 

That  pai't  of  the  present  territory  of  Indiana 
county,  south  of  the  purchase  line,  was  a  part 
of  the  following  counties  for  the  respective 
times  specified  : 

Chester,  from  1682  to  May  10,  1729. 

Lancaster,  May  10,  1729,  to  Jau.  27,  1750. 

Cumberland,  Jan.  27,  1750,  to  March  9, 
1771. 

46 


46 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


Bedforfl,  March  9,  1771,  to  Feb.  26,  1773. 

Westmoreland,  Feb.  26,  1773,  to  March  30, 
1803. 

That  part  of  ludiana  county  which  is  north 
of  the  purchase  line  was  a  part  of  the  general 
unorganized  territory  of  Peiinsylvania  until 
1784,  when  the  Indian  title  to  it  was  extin- 
guished by  treaty  and  it  became  a  part  of 
Northumberland  county,  and  remained  as  such 
until  April  13,  1796,  when  it  was  included  in 
the  county  of  Lycoming,  which  was  that  day 
formed  from  a  part  of  Northumberland.  It 
remained  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Lycoming 
county  until  March  30,  1803,  when  it  became 
a  part  of  the  then  created  county  of  Indiana. 

Geology. — Prof.  Leslie,  in  the  second  geo- 
logical survey  of  Pennsylvania,  describes  the 
geological  structure  of  Indiana  county  as  fol- 
lows :  "  With  the  exception  of  five  spots  in  as 
many  gaps,  and  four  other  spots  on  the  anti- 
clinal axes,  the  whole  surface  of  the  county  is 
occupied  by  the  coal  measures.  The  southeast 
county  corner  is  in  the  bed  of  the  Conemaugh 
river  in  the  centre  of  the  Johnstown  gap  through 
Laurel  Hill,  where  XII,  XI,  X,  and  perhaps  j 
a  little  Catskill  IX  arch  over  each  other.  The  ; 
northeast  corner  is  on  the  crest  of  the  continu- 
ation of  the  Chestnut  Hill  arch,  in  the  midst  of 
a  wilderness  elevated  2000  feet  above  tide. 
The  east  line  of  the  county  therefore  crosses 
diagonally  the  Ligonier  valley  coal  basin, 
which,  however,  is  divided  into  two  sub-basins 
by  a  low  anticlinal  arch  running  through  Nolo 
P.  O.  and  Kimball  P.  O.,  bringing  up  the  con- 
glomerate (XII)  on  Yellow  creek,  at  Strongs- 
town.  Both  sub-basins  are  so  deep  that  they 
are  filled  with  the  Barren  measures,  but  the 
Productive  coal-beds  crop  out  along  the  valleys 
which  follow  or  cross  the  anticlinals,  and  an 
irregular  belt  of  them,  two  or  three  miles  wide, 
follows  the  great  Chestnut  ridge  axis  from 
Blairsville  to  the  Jefterson -Clearfield  county 
corner.  This  belt  widens  to  five  miles  on  the 
Conemaugh,  and  in  the  district  of  the  south 


[  branch  of  Little  Mahoning  creek,  around  Rob- 

!  ertsville,  Smethport  corners  and  the  heads  of 
Bear  run,  where  coal  out-crops  are  abundant. 

"At  the  first  great  bend  below  Blairsville  the 
'Indiana  anticlinal' arch  crosses  the  Kiskimi— 
netas  river  and  runs  in  a  wonderfully  straight 

I  line  past  Indiana  (one  mile  east  of  the  town) 
and  Kintersburg  on  the  Jeiferson  line  at  the 
northeast  corner  of  Canoe  township.  The  basin 
between  this  axis  and  that  of  Chestnut  ridge, 
drained  by  Two  Lick  and  Black  Lick  runs,  is 
only  deep  enough  to  hold  the  Productive  coals, 

■  with  some  areas  of  Barren  measures  in  its  hill- 
tops ;  but  going  south  the  Barren  measures  take 
possession  of  the  whole  surface  west  of  the  Two 
Lick,  and  then  invade  the  whole  basin  from 
Homer  (Phillips'  mills)  southward.  In  the 
east  end  of  Black  Lick  township  the  basin  gets 
deep  enough  to  take  the  Pittsburgh  coal-bed  into 
its  hill-tops,  and  in  Burrell  township  the  hills 
north  and  east  of  Blairsville  hold  this  bed  (un- 
der a  cover  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  of  upper 
measures)  running  about  six  feet  thick,  and  not 
very  good,  and  lying  about  200  feet  above  the 
river.  At  the  second  bend  above  Saltsburg  the 
'  Saltsburg  anticlinal '  arch  crosses  the  river 
and  runs  on  straight  to  the  southwest  corner  of 
East  Mahoning  township,  where  it  flattens  out 
and  is  lost;  but  here,  on  a  line  four  miles  fur- 
ther west,  the  '  Perryville  anticlinal '  arch 
stands  and  runs  on  into  Jefferson  county,  at  the 
northeast  corner  of  West  Mahoning  township. 
The  Saltsburg  axis  crosses  McKee's  riui  near 
the  mill,  and  exposes  the  Freeport  Upper  coal- 
bed  (E),  but  all  the  others  are  underground,  and 
the  surface  of  the  whole  country  is  occupied  by 
the  Barren  measures.  Bed  E  is  also  brought 
to  the  surface  in  the  bed  of  the  Little  Mahon- 
ing by  the  Perryville  axis.  The  basin  west  of 
the  Indiana  axis,  and  between  it  and  the  Salts- 
burg and  Perryville  axes,  is  nowhere  deep 
enough  to  allow  the  Pittsburgh  bed  to  be  jjre- 
served  in  any  of  its  hill-tops.  But  west  of  the 
Saltsburg  axis  all  the  higher  lands  of  Young 


INDIANA  COUNTY. 


47 


aud  Conemaugh  townships  between  the  sti'eams 
whicli  enter  Black  Leg  creek  from  Armstrong 
county  contain  the  Pittsburgii  bed,  ten  feet 
thick,  with  its  regular  upper  bench  and  main 
clay  parting,  as  in  the  Monongahela  river  coun- 
try. The  highest  geological  ground  in  the 
county  is  in  Elder's  ridge,  four  miles  northeast 
of  Coalport,  where  200  feet  of  measures,  capped 
by  the  great  limestone,  and  containing  the  Se- 
wickley  coal  and  limestone,  the  Redstone  coal 
and  the  Pittsburgh  Upper  sandstone  overlie  the 
Pittsburgh  coal-be<l.  On  Harper's  run  217 
feet  of  Barren  measures  may  be  seen  beneath 
the  Pittsburgh  coal-bed,  containing  thin  fossil- 
iferous  limestone  beds,  olive  and  red  shales,  and 
the  ]\Iorgaotown  sandstone  (fifty  feet  thick), 
the  massive  upper  fifteen  feet  member  of  which 
makes  the  picturesque  cliff  scenery  of  this  quar- 
ter of  the  county.  The  Barren  measures  in 
Indiana  county  may  be  called  GOO  feet  thick. 
Nowhere  in  the  Ligonier  basin  has  more  than 
the  lower  400  feet  been  preserved.  Seven  or 
eight  coal-beds  exist  in  the  Barren  measures, 
but  no  reliance  can  be  placed  on  any  of  them, 
although  one  or  another  may  be  fouud  in  a  good 
condition  (three  or  four  feet  thick)  in  some  re- 
stricted locality,  like  Painter's  coal,  at  Nineveh, 
and  the  Philson  coal,  at  Armagh.  The  beds 
seem  to  be  pretty  persistent  throughout  the 
region,  but  running  only  oue  or  two  feet  thick. 
The  Green  Crinoidal  limestone  and  the  Black 
Fossiliferous  limestone  of  the  Barren  measures 
are  of  not  much  economic  importance,  but  have 
great  geological  value  as  bases  of  measurement 
down  to  the  Productive  coal  beds.  Limestone 
is  very  abundant  in  the  county,  and  the  beds 
very  numerous.  Besides  the  two  above-men- 
tioned there  are  three  others  iu  the  Barren 
measures  and  six  in  the  Productive  coal  series, 
of  which  the  Freeport  Upper  limestone  is  10 
feet  thick  in  several  parts  of  the  county;  the 
Freeport  Lower,  6  feet  on  Two  Lick ;  the 
Johnstown  Cement  bed  (under  coal  D)  varies 
from  2  to  16  feet,  and  is  15  feet  in  Black  Lick 


gap ;  but  the  Ferriferous  Limestone,  which  is 
the  great  key  rock  of  all  the  more  western  and 
northern  counties,  fades  away  to  nothing  at  the 
Indiana  anticlinal,  aud  is  nowhere  to  be  found 
to  the  eastward  of  that  line. 

"  The  coal-beds  of  the  county  will  in  future 
years  be  mined  mostly  by  shafts.  The  upper- 
most oue  of  the  series  (Freeport  Upper  coal  E) 
is  150  feet  beneath  the  Conemauirh  river  at 
New  Florence,  and  600  feet  at  Blairsville;  400 
feet  underground  beneath  the  turnpike  between 
Armagh  and  Ling's,  and  so  on  elsewhere ; 
where  it  comes  to  the  surface  it  is  a  fine  bed 
from  8|  to  6  feet  thick  ;  at  Griffith's  and  other 
mines  on  Yellow  creek,  7  feet ;  at  Agey's  and 
St.  Clair's,  on  Two  Lick,  7  feet  3  inches;  on 
McKee's  run,  7  feet  4  inches.  The  Freeport 
Lower  coal  (D)  gets  up  to  4J  feet  on  Little 
Yellow  creek,  and  oh  feet  in  the  German  settle- 
ment. The  middle  coal  is  3  feet  (C  feet) ;  the 
lower  coal  (C)  small,  but  is  4  feet  at  McFar- 
laiid's,  at  Greenville.  The  Clarion  coal  (B)  is 
a  noble  bed,  ranging  widely,  as  4  to  8  feet 
thick,  over  a  valuable  fire-clay;  but  the  famous 
fire-clay  l»d  of  Bolivar  is  under  the  Brook- 
ville  coal  (A).  There  seems  to  be  very  little 
workable  iron  ore  in  the  county.  No  evidence 
of  the  existence  of  productive  oil  sands  has 
been  obtained ;  most  of  the  wells  bored  have 
been  too  short  to  reach  the  Venango  oil  rocks, 
much  less  the  Warreu  and  Bradford  horizons. 
Of  the  natural  gas  springs,  that  of  '  Burning 
spring,'  in  Deep  Hollow,  two  miles  below 
Blairsville,  is  best  known,  but  it  comes  from 
the  Mahoning  sandstone,  which  yields  oil  and 
gas  on  Dunkard  creek,  in  Greene  county." 

Prof  W.  G.  Piatt,  in  his  report  of  progress  in 
Indiana  county  in  1878,  says  :  "  The  geological 
structure  of  the  district  is  one  of  extreme  sim- 
plicity. Briefly  stated,  it  consists  of  a  series  of 
seven  anticlinal  aud  six  cyuclinal  folds  of  the 
strata,  or  broad  rock  waves,  the  crest  of  lines 
which  run  nearly  parallel  to  each  other  across  the 
map  in  a  northeast-southwest  direction  through  the 


48 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


county.  Tlie  rocks  therefore  dip  northwest  and 
southeast,  except  in  places  where  the  antielinals 
and  synclinals  are  sufficiently  tilted  along  their 
central  line  to  effect  the  normal  incline  of  the 
strata.  If  then  we  start  in  the  extreme  south- 
east corner  of  the  county,  say  about  a  mile 
above  the  old  Conemaugh  furnace,  and  proceed 
in  a  straight  line  northwest  to  where  the  Jeffer- 
son and  Armstrong  county  lines  join  in  the 
northwest  corner  of  West  Mahoning  township, 
we  shall  cross  the  following  anticlinal  and  syn- 
clinal axes : 

"The  Laurel  Hill  Anticlinal.    (First  Axia  of  the  old 

Survey.) 
The  Centreville  Synclinal.         "^ 
The  Nolo  Anticlinal.  V  Ligonier  Basin. 

The  Mechanicsburg  Synclinal,  j 
The  Chestnut  Ridge  Anticlinal.   (Second  Axis  of  the 

old  Survey.) 
The  Blairsville  Synclinal. 
The   Indiana  Anticlinal.     (Third   Axis   of   the   old 

Survey.) 
The  Marion-Fillmore  Synclinal. 
The  Saltsburg  Anticlinal.  1 

The  West  Lebanon  Synclinal.  I  Westmoreland  gas- 
The  Perryville  Anticlinal.  [      coal  basin. 

The  Smicksburg  Synclinal.        j 
The  Roaring  run-Port  Barnet  Anticlinal.    (Fourth 

Axis.) 

"  Excepting-  the  small  patches  of  Upper  Pro- 
ductive Measures  at  Blairsville  and  Saltsburg,  the 
Lower  Productive  group  are  the  only  rocks  that 
can  be  depended  upon  for  coal  in  Indiana 
county  ;  and  by  reference  to  the  geological  map 
it  will  be  seen  at  a  glance  that  west  of  Chestnut 
ridge  these  measures  are  chiefly  below  the 
present  water-line  of  the  streams.  The}'  there- 
fore underlie  the  whole  of  the  western  uplands, 
and  to  reach  them  at  many  points  would  require 
deep  shafts,  but  fortunately  for  this  part  of  the 
county  such  a  necessity  is  avoided  by  sufficient 
coal  having  been  raised  at  a  few  localities  above 
water-level  for  a  short  distance  by  the  anticlinal 
axes.  Cheap  fuel,  therefore,  while  not  every- 
where obtainable  in  the  western  townships,  is 
easily  accessible  from  almost  any  point. 


"  In  the  Ligonier  Basin  (east  of  Chestnut 
ridge)  the  greater  part  of  the  area  is  occupied 
by  Lower  Productive  rocks,  and  coal  therefore 
abounds  in  that  section  in  prodigious  cjuantities. 
Many  hillsides  contain  for  a  long  distance  the 
entire  Lower  Productive  group  with  all  its  en- 
closed coal-beds,  lime-stones,  etc.  Some  day 
these  vast  stores  of  fuel  will  be  needed  for  the 
arts  and  manufactures. 

"  The  amount  of  available  lime-stone  in  the 
county  is  no  less  great  than  the  coal,  while  its 
distribution  is  wider  and  much  more  even,  for 
layers  of  this  valuable  rock  are  intercalated  not 
only  in  the  Lower  Productive  group,  but  in  the 
Barren  series  as  well. 

"  The  fire  clays,  although  existing  in  great 
abundance  in  all  parts  of  the  county,  have  as 
yet  been  developed  only  along  the  lines  of  rail- 
road communication.  At  these  points  the  clays 
worked  are  of  excellent  quality,  the  bricks  and 
retorts  made  from  them  being  well  and  favor- 
ably known, 

"  The  compact  and  heavy  bedded  sand-stones 
prevailing  in  some  parts  of  the  county  furnish 
building  material  almost  without  limit. 

"  The  iron  ores  of  the  county  have  never 
been  systematically  investigated." 

And  while  Prof.  Piatt  seemed  to  think  there 
were  not  workable  beds  of  iron  ore,  yet  some  of 
the  leading  citizens  are  of  a  different  opinion, 
and  discoveries  of  very  rich  iron  ore  deposits  in 
the  county  have  been  recently  reported.  Some 
coal  veins,  also,  have  been  opened  who.se  exist- 
ence was  not  stated  in  the  State  geological  report. 

Surface  Features. — "  In  the  eastern  part  of 
the  district  the  topography  is  easily  separable 
into  a  succession  of  high  anticlinal  ridges  sepa- 
rated by  shallow  synclinal  valleys,  out  of  which 
have  been  scoured,  generally  at  right  angles  to 
the  strike  of  the  rocks,  a  number  of  ravines 
and  deep,  narrow  valleys.  West  of  Chestnut 
Ridge  the  country  is  more  in  the  nature  of  a 
high  rolling  table-laud. 

"  The  increase  in  the  general  elevation  of  the 


INDIANA  COUNTY. 


49 


surface  from  south  to  north  is  very  gradual. 
The  country  is  of  course  very  much  broken  and 
diversified  by  small  hills  and  valleys;  but  the 
topography  nevertheless  presents  in  substance 
one  bi'oad  incline  plane  tilted  gently  towards  the 
southwest. 

"The  country  maybe  divided  by  tlie  main 
arteries  of  its  drainage  system  into  four  parts  : 
The  first  comprehending  the  Conemaugh  river 
with  its  intricate  system  of  tributary  streams  ; 
the  second,  Crooked  creek  draining  a  central 
zone ;  the  third,  the  Mahouings  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  district;  and  the  fourtii,  the  affluents 
of  the  Susquehanna. 

"  Generally  speaking,  the  surface  of  Indiana 
county  requires  only  intelligent  cultivation  to 
yield  abundant  and  profitable  returns. 

"  A  few  kinds  of  wood  make  up  the  bulk  of 
the  forests.  These  leading  varieties  may  be 
enumerated  in  the  order  of  their  extent  as  fol- 
lows :  white  oak,  pine,  hemlock,  chestnut,  pop- 
lar, hickory,  ash,  beech,  rock  oak  (sometimes 
called  chestnut  oak),  wild  cherry,  black  walnut, 
sugar  maple  and  locust." 

Indians. — Of  the  aboriginal  inhabitants, 
mention  has  been  made  on  page  17  of  the 
Mound-builders,  and  it  remains  to  notice  the 
Indian  occupants  of  the  territory  of  the  county. 
They  were  the  Delawares  and  Siiawanees,  and 
their  occupation  was  principally  for  the  purpose 
of  hunting.  Tliey  had  a  few  villages  whose  sites 
are  unknown  to-day,  and  their  war-paths  or 
trails  were  the  Kittanuing  trail,  over  whicii 
Colonel  Armstrong  passed,  and  a  trail  intersect- 
ing the  great  "  Catawba  War-path,"  which 
passed  tiirough  Westmoreland  county  from 
South  Carolina  to  New  York.  Besides  this, 
they  had  several  minor  trails  which  cannot  be 
traced  from  the  information  at  our  command. 
The  Delawares  and  Shawanees  had  all  left  the 
county  by  1770  to  locate  in  Ohio.  Jonathan 
Row  and  Richard  B.  McCabe  rescued  much  of 
what  little  information  exists  at  the  present  time 
concerning  the  Indians  of  this  county. 
4 


Conrad  Weiser. — Probably  the  first  white 
man  that  ever  was  on  the  soil  of  Indiana  coun- 
ty was  Conrad  Weiser,  who,  in  his  mission  to 
Logstown,  in  1748,  passed  down  the  Cone- 
maugh river. 

Armstrong's  march. — In  his  march  against 
Kittanning,  in  1756,  Colonel  Armstrong  camped 
on  September  7th  at  the  "  Forks  of  the  Kit- 
tanning  and  Shenango  trails,"  in  what  is  now 
Green  township,  and  the  next  night,  it  is  said, 
he  halted  his  force  at  a  spring  just  south  of  the 
present  county-.seat.  The  next  day  he  passed 
out  of  the  county  over  the  site  of  Shelocta. 

The  Purchase  Line. — On  November  5,  17G8, 
a  treaty  was  made  with  the  Indians  at  Ft. 
Stanwix,  New  York,  by  which  the  Six  Nations 
ceded  all  the  land  w'ithin  a  boundary  extending 
from  the  New  York  line,  on  the  Susquehanna, 
and  up  the  west  branch  of  that  river  to  a 
cherry  tree  that  once  stood  close  to  the  site  of 
the  present  town  of  Cherry  Tree,  and  then  to 
Kittanning,  and  thence  down  the  Ohio.  It  is 
said  that  those  who  established  the  line  was  to 
run  up  the  west  branch  of  the  Susquehanna  as 
far  as  a  canoe  could  go.  This  point  was  where 
a  cherry  tree  stood,  which  was  a  perch  above 
the  island,  near  the  town  of  Cherry  Tree, 
the  spot  has  since  been  known  as  "Canoe 
Place." 

Early  Settlements. — As  early  as  1766  white 
explorers  had  come  into  the  territory  of  Indiana 
county  and  found  the  country  clear  of  timber 
or  brush.  It  was  a  prairie,  in  fact,  being 
clothed  in  high  grass.  The  first  settlement  was 
in  1768,  in  the  forks  of  the  Conemaugh  and 
Black  Lick.  About  this  time  George  Findley 
settled  in  what  is  now  East  Wiieatfield  town- 
ship, and  was  said  to  have  been  the  first  settler 
in  the  county.  William  Clark,  William  Bracken 
and  Alatthew  Dill  settled  near  him  and  soon 
afterward  came  Robert  Rogers,  John  Bolar, 
George  Farmer,  Daniel  McClentock,  David 
Wakefield,  F.  Pershing,  Jr.,  John  Elder  and 
others.     In   1769  William  Evans  was  on  Two 


50 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


Lick  creek ;  Francis  Waddel  and  George  Pum- 
roy,  Sr.  (at  Long  Bottom)  on  Black  Lick  creek  ; 
and  Michael  Worley,  Samuel  Waddel  and 
Thomas  Jameson  were  near  the  Conemaugh. 

In  1772  Fergus,  Samuel  and  Joseph  Moor- 
head  and  James  Kelley  commenced  improve- 
ments near  Indiana,  and  Fergus  Moorhead  was 
one  of  the  first,  if  not  the  first,  settler  iu  the 
county.  Moses  Chambers,  who  had  served  on 
an  English  war  vessel,  was  another  early  settler 
near  Indiana.  In  1773  ^Yilliam  Bracken  built 
a  grist-mill  on  Black  Lick,  and  neat  him  set- 
tled John  Stewart,  Joseph  McCartney,  John 
Evans,  Thomas  Barr  and  John  Hustin. 

On  Crooked  creek  located  Andrew  Sharp, 
who  was  killed  by  the  Indians  in  1794,  Jacob 
Anthonv,  James  McCreight,  John  Patison, 
David  Peelor,  Israel  Thomas  and  Benjamin 
Walker.  Philip  Altman,  Jacob  Bricker, 
Charles  Campbell,  Archey  Coleman,  William 
Clark,  Samuel  Dixon,  Jonathan  Doty,  James 
Ewing,  Peter  Fair,  James  Ferguson,  William 
Graham,  the  Hices,  John  Harrold,  Robert  Lig- 
got,  William  Loughry,  George  Mabon,  Samuel 
McCartney,  James  ISIcComb,  John  McCrea, 
James  ^McDonald,  Patrick  McGee,  John  Neal, 
David  Reed,  Daniel  Repine,  George  Repine, 
Alexander  Rhea,  William  Robertson,  John 
Shields,  Hugh  St.  Clair,  Malachia  Sutton  and  i 
Ephraim  Wallace. 

In  early  days  the  northern  part  of  the  county 
was  called  "the  Mahoning  country,"  and  was 
settled  at  a  more  recent  date.  Among  the  early 
settlers  were  the  Bradys,  the  Thompsons,  Hugh 
Cannon,  R.  Robert  Hamilton,  John  Jamison, 
John  Leasure,  Joshua  Lewis,  William  McCall,  , 
William  McCrery,  John  Park,  the  Pierces  and 
William  Work.  In  addition  to  those  named, 
among  the  early  settlers,  in  the  central  portion  of 
the  county,  were  Blaney  Adair,  Gawin  Adam.s, 
John  Agey,  Andrew  Allison,  Thomas  Allison, 
Thomas  Burns,  Andrew  Dixon,  Daniel  Elgin, 
William  I^owry,  Patrick  Lydick,  John  Lytle, 
Thomas    McCrea,   Daniel    McKisson,    James 


Mitchell,  Robert  Pilson,  Conrad  Rice,  James 
Simpson,  William  Smith,  Christopher  Stuchal, 
Alexander  Taylor,  John  Thomp.sou,  George 
Trimble,  Thomas  Wilkins  and  John  Wilson. 

Frontier  forts. — Richard  Wallace,  in  1765, 
erected  "  Wallace's  Fort "  somewhere  in  the 
southern  or  southeastern  part  of  the  county, 
about  six  miles  from  New  Derry,  in  Westmore- 
land county,  but  in  the  accounts  of  this  fort 
which  are  accessible  at  this  writing,  its  location 
is  not  given.  Two  Indian  attacks  Mere  pro- 
jected against  this  fort.  In  the  first  one  over  a 
hundred  Indians  invested  the  log:  stockade. 
Major  James  Wilson  (grandfather  of  the  late 
Wilson  Knott,  of  Blairsville),  with  forty  men 
from  "  Barr's  Fort,"  relieved  the  besieged  gar- 
rison. In  1783  an  Indian  half-breed,  serving 
as  an  English  officer,  led  a  body  of  Indians 
against  the  fort,  but  while  displaying  a  white 
flag  was  shot,  and  his  followers  hastily  beat  a 
retreat.  Richard  Wallace  was  captured  by  the 
Indians  and  carried  to  Canada,  where  he  soon 
escaped. 

On  a  map  of  Indiana  county,  given  by  Cald- 
well, he  locates  an  old  fort  near  Indiana,  a 
block-house  near  CHambersville,  and  marks  the 
sites  of  forts,  block-houses,  stations  or  fortified 
houses  near  Indiana,  Saltsburg,  Newport,  Cen- 
terville,  Strongtown,  Elder's  Ridge,  Homer 
City,  Tannery  P.  O.,  Jacksonville,  Crete  P.  O., 
and  Lewisville. 

Several  of  the  early  settlers  were  captured 
and  killed  by  Indians,  and  the  county  has  an 
interesting  Indian  history,  if  it  were  carefully 
collected  and  then  put  in  proper  shape,  which, 
however,  would  require  several  years'  work, 
to  secure  accuracy. 

Old  Frankstoum  Road. — The  first  road  west 
of  the  Alleghenies  was  the  old  Braddock  road 
from  Cumberland  to  Ft.  Pitt.  The  second  road 
was  the  Forbes  military  road,  which  passed  just 
south  of  Indiana  county.  The  first  main  road 
in  the  county  was  the  "  Old  Frankstown  Road," 
which   was  surveyed  in   1787  and  established 


TNDIANA   COUNTY. 


51 


"  between  the  navigable  waters  of  the  Franks- 
town  branch  of  the  river  Juniata  and  the  river 
Coneinaugh."  Its  course  was  somewiiat 
changed  in  1800,  and  some  parts  of  its  route 
was  parallel  with  the  latter  northern  turnpike. 
It  passed  through  Sharpstown,  Armagh,  crossed 
the  track  of  the  present  Indiana  railway,  and 
left  the  county  at  Williams  Ferry,  on  the  Cone- 
maugh  (west  of  Blairsville).  Prior  to  this  road 
the  Kittanning  path  was  the  road  to  tiie  east  as 
well  as  to  Fort  Pitt,  while  a  pack-saddle  trail 
or  road  ran  from  Indiana  town  south  to  Ft. 
Ligonier,  where  it  intersected  the  Forljes  road, 
and  some  distance  beyond  that  point  a  road  con- 
nected with  the  old  Braddock  road. 

In  1807  the  following  reports  of  county 
roads  were  confirmed  :  "  Rogei-'s  mill  to  Indi- 
ana, Clark's  mill  to  Indiana,  Indiana  to  inter- 
sect at  McFarland's  mill,  Armstrong  county 
line  to  Brady's  mill ;  David  Fulton's  to  Brady's 
mill,  and  Newport  to  intersect  with  Indiana 
road."  In  1810  the  State  road  from  Milesburg 
to  Lebouf  was  surveyed  through  the  northeast- 
ern part  of  the  county,  and  a  road  was  soon 
opened  from  Indiana  and  connected  with  it.  In 
1818  tiie  Bedford  road  was  surveyed  and  passed 
through  Armagh  and  Indiana  to  Franklin  in 
Venango  county.  Seven  years  later  the  "  old 
State  Road  "  was  located  from  Centre  county 
via  Indiana  to  Pittsburgh,  and  the  next  year 
the  Ligonier,  Blairsville  and  Indiana  I'oads 
were  surveyed.  In  1838  the  "New  State 
Road  "  was  located  from  Curwensville,  Clear- 
field county,  to  East  Liberty,  Allegheny  county, 
and  in  1842  the  road  from  Cherry  Tree  to  the 
Susquehanna  turnpike  was  surveyed. 

County  Formation. — Indiana  county  was  cre- 
ated by  an  act  of  the  Legislature  passed  March 
30,  1803,  and  its  erection  and  boundaries  are 
described  in  the  following  language : 

"  An  act  to  erect  certain  parts  of  Westmore- 
land and  Lycoming  counties  into  a  separate 
county. 

"Sec.  1.  Be  it  enacted   by  the  Senate  and 


'  House  of  Representatives  of  the  Commonwealth 
of  Pennsylvania,  in  General  Assembly  met,  and 
it  is  hereby  enacted  by  the  authority  of  the 
same,  that  those  parts  of  the  counties  of  West- 

!  moreland  and  Lycoming,  included  within  the 
following  boundaries,  viz. :  Beginning  at  the 
corner  of  Armstrong  county  on  the  Kiskimine- 
tas  river ;  thence  up  said  river  to  the  mouth  of 
Conomauch  (Coneraaugh)  river;  thence  up  said 
river  to  the  line  of  Somerset  county  ;  thence  a 
straight  line  to  Canoe  place  on  the  west  branch 
of  Susquehanna ;  thence  a  north  course  along 
Potter's  district  line  twelve  miles;  thence  a  due 
west  course  to  Armstrong  county  line ;  thence 
along  said  line  to  place  of  beginning, — be  and 
the  same  is  hereby  erected  into  a  separate 
county,  to  be  henceforth  called  Indiana  county, 
and  the  place  for  holding  the  courts  of  justice 
in  and  for  said  county  shall  be  fi.xed  by  the 
Legislature  at  any  place  at  a  distance  not 
greater  than  four  miles  from  the  centre  of  the 
said  county." 

By  the  same  act  the  governor  was  empow- 
ered to  appoint  three  commissioners  to  run  the 
boundary  lines  and  ascertain  the  centre  of  tlie 
county ;  and  William  Jack,  James  Parr  and 
John  Pomroy,  of  Westmoreland  county,  were 
named  as  trustees  for  locating  the  county-seat, 
which  they  estiiblished  at  Indiana  in  consider- 
ation of  a  gift  of  250  acres  of  land  at  that 
place  from   George   Clymer,  of  Philadelphia. 

!  The  "  fork  "  of  Two  Lick  and  Yellow  creeks 
was  an  unsuccessful  competitor  for  the  county- 
seat.     (See  Indiana  borougii.) 

The  first  court  which  was  held  at  Indiana  is 
thus  described  on  the  records :  "  December  term, 
A.  D.  1806.  Pleas  returnable  to  the  County 
Court  of  Common   Pleas  held  at  Indiana  for 

'  the  county  of  Indiana  on  the  second  Monday 
of  December,  Anno  Domini,  one  thou.sand  eight 
hundred  and  six,  by  virtue  of  an  act  of  Gen- 

'  eral  Assembly  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Penn- 
sylvania passed  the  10th  day  of  March,  A.  D. 
180G.     Before   John  Young,  Esq.,   president, 


52 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


and  Charles  Campbell,  associate  judge  of  the 
court  of  Common  pleas  iu  and  for  the  county 
aforesaid."  The  first  attorneys  admittefl  were 
George  Armstrong,  John  B.  Alexander,  Samuel 
S.  Harrison,  James  M.  Riddle,  Samuel  Massey 
and  Samuel  Guthrie.  Of  the  first  court  of 
quarter  sessions,  we  have  the  following  record  : 

"  Minutes  of  a  court  of  quarter  sessions  of 
the  peace  held  at  Indiana  for  the  county  of  In- 
diana, the  second  Monday  in  March,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  seven.  Present,  Charles  Campbell  and 
James  Smith,  esquires,  justices  of  the  same 
court." 

The  sheriff  was  Thomas  McCartney,  and  the 
coroner  was  Samuel  Young.  The  acting  con- 
stables were  Andrew  Speedy  for  Armstrong, 
Daniel  Falloo  for  Wheatfield  and  Samuel  Kelly 
for  Conemaugh  township.  Seventeen  grand 
jurors  were  summoned  as  follows :  Joseph  Mc- 
Cartney, Jacob  Hess,  William  Bond,  Matthew 
Winesap,  Robert  Ligget,  John  McKee,  Robert 
Robertson,  James  McKnight,  Joseph  Harbison, 
Henry  Hire,  Alexander  Lytle,  John  Matthews, 
Thomas  Boals,  Thomas  M.  Sloan  and  William 
Hamilton.  The  traverse  jurors  numbered 
twenty-nine,  and  were  Alex.  Ray,  Richard 
Wilson,  Samuel  Smith,  Francis  Boals,  John 
Loughry,  James  McDonald,  John  Bowers,  Pe- 
ter Hoover,  Jeremiah  Brown,  Andrew  Simp- 
son, Robert  Nixon,  Samuel  Wallace,  William 
Parker,  Tliomas  Reed,  James  Mahon,  Peter 
Fair,  Israel  Thomas,  William  Deveny,  John 
Lowry,  John  White,  Moses  Curry,  Meek  Kelly, 
John  Laughlin,  Francis  Louther,  Thomas 
Wakefield,  James  Longstreth,  Joseph  Hutch- 
inson, James  Findley  and  Robert  Ewing.  At 
this  session  Andrew  Speedy  deputized  Philip 
Rice  to  act  as  constable  of  the  township  of 
Centre,  and  John  Bell  for  the  township  of 
Washington.  During  its  sessions  Henry  Shry- 
ock,  William  Bond  and  James  Moorhead  were 
recommended  by  the  court  as  fit  persons  to 
keep  public  houses  of  entertainments,  and  the 


following  persons  were  naturalized :  Joseph 
Wilson,  Hugh  Junkius,  James  Lesley,  George 
Turner,  William  Johnston,  Arch.  Matthews, 
Robert  Craig,  James  Anderson,  James  Graham, 
Andrew  Fee  and  David  Campbell. 

The  constables  appointed  at  June  sessions 
were  Benjamin  Clawson,  for  Black  Lick  town- 
ship; Arch.  Marshall,  Conemaugh;  Jac.  An- 
thony, Armstrong;  Robert  Allison,  Centre; 
John  Bell,  Wheatfield,  and  David  Tomb,  Ma- 
honing. 

Wheatfield  township,  which  was  created  in 
1779  as  one  of  the  townships  of  Westmoreland 
county,  included  all  of  what  is  now  Indiana 
county,  south  of  the  purchase  line.  The  re- 
maining townships  have  been  erected  in  the 
following  years:  Armstrong,  1785;  Conemaugh 
and  Mahoning,  1803;  Centre,  Black  Lick  and 
Washington,  1807;  Green,  1816;  Young,  1830; 
Cherry  Hill  and  Montgomery,  1834;  Brush 
Valley,  1835;  White,  1843;  Rayne,  1845; 
North,  East,  South  and  West  Mahoning  town- 
ships, 1846;  Canoe,  1847;  Pine,  1850;  Bur- 
rell,  1853;  East  and  West  Wheatfield,  1859; 
Buffington,  1867,  and  Banks,  1868. 

Salt  Wells.— la  1812  an  old  lady  by  the 
name  of  Deemer  discovered  salt  water  at  low- 
water  mark  on  the  Conemaugh  river,  two  miles 
above  Saltsburg,  and  William  Johnston  (from 
Franklin  County)  sank  a  well  in  which,  at  two 
iuindred  and  eighty-seven  feet,  he  found  an 
abundance  of  salt  water.  The  Conemaugh 
Valley  soon  became  noted  for  its  great  number 
of  salt  wells  and  the  value  of  its  salt  trade. 
Crude  machinery  was  first  used  for  boring  and 
pumping,  which  was  afterwards  supplanted  by 
the  steam  engine.  As  the  wells  increased, 
competition  brought  down  the  price  of  salt, 
and  many  salt-works  were  abandoned.  Several 
works  are  still  running  which  manufacture  an 
excellent  quality  of  salt.  (See  Conemaugh 
township.) 

Pennsylvania  Canal. — In  1826  the  Legisla- 
ture provided  for  the  construction  of  the  Penn- 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


53 


sylvania  Canal,  and  in  1831  the  main  line  of 
the  canal  from  Philadelphia  to  Pittsburgh  was 
completed  at  an  expense  of  over  35  millions 
of  dollars.  The  Kiskiminetas  was  slacked,  and 
boats  ran  from  the  Quaker  to  the  Iron  city. 
Blairsville  and  Saltsburg  increased  rapidly  in 
population  and  wealth ;  but  the  completion  of 
the  Pennsylvania  in  1852  rendered  the  canal 
useless,  and  for  a  time  checked  the  growth  of 
the  above-named  boroughs. 

Underground  Railroad.  —  About  1840  the 
slavery  question  was  agitated  in  Indiana  county, 
and  after  the  passage  of  the  fugitive  slave  law 
a  branch  of  the  "  Underground  Railroad " 
ran  through  the  county.  Indiana  was  a  depot 
on  this  road,  and  many  citizens  of  the  county 
were  actively  engaged  in  piloting  runaway 
slaves  to  other  parties  further  northward,  who 
assisted  the  fleeing  slaves  on  their  way  to 
Canada. 

Railroads. — The  Pennsylvania  railroad  was 
completed  in  1852,  and  on  June  5,  1856, 
the  Indiana  Branch  railroad  was  opened 
from  Blairsville  intersection  in  Westmoreland 
County, — a  distance  of  nineteen  miles ;  but 
railroad  building  was  arrested  by  the  opening 
of  the  late  war. 

The  western  Pennsylvania  railroad  was  char- 
tered in  1853  to  run  from  Blairsville  to  Free- 
port,  in  Armstrong  county ;  but  the  company 
(the  Northwestern  Pennsylvania)  failed  after  a 
portion  of  the  grading  had  been  done,  and  the 
road  was  sold  at  Philadelphia  in  1859  to  the 
Western  Pennsylvania  company,  which  com- 
menced work  on  the  road  in  1863.  In  1864 
trains  ran  to  Freeport,  and  one  year  later  ran 
into  Allegheny  City. 

The  Butler  Branch  was  completed  in  1871, 
and  for  a  period  of  twenty  years  the  people  of 
the  county  were  adapting  themselves  to  a  new 
life  of  pros{>erity  inaugurated  by  these  railways. 
The  public-spirited  citizens  of  the  county  com- 
menced to  develop  the  coal  and  invest  in  man- 
ufacturing  establishments,  and    the   county   is 


now  destined   to  rank  high  in  the  State  for 
wealth  and  manufactures. 

Within  the  last  year  the  railway  outlook  for 
the  county  is  bright.  The  Rochester  &  Pitts- 
burg R.  R.  company  have  surveyed  a  line  from 
Punxsutawney,  via  Plumville,  Shelocta,  South 
Bend  and  Apollo,  to  Pittsburgh.  An  effort  is 
being  made  to  establish  a  competing  line  to  the 
Pennsylvania  R.  R.,  and  a  road  has  been  pro- 
jected from  Clearfield  to  connect  with  the  Pitts- 
burgh &  Western  at  Butler,  while  the  American 
Midland  i,ine  (an  air-line  road  from  New 
York  to  Chicago)  road,  which,  if  built,  will 
cross  the  county  as  far  north  as  Marion.  The 
Homer  City  &  Cherry  Tree  railroad  has  been 
surveyed,  and  present  indications  warrant  its 
construction  at  an  early  date. 

Ch'eat  Civil  War. — Soldiers  from  Indiana 
county  served  in  the  war  of  1812  aloDg  the 
northern  lakes,  and  Indian  ians  were  in  three 
companies  of  the  second  Pennsylvania  Volun- 
teers, which  fought  under  Scott  in  the  Mexican 
war.  Daniel  Kuhns  was  killed  and  James 
Kellv,  William  Matthews  and  Matthias  Palmer 
died  in  Mexico.  William  Campbell  and  Pliny 
Kelly  also  served  in  the  Mexican  war. 

When  the  late  war  commenced  the  sons  of 
Indiana  were  among  the  first  to  take  up  arms 
in  defence  of  the  government,  and  served  with 
distinction  in  nearly  all  of  the  battles  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  and  under  Sherman. 
Soldiers  from  Indiana  county  served  in  the 
Ninth  Reserves  and  companies  B  and  E  and 
most  of  companies  A  and  D  of  the  Eleventh 
Reserves  were  from  this  county.  One  company 
of  the  Twelfth  Reserves  was  recruited  near 
Armagh  and  thirty  men  of  the  Fourteenth 
Reserve  were  Indianians.  Citizens  of  the 
county  served  in  the  forty-sixth,  fifty-fifth, 
fifty-sixth,  sixty-first,  sixty-seventh,  seventy- 
fourth,  seventy-eighth,  one  hundred  and  third, 
one  hundred  and  fifth,  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
fifth,  one  hundred  and  forty-eighth,  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-ninth,  one  hundred  and  seventy- 


54 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH   OF 


seventh,  and  two  hundred  and  sixth  regiments 
of  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Co.  B  of  the 
fifty-sixth,  Co.  A  of  the  sixty-first,  Co.  E  of 
the  one  hundred  and  forty -eighth  and  companies 
A,  C,  D,  F,  G,  H  and  I  of  the  two  hundred  | 
and  sixth  regiment  were  recruited  in  Indiana 
county.  I 

In  1862,  when  Governor  Curtin  called  for 
militia  to  defend  Pennsylvania  against  Gen. 
Lee,  Indiana  county  in  eight  days  sent  Co.  H, 
of  the  tenth  regiment,  four  companies  of  the 
twenty-third  regiment  and  one  independent 
company  to  the  aid  of  the  threatened  border  of 
the  State.  In  1863,  when  Lee  was  marching  on 
Gettysburg,  the  county  between  July  3d  and  8th 
sent  eight  companies  into  the  field,  and  by  the 
23d  had  forwarded  six  more  companies  or 
fourteen  companies  in  all.  These  companies 
served  principally  in  the  fifty-fourth  and  fifty- 
seventh  regiments,  Pennsylvania  Militia,  and 
aided  largely  in  the  capture  of  Morgan  in 
Ohio.  Two  companies  of  Indiana  county  men 
were  mustered  into  the  Union  service  in  1864 
and  served  nearly  one  year,  doing  general 
guard  duty  wherever  needed.  During  1864 
fifty  men  were  recruited  in  the  county  for  the 
United  States  Signal  Corps.  Indiana  county's 
war  record  of  the  great  Rebellion  is  one  of 
which  she  may  well  be  proud,  for  her  sons 
served  faithfully  and  with  honor  on  a  hundred 
bloody  battle-fields  where  many  of  them  fell  to 
rise  no  more.  Our  limits  forbid  extended 
notice  of  their  deeds. 

"  On  fame's  eternal  camping  grounds 
Their  silent  tents  are  spread, 
And  glory  guards  with  solemn  round, 
The  bivouac  of  the  dead." 

Material  Development. —  One-third  of  the 
772  miles  of  territory  included  in  the  county, 
it  is  said  by  competent  judges,  contains  coal 
above  water  levels.  Within  the  next  few  years 
the  southern  part  of  the  county  will  be  changed 
from  an  agricultural  section  to  a  great  mining 
region.     The  coke  industry  was  inaugurated  in 


the  county  in  1886,  by  George  A.  Mikesell,  who 
built  ten  ovens  and  then  sold  them  to  Jacob 
Graff  and  J.  M.  Guthrie,  who  increased  the 
ovens  to  twenty-four  in  number.  They  in  turn 
sold  the  plant  to  J.  W.  Moore,  of  Greensburg, 
Pa.,  who  organized  the  McCreary  Coke  com- 
pany, whose  members  are  Harry  and  John 
McCreary  and  J.  W.  Moore.  Their  works  are 
at  Mikesell  siding,  in  Centre  township,  where 
they  already  employ  nearly  nearly  two  hundred 
men.  They  have  fifty  oveus  burning  and  one 
hundred  and  forty-two  more  in  process  of  cou- 
struction.  They  have  six  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  coal  besides  sevei'al  large  leased 
tracts,  and  manufacture  a  coke  which  ranks  high 
and  sells  readily  in  the  market. 

The  next  coke  plant  is  that  of  the  Indiana 
Coal  and  Coke  company,  whose  members  are 
Jacob  and  Paul  Graff,  J.  M.  Guthrie,  G.  W. 
Hoover,  John  P.  Elkins  and  John  R.  Cald- 
well ;  their  coke-works  are  just  below  the  Mc- 
Creary plant  and  consist  of  twenty -four  ovens 
now  burning  and  quite  a  number  in  process  of 
construction.  They  own  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  coal  land  and  have  leased  one 
hundred  and  sixty-five  acres  of  additional  coal 
territory.  They  also  have  mines  opened  for 
shipping  raw  coal.  Their  coal,  like  the  Mc- 
Creary vein,  is  six  feet  four  inches  in  thickness. 
A  town  is  rapidly  being  built  at  each  of  these 
coke  plants. 

The  shipping  of  raw  coal  has  rapidly  de- 
veloped. In  1879  the  present  Foster  Coal 
company,  of  Saltsburg,  commenced  shipping 
raw  coal  to  Pittsburgh,  while  in  the  north- 
eastern part  of  the  county  are  the  Glen 
Campbell  mines,  located  on  a  thirteen-mile 
branch  of  the  Bell  Gap  Railroad,  and  the 
Passmore  Burns  and  Bryson  mines  on  a  sub- 
branch  of  the  railroad,  some  three  miles  from 
Glen  Campbell.  They  mine  the  Lower  Free- 
port  coal,  which  is  five  feet  thick  in  that  part 
of  the  county. 

The  lumbering  interest,  which  was  once  the 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


55 


leading  industry  of  the  county,  is  still  of  large 
proportions  and  is  principally  centred  at 
Homer  City  and  on  Two  Lick  creek.  At 
Homer  City  are  large  mills  operated  by  J.  M. 
Guthrie,  and  on  Two  Lick  creek  are  the  mills 
of  the  Guthrie  Lumber  company.  These  mills 
cut  hundreds  of  thousands  of  feet  of  lumber 
every  year.  The  finest  timber  in  the  county  | 
has  been  worked  up,  although  considerable 
quantities  yet  remain  in  the  eastern  and  north- 
eastern part  of  the  county.  In  Wheatfield 
township  and  in  Cambria  county,  Joseph 
Cramer,  who  formerly  operated  several  portable 
saw-mills  in  Indiana  county,  is  engaged  in  the 
charcoal  business  and  makes  about  10,000 
bushels  of  that  article  yearly.  At  Jeannette,  in 
Westmoreland  county,  works  have  been  erected 
to  extract  the  juice  of  chestnut  and  chestnut 
oak  woods  to  be  used  for  tanning  purposes,  and 
most  of  the  wood  for  these  works  is  furnished 
by  Indiana  county. 

Mineral  paint  beds  of  exceeding  richness  are 
found  on  Chestnut  ridge.  Large  and  prosper- 
ous glass-works  are  located  at  Blairsville  and 
Saltsburg,  and  the  pressed  brick-works  of  the 
the  Black  Lick  Manufacturing  company  turn 
out  a  brick  noted  for  durability  and  ex- 
cellence of  manufacture.  Standard  flouring- 
mills  are  located  throughout  the  county,  which 
does  not  now  possess  a  single  brewery  or  dis- 
tillery. 

A  large  number  of  wells  for  oil  and  natural 
gas  are  being  drilled  in  the  county.  The  few 
furnaces,  among  which  were  the  Indiana  iron- 
works and  Black  Lick  furnace,  have  all  gone 
down,  but  of  late  some  little  move  has  been 
made  to  build  two  or  three  furnaces  near  the 
railroads. 

The  Indiana  Chemical  company  has  ex- 
tensive works  at  Two  Lick,  and  the  straw- 
board  mill  of  J.  W.  Sutton  &  Bro.,  at 
Indiana,  has  a  capacity  of  5000  pounds  per 
day,  while  the  machine-shops  and  manufacturing 
establishment    of    Sutton    Bros.    &    Bell,    of 


Indiana,  supply  a  large  county  and  State  trade, 
besides  making  shipments  to  different  parts  of 
the  United  States,  Mexico  and  South    America, 

Telegraph  lines  extend  along  the  railways 
and  the  principal  towns  will  soon  be  lighted  by 
electricity,  while  they  seem  to  have  favorable 
chances  to  be  heated  yet  by  natural  gas. 

The  Indiana  Telephone  company  was  organ- 
ized, in  1887,  when  the  parent  line  was  run 
from  Indiana  to  Marion .  It  was  chartered  in 
1889  with  a  capital  of  $10,000,  and  has  six 
lines  in  active  operation,  running  in  all  over 
200  miles,  and  reaching  every  town  of  any  size 
or  importance  in  the  county. 

For  much  valuable  information  in  regard  to 
early  settlers  and  material  resources,  we  are  in- 
debted to  County  Surveyer  John  R.  Caldwell. 

The  Press. — In  the  beautiful  Holland  city  of 
Haerlem,  Laurentius  conceived  the  idea  which 
afterward  ripened  into  the  grand  art  of  print- 
ing. The  printing  press  was  introduced  into 
Indiana  county  about  1814,  when  James  Mc- 
Cahan  established  the  American,  a  federal  sheet, 
at  Indiana.  In  1821  came  the  Indiana  and 
Jefferson  Whig,  the  first  democratic  paper  in  the 
county.  In  1826  the  American,,  under  James 
Moorhead,  became  Anti-Masonic  and  in  1827 
was  merged  into  iheWhig.  The  first  paper  at 
Blairsville  was  The  Blairsville  Record,  which 
was  established  in  1827.  The  following  eleven 
weekly  papers  are  now  published  in  the  county  : 
Enterprise,  Record,  Port  Monitor,  Democr'at, 
Messenger,  News,  Progress,  Times,  Gazette,  In- 
dependent and  Press. 

Churches. — The  Bethel  Presbyterian  church 
of  Centre  township,  and  Ebenezer  Presbyterian 
church  of  Conemaugh  township  were  organized 
in  1790.  The  following  churches  of  this  de- 
nomination were  organized  in  the  years  given  : 
Armagh,  1792  ;  Saltsburg,  1796  ;  Indiana,  1807; 
Gilgal  and  Glade  Run,  1808;  Blairsville,  1822  ; 
Washington,  1828;  Elder's  Ridge,  1830; 
Cherry  Tree,  1837  ;  Currie's  Run,  1838  ;  Cen- 
tre, 1851  ;  West  Lebanon,  1853  ;  Smicksburg 


56 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


and  Mt.  Pleasaut,  1854  ;  Clarksburg  and  Jack- 
sonville, 1857;  Marion,  1860;  Pluniville,  1863; 
Black  Lick,  1867  ;  and  Homer  City,  1870. 

The  United  Presbyterian  congregations  of 
Crete  and  Conemaugh  were  organized  in  1794; 
The  Indiana  and  Bethel  congregations  were  or- 
ganized in  1808;  West  Union  was  organized  in 
1814;  Beracha,  1824;  Mahoning,  1828 ;  Me- 
chanicsburg,  1833  ;  Jacksonville,  1841  ;  Sus- 
quehanna, 1842  ;  Shelocta,  1854  ;  Greenville, 
1858  ;  Decker's  Point,  1859 ;  Homer  City,  1873, 
and  Richmond,  1874. 

The  first  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  in  the 
county  was  formed  at  Indiana  about  1798; 
Brush  Valley  congregation  was  next  organized 
and  about  1830  the  Blairsville  church  was 
formed ;  Plum  Creek  congregation  was  organ- 
ized in  1830 ;  Smicksburg,  1842.  In  1822  the 
Indiana  church  organized  probably  the  first 
Sunday-school  in  the  county. 

The  Reformed  Presbyterian  church  was  es- 
tablished in  the  northern  part  of  the  county 
about  1842. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Indiana, 
was  founded  about  1822;  Blairsville  church 
organized  in  1824;  Nineveh,  1836;  Marion, 
1837  ;  and  Jacksonville,  1839. 

Baptist  churches  were  organized  in  the  county 
in  the  following  years :  Two  Lick,  1824 ;  Loyal- 
hanua,  1828;  Mahoning,  1830;  Brush  Valley 
and  Shiloh,  1839;  Richmond  and  Pine  Flat, 
1845;  West  Lebanon,  1847;  Pluniville,  1849; 
East  Mahoning,  1850;  Indiana,  1858;  Black 
Lick,  1861,  and  Fairview,  1877. 

The  first  Methodist  Protestant  church  in 
Indiana  county  was  organized  as  Hazlett  church 
in  1832;  Salem  church  was  organized  in  1839; 
Cookport,  1843;  Gettysburg,  1857,  and  Cherry 
Tree,  1873. 

In  1 865,  the  Protestant  Episcopal  denomina- 
tion organized  Christ  church  of  Indiana. 

Catholic  families  had  settled  in  the  vicinity  as 
early  as  1814,  but  not  in  sufficient  numbers  to 
establish  a  church.      About  1844,  or  earlier. 


congregations  were  organized  at  Indiana  and 
Cameron's  Bottom.  S.  S.  Simon  and  Jude's 
church,  of  Blairsville,  was  organized  in  1829. 

In  1843  the  Evangelical  Association  organ- 
ized a  church  in  North  Mahoning  township  and 
now  have  several  congregations  in  the  county. 

The  German  Baptists  organized  Manor  and 
Montgomery  churches  in  1843. 

The  Wesleyan  Methodists  organized  Pine 
Grove  church  in  1848.  Their  church  at  Dixon- 
ville  was  organized  in  1855.  Manor  and  Spruce 
churches  of  this  denomination  were  organized 
in  1856  and  1862. 

Nero  congregation  of  theCalvinistic  Method- 
ist was  organized  in  1842,  and  Pine  Flat  con- 
gregation of  the  Church  of  Christ  was  formed  in 
1856. 

In  1850  the  census  report  gave  the  number 
of  churches  as  61,  of  which  29  were  Presby- 
terian; 10  Lutheran;  10  Methodist;  7  Catholic  ; 
4  Baptist  and  1  Protestant  Episcopal. 

Educational. — Of  the  pioneer  schools,  Ex- 
County  Superintendent  Samuel  Wolf  says,  in 
his  excellent  centennial  historical  sketch,  that 
the  first  settlers  of  Indiana  county  were  Scotch- 
Irish  presbyterians  and  brought  with  them 
their  rifles,  their  Bibles  and  their  spelling- 
books.  He  states  that  Revs.  Power,  Jamison, 
and  Henderson  were  instrumental  in  establish- 
ing the  first  elementary  schools  in  which  spelling, 
reading,  writing  and  arithmetic  were  taught  six 
days  of  each  week  that  they  were  in  session  and 
that  the  teacher  received  a  yearly  salary  of  from 
four  to  six  dollars  per  pupil,  never  had  less  than 
twenty-five  pupils  and  "  boarded  round."  One 
of  the  class  of  school -houses  that  were  in  use 
from  1777  to  1815  is  described  by  John  M. 
Robinson  in  the  following  language  :  "  The 
building  was  18x22  feet,  of  round  logs  (7  feet 
high),  the  cracks  daubed  with  mortar  called  '  kat 
and  klay  ; '  a  large  log  (mantel)  was  placed 
across  the  building,  four  feet  from  the  end  wall, 
and  five  feet  high,  upon  which  the  chimney  was 
built  of  split  sticks,  the  cracks  and  inside  of 


INDIANA    COUNTY. 


57 


which  was  daubed  with  tough  mortar  ;  the  floor 
was  made  of  split  logs,  hewed,  called  puncheons ; 
the  hearth  was  of  stone  and  at  its  end  a  space 
was  left  unfloored  in  which  the  goose-quills  for 
writing  were  stuck  to  make  them  of  uniform 
pliability.  The  ceiling  was  made  of  puncheons 
and  the  roof  of  clap-boards,  eaves-poles  and 
weight-poles.  There  was  a  ledge  door  in  the 
side,  with  wooden  hinges  and  latch.  The  win- 
dows were  the  whole  length  of  tiie  building; 
they  were  from  eight  to  ten  inches  high,  with 
little  posts  set  in  about  every  foot,  on  which 
oiletl  paper  was  pasted  in  lieu  of  glass.  Writ-  ; 
ing-boards  on  slanting  wooden  pegs,  even  with 
the  under  edge  of  windows,  hewed  slab  benches 
without  backs  and  a  short  slanting  board  in  one  ' 
corner  near  the  hearth,  for  the  teacher's  desk, 
comprised  the  furniture."  Mr.  Smith  makes 
record  of  a  school  taught  by  James  McDowell, 
some  time  between  1777  and  1785,  in  a  cabin 
owned  by  Robert  Robinson  in  the  Conemaugh  : 
settlement.  He  also  states  that  in  1790  a  mau  j 
named  Atwell  taught  near  Campbell's  mill  in 
the  Black  Lick  settlement  and  from  tliat  time 
ou  schools  were  opened  in  every  settlement  un- 
til 1815,  when  there  were  at  least  twenty-five 
schools  in  the  county. 

From  1815  to  the  passage  of  the  common 
school  law,  in  1834,  there  was  a  gradual  in- 
crease in  the  number  of  elemeutary  schools  and 
a  steady  improvement  in  buildings. 

At  an  early  day  in  the  history  of  the  county 
a  movement  was  made  for  the  establishment  of 
higher  education  and  Indiana  academy  was 
founded  in  1816,  on  the  site  of  Judge  Clark's 
residence  at  Indiana.  This  institution  of  learn- 
ing received  $2000  of  State  aid  and  continued 
in  existence  until  1862.  A  female  seminary 
was  opened  shortly  afterwards,  but  soon  went 
down.  In  1832  a  class  commenced  to  recite  to 
Rev.  Alex.  Donaldson,  in  the  secoud  story  of  a 
log  spring-house,  and  led  to  the  establishment 
of  Elder's  Ridge  academy,  which  has  become 
an    educational    power   in    the    Uuitetl    States, 


through  the  three  thousand  students  who  have 
gone  forth  from  its  walls.  Blairsville  academy 
was  established  in  1842  and  eleven  years  later 
was  founded  Blairsville  Female  semiuary,  whose 
graduates  are  an  honor  to  it  and  to  society. 
Close  to  Saltsburg  is  the  flourishing  "  Kis,ki- 
minetas  school  for  boys,"  under  charge  of 
Profs.  A.  W.  Wilson  and  R.  W.  Fair. 

At  the  county  institute  held  at  Indiana  in 
December,  1860,  an  effort  was  made  to  obtain 
funds  sufficient  to  secure  the  establishment,  at 
that  place,  of  the  State  Normal  school  for  the 
Ninth  Normal  school  district  of  Pennsylvania. 
Twenty  thousand  dollars  were  raised  and  the 
matter  rested  until  two  years  later,  when  Pro- 
fessor A.  N.  Raub  spoke  so  forcibly  upon  the 
subject  that  Judge  Clark,  Peter  Sutton,  A.  W. 
Wilson  and  other  public-spirited  citizens  gave 
freely  of  their  time  and  money  until  their 
labors  were  crowned  with  success  in  the  erection 
of  the  present  magnificent  State  Normal  school 
building  at  Indiana.  It  was  built  in  1875,  at 
a  cost  of  $200,000,  has  received  extensive 
improvements  since  and  as  a  building  is  second 
to  none  in  the  State. 

The  first  teachers'  association  was  formed  in 
June,  1852,  by  the  students  of  Elder's  Ridge 
academy,  who  intendtd  to  teach,  and  was 
followed  by  a  teachers'  institute  at  Blairsville 
in  November,  1852,  held  for  one  week  by  the 
teachers  of  Indiana  and  Westmoreland  coun- 
ties. The  teachers  of  Washington  district 
organized  an  institute  iu  1853,  which  has  been 
continued  ever  since.  White  and  Centre  organ- 
ized institutes  in  1854.  The  first  county 
institute  was  called  by  Superintendent  Bollman, 
on  August  22,  1854,  and  led  to  the  formation  of 
the  present  Teachers'  Association  of  Indiana 
county. 

Banks. — The  prosperity  of  the  banks  of  any 
city  or  county  is  indicative  of  an  era  of  com- 
mercial progress.  Indiana  county  is  especially 
favored  in  the  management  of  her  banks  which 
is  done  upon  conservative  and  intelligent  meth- 


58 


GEOLOGICAL    AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


ods.  As  far  as  we  have  had  opportuuity  to 
examine  records,  we  find  no  trace  of  any  bank 
in  the  county  until  1855,  after  which  the  bank- 
ing-house of  Hogue  &  Co.  was  established  at 
Indiana,  as  the  predecessor  of  the  First  National 
bank  of  that  place. 

The  Bar. — The  position  which  the  legal  pro- 
fession has  always  occupied  in  the  history  of 
Pennsylvania  has  been  a  very  high  and  honor- 
able one.  The  bar  of  Indiana  county,  from  its 
very  organization,  has  ranked  as  among  the 
best  of  the  western  counties.  It  con^prises 
many  able  lawyers  and  eloquent  orators,  and  is 
a  credit  to  the  State.  The  legal  history  of  the 
county,  to  be  intelligently  and  interestingly 
written,  can  only  be  written  by  one  well  versed 
in  the  law  and  well  acquainted  with  the  lives  of 
most  of  the  leading  lawyers  of  the  Indiana  bar 
since  its  organization. 

The  president  judges  who  have  presided  over 
the  courts  of  Indiana  county  have  been  :  John 
Young,  1806  to  1836  ;  Thomas  White,  1836  to 
1847;  J.  M.  Burrell,  1847  to  1848;  J.  C. 
Knox,  1848  to  1850;  J.  M.  Burrell,  1851  to 
1855;  Joseph  Buffington,  from  1855  to  1871  ; 
John  P.  Blair,  1871  to  1885,  and  Harry  White, 
1885  to 

The  Medical  Profession. — The  first  physician 
to  practice  in  the  county  was  Dr.  Samuel  Tal- 
mage,  who  resided  at  Newport  for  many  years, 
but  finally  removed  to  Westmoreland  county. 
Dr.  Reed,  of  the  above-named  county,  practiced 
in  the  Conemaugh  section,  and  Dr.  George 
Hays,  of  New  England,  came,  about  1805,  to 
the  Black  Lick  creek  settlement,  where  he  re- 
mained for  several  years.  Dr.  Jonatlian  French 
located  at  Indiana  in  1807,  and  Dr.  E.  P.  Em- 
erson, at  Blairsville,  in  1819.  The  Indiana 
County  Medical  society  was  organized  June  23, 
1858,  and  one  of  its  members.  Dr.  William 
Anderson,  in  1880,  wrote  a  very  comprehensive 
as  well  as  exceedingly  interesting  history  of  the 
medical  profession  of  Indiana  county,  which  was 
published  in  Caldwell's  history  of  the  county. 


Political  History. — No  county  in  the  State  has 
a  more  complete  record  of  township  elections 
than  Indiana.  These  election  records  extend 
back  to  the  formation  of  the  county.  Instead 
of  discussing  the  history  of  political  parties,  or 
giving  township,  county,  congressional  or  State 
votes,  which  are  sometimes  cast  in  revolt  against 
party  leaders,  we  have  carefully  compiled  the 
popular  vote  of  the  county  for  president  since 
1824,  when  the  citizens  of  this  State  were  given 
the  first  opportunity  to  vote  for  president,  and 
think  that  this  vote  will  be  the  best  exponent 
of  the  political  history  that  can  be  given. 


1832. 


Popular  vok  of  Indiana  county  at  presidential  elections 
from  1824  to  1888. 

.  Andrew  Jackson  ....  258 
. John  Q.  Adams  ....  27 
.  William  H.  Crawford  .  .  2 
.  Andrew  Jackson    ....     926 

.  John  Q.  Adams 245 

.  Andrew  Jackson    ....     654 

.  William  Wirt 683 

1836.  Whig William  H.  Harrison   .    .  1,169 

Democratic  .    .  Martin  Van  Buren    .    .    .     692 

1840.  Whig William  H.  Harrison    .    .  I,9.i3 

Democratic  .    .  Martin  Van  Buren    .    .    .  1,209 

1844.  Whig Henry  Clay 2,200 

Democratic  .    .  James  K.  Polk 1,443 

Liberty  .  .    .      James  G.  Birney    ....       80 
1848.  Whig Zachary  Taylor 2,410 


1824.  Republican  . 

Coalition  .    . 

Republican  . 
1828.  Democratic  . 

Nat.  Rep. .  . 

Democratic  . 

Anti-Mason  . 


Democratic  . 

Free  Soil  .  . 
1852.  Whig     .    .   . 

Democratic  . 

Free  Dem.  . 
1856.  Republican  . 

Democratic  . 

American  .  . 
1860    Republican  . 

Democrat.   . 

Cons't  Union 

Ind.  Dem.  . 
1864.  Republican  . 

Democratic  . 
1868.  Republican  . 

Democratic  . 
1872.  Republican  . 

Dem.  &  Lib. 

Democratic  . 


.  Lewis  Cass 1,544 

.  Martin  Van  Buren    ...     204 

.  Winfield  Scott 2,387 

.  Franklin  Pierce 1,827 

.  John  P.  Hale 142 

.  John  C.  Fremont  ....  3,612 
.  James  Buchanan  ....  1,762 
.  Millard  Fillmore  ....  263 
.  Abraham  Lincoln  ....  3,910 
.  John  C.  Breckinridge  .    .  1,347 

.  John  Bell 22 

.  Stephen  A.  Douglas  .  .  . 
.  Abrsiham  Lincoln  ....  4,320 
.  George  B.  McClellan  .  .  2,179 
.  Ulysses  S.  Grant  ....  4,809 
.  Horatio  Seymour  ....  2,223 
.  Ulysses  S.  Grant    ....  4,386 

.  Horace  Greeley 1,266 

.  Charles  O'Connor  .... 


INDIANA  COUNTY. 


59 


Temperance . 
1876.  Kepublican  . 

Democratic  . 

Greenback    . 

Prohibition  . 
1880.  Kepublican  . 

Democratic  . 

Greenback    . 

Prohibition  . 
1884.  Republican  . 

Democratic  . 

Greenback    . 

Prohibition  . 
1888.  Republican  . 

Democratic  . 

Greenback    . 

Prohibition  . 


James  Black  .... 
.  Rutherford  B.  Hayes 

Samuel  J.  Tilden  .    . 

Peter  Cooper  .... 

Green  C.  Smith  .    .    . 

James  A.  Garfield  .   . 

Winfleld  S.  Hancock 
,  James  B.  Weaver 

Neal  Dow    .   .   . 

James  G.  Blaine 

Grover  Cleveland 

Benjamin  F.  Butler  . 

John  P.  St.  John  .  . 
,  Benjamin  Harrison  . 
,  Grover  Cleveland  .  . 
,  Alaon  J.  Strceter  .  . 
,  Clinton  B.  Fisk  .    .    . 


4,934 
2,248 
3 
42 
4,617 
2,119 
1,488 

4,607 

1,979 

1,186 

385 

5,084 

2,231 

483 

294 


The  vote  of  Indiana  for  1824  includes  the 
vote  of  Jefferson  county,  wiiich  was  attached  to 
Indiana  at  that  time  in  judicial  and  political 
matters. 

Census  Sfatisties. — Population  of  Indiana 
county  at  each  decade  from  1810  to  1890,  in- 
clusive, as  given  in  the  United  States  census 
reports : 

1810,  6,214.  1840,20,782.  1870,36,178. 
1820,  8,882.  1850, 27,170.  1880,  40,526. 
1830,14,252.     1860,33,687.     1890,42,100. 

Colored  population  from  1810  to  1890: 

1810,  41.  1840,  155.  1870,  186. 
1820,  61.  1850,  254.  1880,  227. 
1830,  97.        1860,  186.         1890, 

By  the  Census  of  1880,  the  following  places 
were  reported  having  the  population  given : 

Advance,  34 ;  Bells  Mills,  79 ;  Black  Lick, 
237;  Brownstown,  243;  Centreville,  169; 
Colfax,  75;  Cookport,  192;  Covode,  85; 
Creekside,  50;  Davidsville,  49;  Dixonville, 
93;  Elder's  Ridge,  37;  Georgeville,  104; 
Gettysburg,  161  ;  Greenville,  196  ;  Locust  Lane, 
51 ;  New  AVaishington,  38  ;  N.  Blairsville,  100; 
O'Hara,  135  ;  Pine  Flats,  115  ;  Plumville,  191 ; 
Richmond,  93  ;  Smethport,  48  ;  Taylorsville, 
106;  Unioutown,  49;  West  Lebanon,  150; 
and  Willet.  50. 


By  the  census  of  1820  there  were  in  Indiana 
county  3  cardiug  machines,  277  looms, 
1,239  spinning  wheels,  3  fulling-mills,  6  hat- 
teries,  producing  2,400  hats;  1  salt  works, 
making  600  bushels  of  salt;  18  blacksmith- 
shops,  doing  $9,000  worth  of  business ;  27  dis- 
tilleries, makiug  18,000  gallons  of  liquor;  16 
wh  eat-mills,  grinding  48,000  bushels  of  wheat ; 
17  saw-mills,  cutting  985,000  feet  of  lumber  ; 
2,715  horses  and  5,995  neat  cattle.  There  was 
also  20,400  gallons  of  maple  molas.ses  made. 

By  the  census  reports  of  1880  Indiana  county 
had  4,438  farms,  containing  457,095  acres. 
There  were  in  the  county  12,066  horses, 
14,118  milch  cows,  20,218  other  cattle,  61,732 
sheep  and  31,465  swine. 

In  1879  the  following  amounts  of  grain  were 
rai.sed  from  the  number  of  acres  given  : 


Grain. 

Acres. 

Bmheh. 

Barley, 

23 

362 

Rye, 

9,262 

77,166 

Buckwheat, 

9,035 

109,159 

Oats, 

31,269 

775,383 

Corn, 

29,146 

914,695 

Wheat, 

31,358 

309,752 

There  were  37,266  acres  of  meadow,  yielding 
321,143  tons  of  hay  and  15  acres  in  tobacco, 
with  a  yield  of  10,181  pounds  of  that  article. 

In  1880  Indiana  county  had  279  manufact- 
uring establishments,  with  an  invested  capital 
of  $890,000  and  in  which  over  700  hands 
were  employed. 

While  numbers  are  not  the  progress  measure 
of  county  life,  yet  their  rapid  increa.se  indexes 
every  great  .stride  in  the  development  of  a 
county's  material  resources  ;  and  their  marked 
decrease  chronicles  ever}'  great  drain  by  emigra- 
tion. 

The  census  table  to  a  certain  extent  is  a 
numerical  chart — an  arithmetical  map — where 
progress  and  decay  can  be  partly  traced  in  the 
.swelling  and  the  ebbing  of  the  tide  of  numbers. 

Let  us  see  what  the  census  tells  us  of  the  story 


60 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


of  Indiana  county  life  :  It  showsa  steady  increase 
of  population  at  the  end  of  every  decade  despite 
the  drain  by  emigration  to  the  west.  In  the 
three  decades  from  1820  to  1850,  the  remark- 
able increase  of  population  tells  the  story  of  the 
influence  of  the  Pennsylvania  canal  on  the 
county.  From  1850  to  1870,  notwithstanding 
the  check  of  business  by  the  war,  yet  an 
increased  growth  is  traced  in  the  railroads  built 
in  and  through  the  county.  The  slowly  increas- 
ing population  from  1870  to  1880  and  nearly 
up  to  1890,  is  traceable  to  the  railroads  while 
the  wonderful  growth  of  the  county  during  1889 
will  be  fully  illustrated  in  the  census  of  1900 
when  it  will  give,  as  other  coke  counties  have 
given,  a  wonderful  increase  of  population  in 
Indiana  county  as  the  result  of  her  coke  and 
other  industries. 

The  following  table  gives  the  population  of 
the  boroughs  and  townships  of  Indiana  county, 
as  recorded  in  the  last  two  census  reports : 

Borough  and  Township.                         1880.  1890. 

Armagh 123  170 

Armstrong 1340  1195 

Black  Lick 924  798 

Banks 919  1485 

Blairsville 1162  3113 

Brush  Valley 1365  1179 

Bufiington 819  644 

Burrell 1770  1415 

Canoe 1217  1245 

Centre 1265  1277 

Cherry  Hill 2243  1974 

Cherry  Tree 380  364 

Conemaugh 1346  1530 

East  Mahoning 1160  1085 

East  Wheatfield 937  775 

Grant 1318  1351 

Green 2606  2401 

Homer  City 381  513 

Indiana 1907  1971 

Jacksonville 114  133 

Marion 398  381 

Mechanicsburg 226  198 

Montgomery 1211  1079 

North  Mahoning 1317  1251 

Pine 1189  1003 

Eayne 1958  1924 


Saltsburg 855 

Shelocta 121 

Smicksburg 221 

South  Mahoning 4369 

Washington 1668 

West  Indiana 1077 

West  Mahoning 1170 

West  Wheatfield 1359 

White 1716 

Young 1376 


1114 

86 

299 

1343 

1589 
1631 
1055 
1699 
1612 
1238 


Total 40527    42100 

Senators  of  Pennsylvania  House  of  Represen- 
tatives.— 1803  to  1815,  James  Brady;  1815  to 
1819,  John  Reed  ;  1819  to  1822,  Henry  Alls- 
house;  1822  to  1825,  Robert  Orr,  Jr.;  1823  to 
1830,  Eben  S.  Kelly;  1830  to  1835,  Robert 
Mechling;  1834  to  1838,  Meek  Kelly;  1839, 
Findley  Patterson;  1841  to  1844,  William 
Bigler,  of  Clearfield ;  1847,  William  F.John- 
ston; 1850,  Augustus  Drum;  1851  to  1853, 
C.Myers;  1854  to  1856,  Samuel  S.Jamison; 
1863,  Harry  White;  1864  to  1865,  Thomas  St. 
Clair;  1866  to  1874,  Harry  White;  1877  to 
1879,  Thomas  St.  Clair;  1885  to  1888,  George 
W.  Hood. 

Members  of  the  Assembly. — 1803,  James  Mc- 
Comb;  1808,  James  Sloan;  1809,  James  Mc- 
Comb;  1815,  David  Reed;  1816,  James  M. 
Kelly  and  Joshua  Lewis;  1818,  James  M. 
Kelly  and  Samuel  Houston ;  1819,  Robert  Orr, 
Jr.,  and  Samuel  Houston;  1820,  Robert  Orr, 
Jr.,  and  Robert  Mitchell;  1822,  John  Taylor 
and  Robert  Mitchell;  1823,  John  Taylor  and 
Joseph  Rankin;  1825,  David  Lawson  and 
Joseph  Rankin;  1826,  David  Lawson  and 
1827,  David  Lawson  and 
1828,  Robert  Mitchell  and 
1829,  David  Lawson  and 
Joseph  Rankin;  1830,  Robert  Mitchell;  1831, 
William  Houston;  1833,  James  M.  Stewart; 
1834,  William  Banks;  1836,  James  Taylor, 
1838,  William  McCaran,  Jr.;  1839,  Allen  N. 
Work;  1840,  John  Cummins;  1842,JohnMc- 
Ewen;  1844,  John  McFarland;  1846,  William 


Thomas  Johnson ; 
Joseph    Rankin; 
Joseph    Rankin; 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


61 


C.  McKuight;  1848,  William  Evaus;  1852 
Alexander  McConuell;  1856,  R.  B.  Moor- 
head;  1858,  John  Bruce;  1859,  A.  W.  Tay- 
lor; 1861,  James  Alexander;  1862,  Richard 
Graham;  1863,  J.  W.  Houston;  1865,  George 
E.  Smith;  1867,  W.  C.  Gordon,  A.  W.  Kim- 
mell;  1868,  W.  C.  Gordon;  1868,  R.  H.  Mc- 
Cormiek;  1869,  D.  M.  Marshall;  1871, 
Thomas  McMullin,  H.  K.  Sloan;  1872, 
Thomas  McMullin;  1873,  Daniel  Ramey; 
1875,  A.  W.  Kimmell,  J.  K.  Thompson  ;  1877, 
A.  H.  Fulton,  Jacob  Creps;  1878,  A.  H.  Ful- 
ton, Jacob  Creps;  1879,  A.  H.  Fulton,  John 
Hill;    1881,  William  C.  Brown  and 

;  1883,  John  Lowry  and  ;  1885, 

John  P.  Elkins  and  ;  1887,  S.  J. 

Craighead    and    John    P.    Elkins;    1889,    N. 
Seanor  and  J.  W.  Morrow. 

Associate  Judges  from  1806  to  1875.— 1806, 
James  Smith,  Charles  Campbell ;  1818,  Joshua 
Lewis  (succeeded  Smith);  1828,  John  Taylor; 
1829,  Andrew  Brown ;  1830,  Samuel  Moorhead, 
Jr.;  1836,  Robert  Mitchell,  M.D.;  1842,  Meek 
Kelly,  James  McKeunon;  1843,  John  Cun- 
ningham; 1845,  Fergus  Cannon;  1846,  Joseph 
Thompson;  1849,  James  M.  Stewart,  M.D.; 
1851  to  1856,  Peter  Ditts.Sr.;  1851  to  1861, 
Isaac  M.  Watt;  1856  to  1866,  John  K.  Thomp- 
son, M.D.;  1861  to  1866,  Peter  Sutton;  1866 
to  1871,  T.  B.  Allison;  1866  to  1871,  Joseph 
Campbell;  1871  to  1876,  Peter  Ditts,  Jr.; 
1871  to  February,  1874,  James  S.  Nesbit  (re- 
signed); February,  1874,  to  January  1st,  1875, 
William  Irwin. 

District  Attorneys. — Edmund  Page,  1850  to 
1853;  Henry  B.  Woods,  1856  to  1859;  John 
Lowry,  1862;  Daniel  S.  Porter,  1865  to  1868; 
William  R.  Allison,  1871 ;  Samuel  Cunning- 
ham, 1874;  M.  C.  Watson,  1877;  M.  C.  Wat- 
son, 1877  to  1884;  S.  M.  Jack,  1884  to  1890; 
John  Leech,  1890. 

The  Indiana  RegUter  in  1859  gave  the  fol- 
lowing list  of  attorneys  of  the  Indiana  county 
bar  from  1806  to   1859:  John  B.  Alexander, 


'  Samuel  S.  Harrison,  Samuel  Massey,  Daniel 
Stennard,  Walter  Forward,  Samuel  F.  Riddle, 
James  M.  Kelley,  Henry  Baldwin,  John  John- 
ston, William  H.  Breckenridge,  Walter  M. 
Denny,  Ephraim  M.  Carpenter,  John  William- 

i  son,  Daniel  M.  Broadhead,  Thomas  White, 
Thomas  R.  Peters,  George  Canan,  George 
Armstrong,  James  M.  Riddle,   Samuel  Guthry, 

;  Joseph  Weighley,  Paul  Morrow,  Alexander  W. 
Foster,  Beal   Howard,  John  Maintain,  Thomas 

I  Blair,  A.  Lawrence,  Charles  B.  Seely,  William 
M.  Kennedy,  Jacob  M.  Wise,  Henry  Shippen, 
John  Y.  Barclay,  W.  R.  Smith,  John  Reid, 
R.  B.  McCabe,  Henry  G.  Herron,  George  Car- 
son, John  Miles,  J.  McWilliams,  Joseph  H. 
Kuhne,  W.  F.  Boon,  George  W.  Smith,  John 
Frances,  Thomas  Knox,  William  Banks,  Stew- 
art Steel,  Alexander  McCalmont,  Michael  Dan 
McGehan,  James  Hepburn,  Thomas  Struthers, 
George  Shaw,  Charles  S.  Bradford,  Joseph  Buf- 
tiugton,  James  H.  Devor,  Joseph  J.  Young, 
H.  D.  Foster,  Benjamin  Bartholomew,  Robert 
Brown,  Martin  Brainard,  William  M.  Watson, 
Caleb  A.  Alexander,  William  B.  Conway, 
Barnwell  D.  Basford,  Joseph  B.  Musser, 
Michael  Galliher,  Richard  Arthurs,  John  Fen- 
ton,  John  Brady,  Darwin  Phelps,  Albert  Mer- 
chand,  John  Meyers,  William  M.  Stewart, 
Samuel  Johnston,  John  F.  Beaver,  Thomas 
Sutton,  Alexander  W.  Taylor,  Robert  L.  John- 
ston, Michael  Hasson,  S.  Hay,  Edgar  Cowan, 
James  Nichols,  Samuel  A.  Purviance,  Jeremiah 
M.  Burwell,  Wilson  Riley,  Ephraim  Buffing- 
ton,  A.  L.  Hamilton,  B.  Cornyn,  T.  C.  Mc- 
Dowel,  John  Potter,  James  W.Johnson,  Charles 
H.  Heyer,  P.  C.  Shannon,  H.  P.  Laird,  G.  P. 
Reed,  Alexander  W.  Taylor,  S.  F.  Cox,  Wil- 
liam A.  Campbell,  Jackson  Boggs,  Matthew 
Taylor,  Levi  McElhose,  Edward  Hutchison, 
L.  S.  Cantwell,  Edmund  Paige,  John  Crisswell, 
O.  H.  Brown,  T.  J.  Coffey,  John  Stanard,  Wil- 
liam Houston,  Jr.,  Richard  Coulter,  Jr.,  Joseph 
Frantz,  Samuel  H.  Tate,  Samuel  Sherwell,  J. 
Alexander   Fulton,   David    Barclay,   John  A. 


62 


QEOLOOICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


Willis,  Robert  Suttou,  Edward  S.  Golden,  ' 
Samuel  Douglass,  H.  B.  Woods,  Hugh  Weir, 
Thomas  E.  Morgau,  G.  W.  Bounen,  Jacob 
Turney,  George  M.  Reed,  William  H.  Coulter, 
Charles  Wyngard,  Phineas  M.  Jenks,  J.  K. 
Coxson,  Lewis  M.  Stewart,  Harry  White, 
Mathews  Coleman,  Joseph  M.  Thompson,  Mar- 
tin R.  Cooley,  C.  D.  Steel,  Eklward  J.  Belch, 
William  H.  McKee,  John  Conrod,  Alexander 
McKinney,  Philip  S.  Noon,  Benjamin  F.  Lucas, 
James  A.  Getty,  John  McClaran,  Silas  M. 
Clark,  John  Campbell,  T.  J.  McCullough, 
William  Kittell,  John  T.  Crawford,  John  K.  ''' 
Kalhoun. 

S/imJs.— Thomas  McCartney,  1806;  Thomas 
Sutton,  1809;  Robert  Robinson,  1812;  Thomas 
Sutton,    1815;    James   Elliott,    1818;    Henry 
Kinter,  1821;  Clemence  McGara,  1824;  James 
Gordon,   1827;    James  Taylor,  1830;    Joseph 
Lowry,   1833;    James   Kier,    1836;    William 
Evans,   1839;    David   Ralston,  1842;    Simeon 
Truby,  1845;  Gawin  Sutton,  1848;  John  Mul- 
lin,  1851;  John  Montgomery,  1854;  Joseph  R. 
Smith,  1857;    A.  P.   Thompson,  1860;    James  ^ 
R.  Dangherty,  1863;  Jacob  Creps,  1866;  Hen-  j 
derson  C.  Howard,  1869;  James  R.  Dangherty, 
1872;  William   C.  Brown,  1875;    Daniel  Ans- 
ley,  1878;  M.  F.  Jamison,   1882;    James  Me-  ; 
Gregor,  1885;  D.  C.  Mack,  1888. 

Prothonotaries  and  Clei-ks. — James  McLain, 
1806;  John  Taylor,  1818;  James  McCahan, 
1821;  Alexander  Taylor,  1824;  William  Banks, 
1828;  R.  B.  McCabe,  1833;  Thomas  Langh- 
lin,  1836;  Fergus  Cannon,  February,  1839,  to 
December,  1839;  Robert  Craig,  1839;  Alex- 
ander W.  Taylor,  1845 ;  N.  B.  Loughrey.  1851 ; 
John  Myers,  1854;  J.  R.  Porter,  Jr.,  1857; 
E.  P.  Hildebrand,  1860;  John  Lowry,  1866; 
A.  C.  Boyle,  1872;  W.  S.  Daugherty,  1882; 
John  A.  Scott,  1888. 

Registers  and  Recorders. — James  McLain, 
1806;  John  Taylor,  1818;  James  McCahan, 
1821;  Alexander  Taylor,  1824;  William 
Banks,  1828;  R.  B.  McCabe,  1833;  W.  Doug- 


lass, 1836;  Isaac  M.  Watt,  1839;  William 
McClaren,  1842;  William  McClaran,  1845; 
Isaac  M.  Watt  January,  1847,  to  December, 
1847;  David  Peelor,  1847;  John  H.  Lichte- 
berger,  1853;  A.  L.  McClusky,  1862;  W.  R. 
Black,  1868;  David  R.  Lewis,  1874;  B.  F. 
McCluskey,  1881,  who  died  August  18,  1882, 
and  was  succeeded  by  J.  A.  Findley;  James 
McGregor,  1890. 

Treasurer. — James  McKnight,  1811 ;  Thomas 
Sutton,  1813;  John  Taylor,  1815;  William 
Lucas,  1817;  William  Douglas,  1820;  Alex- 
ander Taylor,  1822;  William  Trimble,  1824; 
William  Lucas,  1827;  Blaney  Adair,  1830; 
James  Todd,  1833;  I.  M.  Watt,  1836;  W.  W. 
Caldwell,  1839;  William  Bruce,  1842;  W. 
Douglass,  1843;  W.  W.  Caldwell,  1845; 
Samuel  R.Rankin,  1847;  W.  W.  Caldwell, 
1849;  James  Hood,  1851;  Garviu  Sutton, 
1853;  Thomas  McCandless,  1855;  Jolin  Briuk, 
1857;  Charles  N.  Swoyer,  1859  (elected  but 
died  before  taking  office);  William  Earl,  1859 
(appointed);  James  Moorhead,  1861;  W.  H. 
Coleman,  1863;  John  A.  Stewart,  1865;  George 
W.  McHenry,1867;  Noah  Lohr,  1869;  James 
M.  Sutton,  1871;  George  H.Johnston,  1873; 
John  Ebey,  1875;  John  Truby,  1878;  John  T. 
Gibson,  1882;  T.  C.  Ramey,  1885;  D.  A. 
Luckhart,  1888;  G.  H.  Ogdeu,  1891. 

Siu-veyors :  District,  Deputy  and  County. — The 
district  surveyors  whose  services  extended  over 
that  part  of  Indiana  county  north  of  the  old 
purchase  line,  were :  James  Hamilton,  John 
Broadhead,  James  Jolmston,  James  Potter  and 
William  P.  Brady. 

Those  serving  within  the  limits  of  the  pur- 
chase of  1768  were  :  Joshua  Elder,  John  Moore, 
Joseph  L.  Fiudley,  Eonieu  Williams,  James 
Ross,  Thomas  Allison  and  Alexander  Taylor. 

Their  successors  were:  John  Taylor,  1815, 
also  served  as  surveyor-general ;  Robert  Young, 
1818;  Alexander  Taylor,  Jr.,  1819;  Meek 
Kelly,  1821;  John  Taylor,  1825-1827;  Meek 
Kell'ey,  1830-33;    Robert  McGee,  1834;  Wil- 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


63 


liam  Evans,  1836;  Robert  McGee,  1839; 
Thompson  McCrea,  1850;  David  Peelor,  1856; 
William  Evans,  1859;  Edmund  Paige,  1862; 
Thompson  McCrea,  1865-68;  Edmund  Paige, 
1871-79;  John  R.  Caldwell,  1887. 

Commissioners. — William  Clarke,  1806  and 
1807;  James  Johnson  and  Alexander  McLean, 
1806 ;  William  Clarke  and  Alexander  McLean, 
1808;  William  Clarke  and  Rev.  John  Jamison, 
1809;  James  McKnight,  Rev.  Jolin  Jamison 
and  Robert  Robison,  1810;  Robert  Robison, 
Joshua  Lewis  and  Rev.  John  Jamison,  1811; 
Robert  Robison,  Joshua  Lewis  and  Joseph 
Moorhead,  1812;  Francis  Boals,  Joshua  Lewis 
and  Joseph  Moorhead,  1813;  Joseph  Moor- 
head, Francis  Boals  and  Alexander  McLain, 
1814;  Alexander  McLain,  Francis  Boals  and 
Gawin  Sutton,  1815;  Gawin  Sutton,  Alexander 
McLain  and  Thomas  Sharp,  1816;  Gawin  Sut- 
ton, Thomas  Sharp  and  John  Smith,  1817; 
Thomas  Sharp,  John  Smith  and  Thomas  Laugh- 
lin,  1818;  Thomas  Laughliu,  John  Smith  and 
Joseph  Henderson,  1819;  William  Clarke, 
John  Smith  and  Joseph  Henderson,  1820; 
Joseph  Henderson,  William  Clarke  and  Clem- 
euce  McGara,  1821 ;  Clemeuce  McGara,  Stew- 
art Davis  and  William  Clarke,  1822;  Stewart 
Davis,  Clemence  McGara  and  Alexander  Patti- 
son,  1823;  Alexander  Pattison,  Stewart  Davis, 
James  Gordon,  182-1;  James  Gordon,  William 
W.  Caldwell,  Alexander  Pattison,  1825;  James 
Gordon,  James  Todd,  W.  W.  Caldwell,  1826; 
Peter  Dilts,  W.  W.  Caldwell,  James  Todd, 
1827;  Samuel  Trimble,  Peter  Dilts,  James 
Todd,  1828;  Samuel  Trimble,  Peter  Dilts, 
Archibald  Johnson,  1829;  Samuel  Trimble, 
Archibald  Johnson,  Gawin  Sutton,  1830;  Ga- 
win Sutton,  Archibald  Johnson,  James  Lewis, 
1831;  Gawin  Sutton,  William  Leard,  1833; 
James  Lewis,  Alexander  McMullin,  1834; 
James  McComb,  William  Laird,  Alexander 
McMullin,  1834;  James  McComb,  William 
Laird,  Alexander  McMullin,  1835 ;  James 
MaComb,   James    Lapsley,    John    Cummins, 


1836  ;  John  Cummins,  James  Lapsley,  Joseph 
McMasters,  1837;  William  Smith,  John  Cum- 
mins, Joseph  McMasters,  1838  ;  William  Smith, 
Philip  Rice,  James  Rhea,  1839 ;  John  Dick 
took  his  seat  October  20,  in  lieu  of  Smith  ; 
Philip  Rice,  James  Rhea,  John  Dick,  1841  ; 
Charles  Campbell  took  his  seat  November  2,  in 
lieu  of  Dick  ;  James  Rhea,  John  Dick,  Charles 

;  Campbell,  1842  ;  Thomas  Stewart  October  24, 
iu  lieu  of  Rhea;  John  Dick,  Charles  Campbell, 
Thomas  Stewart,  1843  ;  John  A.  Jamison,  Oc- 
tober 23,  in  lieu  of  Di^k  ;  Charles  Campbell, 
Thomas  Stewart,  John  A.  Jamison,  1844 ; 
Alexander  T.  Moorhead  took  his  seat  in  lieu  of 
Stewart ;  Charles  Campbell,  John  A.  Jamison, 
Alexander  T.  Moorhead,  1845 ;  Abraham 
Davis  took  his  seat  November  3,  in  lieu  of 
Campbell ;    John    T.    Jamison,  Alexander   T. 

'  Moorhead,  Abraham  Davis,  1846;  Thomas 
Walker  took  his  seat  November  2,  in  lieu  of 
Jamison  ;  Alexander  T.  Moorhead,  Abraham 
Davis,  Thomas  Walker,  1847;  Jacob  Gamble 
took  his  seat  October  25,  in  lieu  of  Moor- 
head ;  Abraham  Davis,  Thomas  Walker, 
Jacob  Gamble,  1848  ;  Thomas  Gibson  took 
his  seat,  October  14,  in  lieu  of  Davis ;  Thomas 
Walker,  Jacob  Gamble,  Thomas  Gibson,  1849  ; 
John  Lytic  took  his  seat  October  15,  in  lieu  of 
Walker  ;  Jacob  Gamble,  Thomas  Gibson,  John 
Lytle,  1850  ;  John  Shields  took  his  seat  Octo- 
ber 21,  iu  lieu  of  Gamble  ;  Thomas  Gibson, 
John  Lytle,  John  Shields,  1851 ;  Samuel  H. 
Johnston,  November  3,  in  lieu  of  Gibson ; 
John  Lytle,  John  Shields,  Samuel  H.  John- 
ston, 1852;  Robert  H.  Armstrong,  October  25, 
in  lieu  of  Lytle ;  John  Shields,  Samuel  H. 
Johnston,  Robert  H.  Armstrong,  1853;  Moses 
T.  Work,  November  1,  in  lieu  of  Shields; 
Samuel  H.  Johnston,  Robert  H.  Armstrong, 
Moses  T.  Work,  1854;  George  Lowman  took 
the  place  of  Johnston  ;  Robert  H.  Armstrong, 
Moses  T.  Work,  George  Lowman,  1855;  Johu 
Gourley,  October  17,  in  lieu  of  Armstrong; 
Moses  T.  Work,  George  Lowman,  John  Gour- 


64 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


ley,  1 856 ;  David  Henderson,  October  29,  in 
lieu  of  Work ;  George  Lowman,  John  Gour- 
ley,  David  Henderson,  1857 ;  Thomas  Davis, 
November  3,  in  lieu  of  Lowman  ;  John  Gour- 
ley,  David  Henderson,  Thomas  Davis,  1858; 
A.  L.  McCloskey,  October  25,  in  lieu  of  Gour- 
•  ley  ;  David  Henderson,  Thomas  Davis,  A.  L. 
McCluskey,  1859  ;  William  Johnston,  October 
26,  in  lieu  of  Henderson ;  Thomas  Davis,  A. 
L.  McCluskey,  William  Johnston,  1860;  Sam- 
uel Irwin,  October  15,  in  lieu  of  Davis;  A.  L. 
McCluskey,  William  Johnston,  Samuel  Irwin, 
1861  ;  Andrew  Shields,  November  12,  in  lieu 
of  McCluskey ;  William  Johnston,  Samuel  Ir- 
win, Andrew  Shields,  1862  ;  Samuel  Irwin,  An- 
drew Shields,  S.  A.  Allison,  1863;  Andrew 
Shields,  S.  A.  Allison,  W.  C.  McCrea,  1864 ;  S. 
A.  Allison,  W.  C.  McCrea,  W.  G.  Stewart,  1865 
W.  C.  McCrea,  W.  G.  Stewart,  R.  Adams,  1866 
W.  G.  Stewart,  R.  Adams,  G.  Shryock,  1867 
Robert  Adams,  George  Shryock,  Elliott  Fer- 
guson, 1868;  George  Shryock,  Elliott  Fer- 
guson, James  T.  Vauhorn,  1869;  Elliott  Fer- 
guson, James  T.  Vanhorn,  John  S.  Fleming, 
ing,  1870  ;  James  T.  Van  Horn,  John  S.  Flem- 
ing, Jacob  Darr,  1871  ;  John  S.  Fleming,  Jacob 
Darr,  James  M.  Work,  1872 ;  Jacob  Darr, 
James  M.  Work,  George  W.  Boadenhamer, 
1873 ;  James  M.  Work,  George  W.  Boaden- 
hamer, Samuel  G.  Miller,  1874;  George 
W.  Boadenhamer,  Samuel  G.  Miller,  Francis 
Mabon,  1875;  Jeremiah  Lomison,  Frederick 
Cameron,  Frederick  Buterbaugh,  1876-7-8; 
John  G.  Robinson,  A.  P.  Thompson,  William 
Daugherty,  1879-80;  James  Johnston,  Wm. 
Mabon,  James  C.  McQuown,  1882;  A  W. 
Steele,  R.  M.  McComb,  Jeremiah  Wakefield,  i 
1885;  A.  C.  Rankin,  John  G.  Cameron,  A.  H. 
Braughler,  1891. 

The  clerks  of  the  board  of  commissioners 
from  1804  to  1880  have  been :  Alexander 
Johnston,  for  trustees  of  the  county,  1804 ;  Paul 
Morrison,  for  trustees  of  county,  1805;  James 
Riddle   for  commissioners,    1806 ;  James   Mc- 


Knight,  1807;  Daniel  Stenard  and  James  M. 
Biddie,  1808  ;  Daniel  Stenard,  1809-10  ;  James 
McKnight,  1811  ;  James  M.  KelJey,  1812-13; 
John  Wilson  and  James  Coulter,  1814;  John 
Wilson  and  John  Taylor,  1815;  Gawin  Sutton 
and  John  Taylor,  1816  ;  Daniel  Stenard  and 
Stewart  Davis,  1817;  Stewart  Davis,  1820; 
Robert  Young,  1824;  Ephraim  Carpenter, 
1825;  Stewart  Davis,  1825;  William  Banks, 
1826 ;  John  Johnston,  1829  ;  William 
Banks,  1833;  Joseph  J.  Young,  1834;  Wil- 
liam Stewart,  I.  M.  Watt  and  John  Myers, 
1838;  Robert  M.  Gibson,  1839;  A.  W.  Tay- 
lor, 1841;  Edward  Paige,  1848;  J.  H.  Lich- 
teberger,  1849 ;  George  Shryock,  1853 ; 
George  Shryock,  1862;  W.  R.  Black,  1865; 
James  B.  Work,  1870  ;  W.  H.  Coleman,  1871  ; 
D.  R.  Lewis,  1873;  J.  T.  Gibson,  1875  ;  J.  P. 
St.  Clair,  1879-80. 

The  coroners  from  1806  to  1880  have  been  : 
Samuel  Young,  1806;  Joseph  Turner,  1809; 
William  Shields,  1812;  James  Loughrey,  1815 ; 
William  Douglas,  1818;  Peter  Sutton,  Jr., 
1821  ;  James  E.  Cooper,  1824 ;  Samuel  George, 
1827-30-33 ;  Samuel  McCartney,  1833-36-39  ; 
William  Henry,  1839  ;  John  McQuilkin,  1842  ; 
James  Hood,  1845;  Samuel  Trimble,  1848; 
James  McLain,  1851  ;  J.  W.  Mahon,  1854;  J. 
A.  Jamison,  1857  ;  J.  I.  Kelly,  1860;  William 
Shields,  1863;  Joseph  Gilbert,  1868;  John 
Clawson,  1869;  William  H.  Coleman,  1872 ; 
Samuel  A.  Smith,  1875  ;  Irvin  McFarland, 
1878. 

The  following  is  an  alphabetical  li.st  of  the 
post-offices  in  Indiana  county,  with  their 
respective  distances  from  the  county-seat,  on 
October  1,  1890:  Advance,  9  miles;  Ambrose, 
13  miles;  Angora,  18  miles;  Armagh,  14 
miles;  Avanmore,  24  miles;  Beringer,  18 
miles;  Black  Lick  Station,  12  miles;  Blairs- 
ville,  16  miles;  Brady,  14  miles;  Brush  Val- 
ley, 10  miles ;  Buffington,  16  miles ;  Canoe 
Ridge,  24  miles ;  Chambersville,  7  miles ; 
Clarksburg,  15  miles;  Clyde,  14  miles;  Cook- 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


65 


port,  16  miles;  Covode,  23  miles;  Cramer,  16 
miles ;  Creekside,  6  miles ;  Crete,  5  miles ; 
Cush  Creek,  23  miles;  Davis,  11  miles;  Deck- 
er's Point,  14  miles;  Dentou.  17  miles;  Dill- 
town,  14  miles;  Dixonville,  13  miles;  Ebenezer, 
13  miles;  Elder's  Ridge,  16  miles;  Flora,  30 
miles;  Georgeville,  20  miles;  Gilpin,  8  miles; 
Glen  Campbell,  24  miles;  Grant,  22  miles; 
Grip,  18  miles  ;  Grisemore,  17  miles;  Hamili, 
17  miles  ;  Heshbon,  14  miles  ;  Hillsdale,  20 
miles  ;  Home,  10  miles  ;  Homer  City,  6  miles  ; 
Horton's,  28  miles;  Kent,  9  miles;  Kenwood,  13 
miles;  Kimmell,  16  miles;  Locust  Lane,  23 
miles;  Loop,  25  miles;  Marcliand,  21  miles; 
Mitchell's  Mills,  13  miles;  Nolo,  10  miles; 
North  Point,  25  miles ;  North  Summit,  35  miles ; 
Onberg,  6  miles;  Ord,  17  miles;  Parkwood,  10 
miles ;  Peuu  Run,  9  miles ;  Pine  Flats,  14 
miles  ;  Plumville,  14  miles  ;  Purchase  Line,  16 
miles ;  Rochester  Mills,  20  miles  ;  Saltsburg, 

20  miles  ;  Sheloeta,  9  miles  ;  Sniathers,  6  miles  ; 
Smicksburg,  22  miles;  Spruce,  19  miles; 
Strongstown,  14  miles ;  Sunclitf,  8  miles ;  Tan- 
nery, 11  miles  ;  Tanoma,  9  miles  ;  Trade  City, 

21  miles  ;  Tunnelton,  20  miles ;  Two  Lick,  4 
miles;  Utah,  14  miles;  West  Lebanon,  14 
miles;  Willet,  10  miles. 

Population  from  1820  to  1840  : 

1820.       1830.       1840. 

Wheatfield 2,020       2,961       1,664 

Armstrong 587  814       1,054 

Blairsville 957  990 

Black  Lick 1,303       1,850       2,028 

Brush  Valley 1,822 

Centre 937       1,237       1,615 

Conemaugh 1,555       2,104       1,441 

Greene 1,1.30      2,321 

Indiana 317  433  674 

Mahoning 1,106       1,640       2,890 

Montgomery 787 

Saltsburg 335 

Washington 1,067  957       1,893 

Young 1,116 

The  first  iron  enterprise  in  Indiana  county 
was  "  Indiana  Forge,"  which  was  built  on  Find- 
ley  run  near  the  Conemaugh  river  in  1837,  by 
5 


Henry  and  John  Noble,  who  also  built  a  small 
furnace  in  1840.  To  stock  his  store  at  Indiana 
forge,  in  1837,  John  Noble  exchanged  two  liun- 
dred  acres  of  land,  in  what  is  now  the  heart  of 
Altoona,  for  forty-five  hundred  dollars'  worth 
of  goods,  which  he  purchased  of  D.  Robinson, 
of  Pleasant  Valley.  The  Altoona  land  to-day 
is  worth  over  two  million  dollars.  In  1843, 
W.  D.  and  Thomas  McKennan  purcha-sed  Indi- 
ana forge  and  furnace,  and  in  1846  sold  the 
plant  to  Elias  Baker,  who  erected  a  new  fur- 
nace and  forge,  which  he  operated  for  several 
years.  In  1846  there  were  four  charcoal  fur- 
naces in  the  county. 

The  "Kittanning  Trail'-'  was  the  great  Indian 
highway  through  Iridiaua  county.  It  came 
from  Frankstown  into  the  county  below  the 
purchase  line.  It  passed  near  the  site  of  Dia- 
mondville,  crossed  from  Green  into  Cherry 
Hill  township,  ran  near  Greenville  and  passed 
Shaffer's  sleeping-place,  bore  a  little  to  the  right 
of  Indiaua,  then  ran  througli  the  Charles 
Campbell  and  Fergus  Mourhead  tracts  to 
Curry  run,  which  it  followed  to  Crooked 
creek,  where  the  "Kiskiminetas  Path"  left  it  to 
run  southwest  to  Chartiers,  on  the  Allegheny 
river.  The  Kittanning  Trail  left  Crooked 
creek  and  passed  out  of  the  county  near  the 
site  of  Sheloeta.  The  Wenango  Path  left  the 
Kittanning  Trail  at  the  forks  on  the  Caldwell 
tract,  in  Green  township,  and  ran  north.  The 
Peholaud  Trail  came  north  from  the  Ligonier 
Valley,  in  Westmoreland  county,  and  passed 
near  the  site  of  Centreville  to  Peholand's 
camp,  which  was  opposite  the  site  of  Homer 
City.  It  then  crossed  the  Kittanning  Trail  at 
Indiana  and  went  northward,  passing  near  the 
site  of  Kellysburg,  and  crossed  Mahoning 
creek  to  the  mouth  of  Ross  run  (where  an  In- 
dian village  stood)  on  its  way  to  the  Indian  town 
of  Coughcheating. 

The  Holland  Land  Company  held  several 
tracts  of  land  in  this  county,  audits  history  will 
be  given  briefly. 


66 


QEOLOOICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


Tlie  Holland. Land  company  was  composed  of 
eleven  merchants  of  the  city  of  Amsterdam, 
who  had  acquired  wealth  by  careful  investments 
and  fair  profits.  They  had  spare  capital  and 
sought  to  invest  in  the  wild  lands  of  western 
New  York  and  Pennsylvania.  Their  invest- 
ments were  made  from  1792  to  1800.  "These 
Dutch  merchants  were  far  in  advance  of  the 
prevailing  sentiment  in  Europe,  as  to  the  success 
and  permanency  of  the  experiment  of  free 
government."  The  title  of  the  Holland  Pur- 
chase is  traced  from  James  II.,  William  and 
Mary  and  Charles  II.  to  Robert  Morris,  who 
sold  3,300,000  acres  of  land  in  western  New 
York,  on  December  31,  1798,  to  Wilhelm  Wil- 
link,  Nicholas  Van  Staphorst,  Pieter  Van 
Eeghen,  Hendrick  Vollenhoven  and  Rutger 
Schemmelpenninck.  This  was  their  largest 
purchase  from  Morris  and  included  a  large 
portion  of  the  land  which  had  been  in  dispute 
between  New  York  and  Massachusetts  for  sev- 
eral years.  In  1792  the  above-named  members 
of  the  Holland  company  purchased  several 
large  tracts  of  land  in  what  are  now  Indiana 
and  Armstrong  counties. 

Robert  Morris  was  very  prominent  in  the 
Revolutionary  war  and  took  a  great  interest  in 
the  development  of  western  Pennsylvania  and 
western   New  York. 

"  It  is  an  often  demonstrated  truth,  that 
'  money  is  the  sinew  of  war.'  It  was  eminent- 
ly so  during  the  revolutionary  struggle,  when 
its  strength  and  usefulness  in  the  cause  of 
freedom  were  controlled  by  Robert  Morris,  a 
wealthy  and  influential  merchant  of  Philadel- 
phia. He  was  born  in  Lancashire,  England,  in 
January,  1733.  His  father  was  a  Liverpool 
merchant  extensively  engaged  in  the  American 
trade,  who  came  to  America  in  1744,  and  set- 
tled on  the  eastern  shore  of  Chesapeake  bay. 
His  son,  Robert,  with  his  grandmother,  followed 
in  1746,  and  was  placed  in  a  school  in  Phila- 
delphia, where  an  inefficient  teacher  wasted  his 
time  and  patience.      In  1749  young  Morris  was 


placed  in  the  counting-room  of  Charles  Willing, 
of  Philadelphia;  and  on  the  death  of  his  em- 
ployer, in  1754,  he  entered  into  a  partnership 
with  that  gentleman's  son,  which  continued 
thirty-nine  years.  That  firm  soon  became  the 
most  wealthy  and  extensive  among  the  importers 
of  Philadelphia,  and  consequently  they  were 
the  heaviest  losers  by.  the  non-importation  agree- 
ments, which  gave  such  a  deadly  blow  at  the 
infant  commerce  of  the  colonies,  after  the  pas- 
sage of  the  Stamp  Act.  Yet  they  patriotically 
joinetl  the  league,  and  made  the  sacrifice  for  the 
good  of  the  cause  of  right. 

"  In  November,  1775,  Mr.  Morris  was  elected 
to  a  seat  in  the  Continental  Congress,  where  his 
exceeding  great  usefulness  was  soon  discovered. 
Its  appreciation  was  manifested  by  placing  him 
upon  committees,  having  in  charge  the  '  ways 
and  means '  for  carrying  on  the  war.  In  the 
Spring  of  1776  he  was  chosen,  by  Congress,  a 
special  commissioner  to  negotiate  bills  of  ex- 
change, and  to  take  other  measures  to  procure 
money  for  government.  At  that  time  no  man's 
credit,  in  America,  for  wealth  and  honor,  stood 
higher  than  that  of  Robert  Morris.  He  was 
again  elected  to  Congress  after  the  Declaration 
of  Independence  had  been  adopted,  and  being 
favorable  to  that  measure,  he  signed  the  docu- 
ment, with  most  of  the  others,  on  the  second 
day  of  August  following.  Toward  the  close  of 
that  year,  when  the  half-naked,  half-famished 
American  army  were  about  to  cease  the  strug- 
gle, in  despair,  he  evinced  his  faith  in  the  suc- 
cess of  the  conflict,  and  his  own  warm  patriot- 
ism, by  loaning  for  the  government,  on  his  own 
responsibility,  ten  thousand  dollars.  It  gave 
food  and  clothing  to  the  gallant  little  band  under 
Washington,  who  achieved  the  noble  victory  at 
Trenton,  and  a  new  and  powerful  impetus  was 
thereby  given  to  the  Revolution. 

"  Mr.  Morris  was  continually  active  in  the 
great  cause  during  the  whole  of  the  war.  He 
fitted  out  many  privateers.  Some  were  lost, 
others    were   successful    in    bringing   him  rich. 


INDIANA  COUNTY. 


67 


prizes ;  aud  at  the  return  of  peace  he  estimated 
that  his  losses  and  gains  were  about  equal.  In 
May,  1781,  about  the  gloomiest  period  of  the 
struggle,  Mr.  Morris  submitted  to  Congress  a 
plan  for  a  National  Bank.  It  was  approved, 
aud  the  Bank  of  North  Ameriea,  with  Robert 
Morris  as  its  soul,  was  established,  and  became 
a  very  efficient  fiscal  agent.  He  was  assisted 
by  Gouverneur  Morris  ;  and  through  the  active 
agency,  in  financial  matters,  of  these  gentlemen, 
much  of  the  success  which  resulted  in  the  cap- 
ture of  Coruwallis,  at  Yorktown,  must  be 
attributed.  During  that  year  Mr.  Morris  ac- 
cepted the  office  of  Financial  Agent  (Secretary 
of  the  Treasury)  of  the  United  States.  After 
the  war  he  was  twice  a  member  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Legislature,  and  he  was  one  of  the 
framers  of  the  Federal  Constitution.  He  was 
a  senator  in  the  first  Congress  convened  under 
that  instrument ;  and  Washington  appointed 
him  his  first  Secretary  of  the  Treasury.  He 
declined  the  office,  and  nametl  Alexander  Ham- 
ilton as  more  capable,  than  himself,  to  perform 
the  dutie-s.  At  the  close  of  his  senatorial  term 
Mr.  Morris  retire<l  from  public  life,  not  so  rich 
in  money,  by  half,  as  when  he  entered  the 
arena.  Soon  the  remainder  of  his  large  fortune 
was  lost  by  speculations  in  wild  land,  in  the 
western  part  of  the  State  of  New  York,  after- 
ward purchased  by  an  a.ssociation  known  as 
The  Holland  Land  Company.  On  the  8th  of 
May,  1806,  Robert  Morris,  the  great  Financier 
of  the  Revolution,  died  in  comparative  poverty, 
at  the  age  of  a  little  more  than  seventy-three 
years." 

"The  geological  work  of  1877  in  Indiana 
county  has,  among  other  things,  established 
beyond  doubt,  that  the  rocks  of  the  Lower  Pro- 
ductive Coal  measures  cross  the  great  anticlinal 
of  Laurel  Hill  from  the  First  Basin  without 
suffering  any  material  modification  or  change, 
either  as  regards  their  total  thickness  or  in  the 
number  of  their  enclosed  coal  beds,  limestones, 
&c. ;  and  further,  that  they  continue  in  what 


for  all  practical  purposes  may  be  considered  the 
same  condition  across  the  several  basins  to  the 
west,  as  far  at  least  as  the  eastern  border  of 
Armstrong  county,  where  work  will  be  resumed 
in  the  season  of  1878,  and  continued  thence  to 
the  Allegheny  Valley,  to  be  joined  tm  there 
with  the  very  complete  work  of  Prof.  White, 
extending  west  from  the  Allegheny  river  to  the 
Ohio  State  line. 

"  The  surprising  regularity  of  the  Ijower  Pro- 
ductive group  throughout  the  whole  First  Basin 
from  the  Moshannon  to  the  Maryland  line,  is 
familiar  to  every  reader  of  the  Pennsylvania 
reports.  This  regularity,  remarkable  as  it  is, 
is  no  greater  than  prevails  in  the  same  rocks  in 
the  Second,  Third  and  Fourth  basins.  One 
may  go  all  over  Indiana  county  from  the  Cone- 
maugh  river  to  the  Jefferson  county  line,  and 
from  Cambria  to  Armstrong,  without  exper- 
iencing any  difficulty  in  identifying  the  coal 
beds  and  limestone  deposits  of  the  Lower  Pro- 
ductive series,  by  the  same  guides  that  were 
used  in  operating  in  the  First  basin. 

"  The  dominant  nx^ks  of  the  series,  as  they  pre- 
sent themselves  in  the  First  basin,  are  repeated 
in  Indiana  county  wherever  these  measures  rise 
above  water  level ;  and  here  as  there  they  are 
separated  by  very  nearly  the  same  vertical  inter- 
vals, in  many  ca.ses  the  intervals  being  exactly 
the  same  as  in  the  section  considered  to  be  tyj)!- 
cal  of  the  Ijower  Productive  measures  in  the 
First  Great  Basin.  From  this,  however,  it  must 
not  be  supposed  that  an  argument  favoring  the 
absolute  parallelism  of  the  strata  would  be  pre- 
sented, because  any  such  supposition  is  suffi- 
ciently disproved  by  the  frequent  local  varia- 
tions in  the  measures,  displayed  either  by  the 
contraction  or  expansion  of  their  bulk,  or  by 
slight  modifications  of  the  mineral  character  of 
the  strata.  It  is,  however,  a  fact,  in  whatever 
light  it  may  be  viewed,  that  the  typical  vertical 
section  of  the  First  Basin  is  repeated  again  and 
again  in  every  basin  of  Indiana  county,  agree- 
ing too  in  every  way  with  the  work  in  the  same 


68 


OEOLOOICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


basins  in  Clearfield  and  Jefferson  counties  to 
the  north.  This  is  sufficient  to  show  the  regu- 
larity with  which  these  measures  extend  over 
miles  and  miles  of  territory,  and  while  not  uni- 
formly parallel  to  a  sufficient  degree  to  en- 
able us  to  identify  coal-beds  in  every  case  by 
means  of  the  vertical  distances  separating 
them,  yet  the  variations  from  what  we  may 
justly  consider  the  normal  condition  can  never 
produce  confusion  after  the  entire  section  is 
worked  out. 

"  One  of  the  chief  points  of  interest  in  the  In- 
diana County  Survey,  was  the  tracing  westward 
of  the  now  famous  Johnstown  Cement  bed, — 
the  rock  that,  for  so  long  a  time,  was  wrongly 
associated  with  the  classical  Ferriferous  lime- 
stone of  the  Allegheny  Valley.  The  non-iden- 
tity of  these  two  strata  was  sufficiently  pointed 
out  and  proved  in  the  Report  of  Progress  for 
1876,  and  the  subject  requires  no  further  elabo-  [ 
ration.  As  regards  the  character  and  thickness 
of  the  rock  in  Indiana  county,  the  reader  must 
be  referred  to  the  detailed  chapters  of  the  vol- 
ume, in  which  every  locality  where  the  stratum 
was  observed  is  noted.  But  it  may  here  be 
said  that  this  limestone  band  continues  in  an  un- 
broken sheet  westward  across  all  the  anticlinal 
and  synclinal  flexures  of  the  strata  to  re-appear 
occasionally  but  in  a  very  attenuated  form  in 
Mr.  White's  sections. 

"  The  geological  horizon  of  the  true  ferriferous 
limestone  is  so  seldom  above  water-level  west 
of  Chestnut  Ridge  in  Indiana  county,  and 
where  it  rises  above  the  drainage  line  it  has 
been  so  infrequently  exj30sed  by  the  farmers, 
that  it  would  be  inexpedient  to  attempt  to  de-  j 
tine  it.s  true  relationship  to  the  lower  part  of  the 
group,  because  the  sections  in  this  region  of 
country  are  necessarily  imperfect.  But  its  re- 
lationship with  regard  to  the  upper  strata  of 
the  Lower  Productive  group,  has  been  very 
clearly  made  out,  and  found  to  agree  closely 
with  the  conditions  prevailing  in  the  Allegheny 
Valley. 


"  The  position  of  the  Ferriferous  limestone  as 
regards  the  lower  strata  of  the  group,  may  at 
the  present  writing  fairly  be  regarded  as  uncer- 
tain. Some  of  the  sections  obtained  in  Indiana 
county  would  indicate  that  this  limestone  strata 
occupies  a  position  between  what  we  have  re- 
garded in  these  reports  as  A  and  B  coals,  and 
there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  the  entire  correctness 
of  these  sections.  Such  a  construction,  though 
it  would  explain  many  facts  observed  in  the 
First  Basin,  would  nevertheless  be  in  conflict 
with  what  for  years  has  been  held  as  the  correct 
position  of  the  Ferriferous  limestone  in  the  col- 
umn of  the  Lower  Productive  measures.  As 
elsewhere  intimated  the  facts  at  hand  are  insuf- 
ficient to  reverse  the  opinion  formed  long  ago 
by  able  and  competent  geologists;  but  it  must 
at  least  be  regarded  as  an  open  question  and  one 
that  will  be  decided  by  the  Survey  of  Armstrong 
county. 

"Excepting  in  the  case  of  the  Upper  and 
Lower  Freeport  beds,  all  names  of  coals  have 
been  carefully  omitted  from  this  report;  in  their 
place  capital  letters  are  used,  the  same  lettering 
that  was  employed  all  through  the  First  basin. 

"It  was  shown  that  the  triple  fonn  of  the 
Freeportgroup,— a  classification  adopted  at  the 
beginning  of  the  present  Survey,  could  not  be 
maintained,  and  that  to  prevent  inevitable  con- 
fusion in  the  future,  it  was  necessary  to  return 
to  the  original  classification  of  the  Freeport 
coals  into  two  beds, — tlie  Upper  and  Lower 
Freeport.  This  lias  been  done  in  the  present 
report,  the  name  Middle  Freeport  disappearing 
from  the  list.  The  same  bed  is  now  called  tlie 
Lower  Freeport,  but  retains  its  letter  of  the 
First  Basin,  namely  D'.  The  Lower  Freeport 
of  the  First  Basin  report,  goes  for  the  present 
without  a  name,  being  known  only  by  the  let- 
ter D.  It  is  the  Darlington  coal  of  Mr. 
White's  sections,  and  throughout  Indiana  coun- 
ty as  well  as  in  the  southern  part  of  the  First 
Basin  it  comes  into  the  measures  directly  above 
the  Johnstown  cement  bed. 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


69 


"  In  the  following  schedule  is  shown  the  rela- 
tive position  occupied  by  the  principal  strata 
of  the  Lower  Productive  series,  together  with 
the  classification  and  lettering  adopted  for  the 
coal  beds  in  this  report.  It  will  be  observed 
that  the  Ferriferous  limestone  appears  under- 
neath coal-bed  C,  between  this  and  bed  B, 
where  it  is  at  present  supposed  to  belong. 

"  For  purposes  of  comparison  the  schedule  used 
in  the  First  Basin  reports  is  placed  side  by  side 
with  that  employed  in  the  present  volume. 


Indiana  County. 

First  Basin. 

Upper  Freeport  coal  (E). 

Upper  Freeport  coal  (E). 

Freeport  limestone. 

Freeport  limestone. 

Lower  Freeport  coal  (D' 

). Middle  Freeport  coal  (D'). 

Lower  Freeport  limeston 

B.Middle  Freeport  limestone. 

Freeport  sands' one. 

Freeport  sandstone. 

Coal  bed  D. 

Lower  Freeport  coal  (D). 

Johnstown  cement  bed. 

Johnstown  cement  bed. 

Coal  bed  C. 

Kittanning  coal  (C). 

Ferriferous  limestone. 

Absent 

Coal  bed  B'. 

Coal  bed  B'. 

Coal  bed  B. 

Clarion  coal  (B). 

Coal  bed  A'. 

Coal  bed  A'. 

Sandstone. 

Sandstone. 

Coal  bed  A. 

Brookville  coal  (A). 

"The  survey  of  the  Lower  Barren  rocks  in 
Indiana  county,  yielded  very  few  reliable  sec- 
tions. One, of  the  best  and  most  important, 
was  obtained  at  Dilltown  on  Black  Lick  creek 
in  the  Ligonier  Basin  ;  this  section  extends  with- 
out a  break  from  the  Upper  Freeport  coal  to 
the  Morgantown  sandstone,  and  although  not 
complete  in  all  its  details,  yet  it  shows  many 
interesting  features  which  resemble  closely 
those  observed  in  the  same  rocks  in  Somerset 
county.  If  to  this  Dilltown  section  be  added 
the  measures  observed  at  Blairsville  between 
the  Morgantown  sandstone  and  Pittsburgh 
Coal,  the  Barren  Measure  column  will  be  com- 
plete, so  far  as  its  length  is  concerned. 

"The  Western  uplands  of  the  county,  though 
largely  covered  by  Lower  Barren  rocks,  contrib- 
ute very  little  to  our  knowledge  of  the  geology 
of  these  measures.     In  studying  them  the  same 


difficulties  were  encountered  that  have  been  met 
with  by  every  geologist  operating  in  these 
rocks  in  the  western  part  of  the  State,  namely, 
meagre  exposures  embracing  only  a  few  feet  of 
rocks,  and  separated  by  wide  horizontal  inter- 
vals. Under  such  circumstances  to  build  up  a 
column  of  measures,  it  is  necessary  to  supply 
numerous  missing  links  to  the  chain,  and  in 
these  gaps  it  frequently  happens  that  we  pass 
over  the  only  recognized  horizons  of  the  group, 
so  that  our  section  teaches  us  nothing.  The 
very  nature  of  these  strata  causes  them  in 
weathering  to  conceal  their  basset  edges,  and 
excepting  for  the  limestone  deposits  enclosed  in 
them  they  offer  no  inducement  to  the  farmer 
to  explore  them.  In  the  natural  exposures 
only  the  harder  strata  of  the  group  are  ex- 
posed, the  small  coal-beds  being  generally  con- 
cealed beneath  a  mass  of  soft  crumbling  shale. 

"  But  certain  members  of  the  series  have  al- 
ready been  recognized  as  steadfast,  and  as  con- 
stituting reliable  horizons.  These  were  repeat- 
edly identified  at  such  parts  of  the  county  as  in- 
clude them  ;  but  the  coals  and  limestones  of  the 
Berlin  group,  though  likely  present  in  some  rec- 
ognizable form,  could  not  always  be  satisfactorily 
established. 

"  The  thickness  of  the  group  varies  but  little, 
maintaining  an  average  of  about  600  feet.  These 
are  its  dimensions  at  Blairsville,  and  also  at 
Saltsburg,  the  only  points  in  the  county  where 
the  entire  series  can  be  measured. 

"  The  best  known  and  most  widely  recognized 
members  of  the  series  are  the  following,  omit- 
ting for  the  most  part  the  coals  of  the  Berlin 
group ; 

"  The  Little  Pittsburgh  Coal. 

The  Little  Pittsburgh  Limestone. 

The  Connellsville  Sandstone. 

The  Morgantown  Sandstone. 

The  Elk  Lick  Coal. 

The  Green  or  Crinoidal  Limestone. 

The  Black  Fossiliferous  Limeistoiie. 

The  Philson  Coal. 


70 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


The  Philson  Limestone. 

The  Gallitzin  Coal. 

The  Mahoning  Sandstone. 

Mineral  resovrces. 

"  Excepting  the  small  patches  of  Upper  Pro- 
ductive measures  at  Blairsville  and  Saltsburg, 
the  Lower  Productive  group  are  the  only  rocks 
tliat  can  be  depended  upon  for  coal  in  Indiana 
County  ;  and  by  reference  to  the  geological  map 
it  will  be  seen  at  a  glance  that  west  of  Chestnut 
Ridge  these  measures  are  chiefly  below  the  pres- 
ent water  line  of  the  streams.  They  therefore 
underlie  the  whole  of  the  western  uplands,  and 
to  reach  them  at  many  points  would  require 
deep  shafls,  but  fortunately  for  this  part  of  the 
county  such  a  necessity  is  avoided  by  sufficient 
coal  having  been  raised  at  a  few  localities  above 
water  level  for  a  short  distance  by  the  anticlinal 
axes.  Cheap  fuel,  therefore,  while  not  every- 
where obtainable  in  the  western  townships,  is 
easily  accessible  from  almost  any  point. 

"  In  the  Ligonier  Basin  (east  of  Chestnut 
Ridge)  the  greater  part  of  the  area  is  occupied 
by  Lower  Productive  rocks,  and  coal  therefore 
abounds  in  that  section  in  prodigious  quantities. 
Many  hillsides  contain  foi*  a  long  distance  the 
entire  Lower  Productive  group  with  all  its  en- 
closed coal  beds,  limestones,  &c.  Someday  these 
vast  stores  of  fuel  will  be  needed  for  the  arts 
and  manufactures. 

"The  amount  of  available  limestone  in  the 
county  is  no  less  great  than  the  coal,  while  its 
distribution  is  wider  and  much  more  even,  for 
layers  of  this  valuable  rock  are  intercalated  not 
only  in  the  Lower  Productive  group,  but  in  the 
Barren  series  as  well.  Its  use  as  a  fertilizer  of 
the  soil  does  not  seem  yet  to  be  fully  appreciated 
in  all  parts  of  the  county,  and  its  too  sparing 
use  will  account  in  large  part  for  the  unsatis- 
factory results  frequently  obtained  by  the 
farmers  in  tilling  the  land.  Here  and  there, 
however,  the  advantages  arising  from  its  utili- 
zation are   understood  by  the  farmers,  whose 


fields  present  then  a  striking  contrast  to  those 
barren  strips  of  country,  in  which  the  soil, 
though  made  up  of  the  same  material,  is  ex- 
hausted from  overwork  and  lack  of  proper 
treatment. 

"  The  clays  of  the  district  include  not  only 
some  excellent  varieties  of  fire-clay,  but  also 
some  valuable  surface  deposits,  from  which 
good  bricks  for  building  purposes  have  been 
made. 

"The  fire-clays,  although  existing  in  great 
abundance  in  all  parts  of  the  county,  have  as 
yet  been  developed  only  along  the  lines  of  rail- 
road communication.  At  these  points  the  clays 
worked  are  of  excelleiit  quality,  the  bricks  and 
retorts  made  from  them  being  well  and  favor- 
ably known. 

"  The  compact  and  heavy  bedded  sandstones 
prevailing  in  some  parts  of  the  county  furnish 
building  material  almost  without  limit.  This 
rock  has  been  employed  to  a  small  extent  with 
very  satisfactory  results. 

"  The  question  of  the  petroleum  interests  of 
Indiana  county,  although  deeply  affecting  its 
citizens,  is  one  with  which  this  report  is  not 
concerned,  having  only  to  deal  with  the  coal 
rocks.  But  in  view  of  the  excitement  that  pre- 
vailed in  many  parts  of  the  district  during  the 
past  season,  in  regard  to  the  probabilities  of 
finding  petroleum  at  certain  specified  points,  it 
may  be  said  of  the  wells  as  yet  put  down  within 
the  limits  of  Indiana  county  that  having  failed 
in  every  case  by  many  hundreds  of  feet  to  reach 
the  oil-bearing  sands  of  Venango  and  Butler 
Counties,  they  leave  the  petroleum  question  as 
it  w;is  before  the  holes  were  drilled.  It  can 
probably  with  safety  be  predicted  that  if  oil 
exists  in  available  quantities  and  at  reasonable 
depths  underneath  Indiana  county,  it  is  held  by 
the  same  rocks  that  furnish  it  in  such  great 
abundance  in  the  counties  to  the  west  and 
northwest.  The  rocks  thus  indicated  are  the 
so-called  Oil  Sands,  the  nearest  approach  of 
which  to  the  surface  in  Indiana  county  is  in  the 


INDIANA    COUNTY. 


heart  of  the  Conemaugh  gaps  through  Laurel 
Hill  and  Chestnut  Ridge.  At  both  these  places 
the  Fii-st  Oil  Sand,  the  highest  member  of  the 
group,  is  not  more  than  500  feet  below  water 
level,  whereas  at  the  centre  of  the  basin,  at 
Blairsville,  the  same  rock  is  scarcely  less  than 
2000  feet  below  the  bed  of  the  Conemaugh. 
Whether  it  would  be  reasonable  (o  expect  to 
find  oil  on  the  banks  of  the  great  anticlinal 
arches  of  Laurel  Hill  and  Chestnut  Ridge  is  a 
question  foreign  to  the  purpose  of  the  present 
discussion.  The  centres  of  the  basins  have 
mainly  been  selected  for  such  imperfect  tests  as 
have  hitherto  been  made  in  this  region. 

"The  Nolo  anticlinal  is  a  small  subaxis split- 
ting the  Lig'onier  basin  lengthwise,  and  attain- 
ing its  greatest  development  inside  the  limits 
of  this  district,  beyond  which  it  is  scarcely 
known.  So  also  with  the  synclinals  (the 
Mechanicshurg  and  Centreville  synclinals)  on 
both  sides  of  the  axis ;  to  the  south,  as  well  as 
to  the  north,  these  are  united  into  one  great 
trough  (by  the  disappearance  of  the  anticlinal), 
and  pass  under  the  well-known  name  of  the 
Ligonier  Synclinal.  Moreover  the  Marion- 
Fillmore  synclinal  is  only  the  prolongation  into 
Indiana  County  of  Prof.  Stevenson's  Greens-  ; 
burg  synclinal,  and  the  ^yest  Lebanon  synclinal 
is  the  Lisbon  synclinal  of  the  south.  Both  of 
these  axes,  the  Greensburg-Marion  and  the 
Lisbon-West  Lebanon  merge  before  reaching 
the  Sandy  Lick  creek  in  Clearfield  county  into 
one  trough — the  Reynoldsville;  whereas  the  ' 
Sraicksburg  synclinal,  the  same  that  crosses  the 
Sandy  Lick  near  Fuller's  mills,  is  forced  east- 
ward, going  south  by  the  disappearance  of  the 
Perryville  anticlinal,  and  probably  joins  on 
somewhere  to  the  Lisbon- West  Lebanon  axis. 

"  The  Third  Axis,  as  it  was  named  many  years 
ago  by  Messrs.  Hodge  and  Lesley  in  their 
early  survey  of  the  northern  counties,  was 
de.scribec1  by  Prof.  Stevenson  in  his  report  of 
I87ti  as  the  Blairsville  autidinal  ;  hut  the  name 
of  this  town  is  already  occupied,  and  properly 


for  the  synclinal,  and  as  the  county  seat  of 
Indiana  is  the  only  town  of  importance  under 
which  this  axis  runs,  it  furnishes  the  anticlinal 
with  a  more  appropriate  geographical  name,  if 
any  such  be  desired.  The  name  Perrysville 
(from  the  village  of  Perrysville  in  Jefferson 
County)  is  suggested  for  the  second  subaxis  of 
the  Fourth  Basin,  an  axis  hitherto  unnamed, 
and  the  one  that  crosses  the  Little  Mahoning 
above  Smicksburg,  and  the  Sandy  Lick  two 
miles  west  of  Reynoldsville. 

"With  two  exceptions,  the  rocks  which  make 
up  the  surface  of  Indiana  county  belong  to 
the  Carboniferous  system.  The  exceptions 
noted  are  in  the  deep  gaps  of  the  Conemaugh 
through  Laurel  Hill  and  Chestnut  Ridge  anti- 
clinals,  where  for  a  short  distance  a  f^w  feet  of 
Devonian  strata  are  lifted  above  the  drainage  line. 

"  The  Lower  Barren  and  Lower  Productive 
groups  of  the  Carboniferous  rocks  are  those 
with  which  we  have  mainly  to  deal  in  Indiana 
count)-.  These  measures  are  brought  up  again 
and  again  by  the  anticlinals  and  spread  over 
miles  of  territory.  At  two  places  in  the  county 
a  small  portion  of  the  higher  Upper  Produc- 
tive group  is  represented  in  tiie  hills,  these 
places  being  the  regions  between  Blairsville  and 
Black  Lick,  and  Saltsburg  and  West  Lebanon. 

"  In  the  following  scheme  of  the  formations  is 
a  list  of  the  rock  groups  that  underlie  the  high- 
est geological  ground  of  the  district,  as  for 
instance  at  Blairsville,  for  a  distance  of  ten 
miles  ;  and  it  likewise  includes  at  its  top  some 
two  thousand  feet  of  measures  that  at  one  time 
overspread  this  whole  region,  but  which  have 
been  slowly  swept  from  it  in  the  course  of  time 
and  carried  downwards  by  the  streams  into  the 
sea. 

"  I.  The  Carboniferous  System. 

1.  Monongahela  river  coal  series. 

Upper  Barren  measures,      ")    Absent  in 

a.  Greene  county  group,  r    Indiana 

b.  Washington  county  group,  J     county. 
Upper  Productive  coal  measures ;  pres- 
ent only  in  part. 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  BISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


2.  Alleghenij  river  coal  series. 

Lower  Barren  measures. 

Lower  Productive  coal  measures. 

Pottsville  conglomerate  (Serai) XII 

c.  Sharon  and  Quinnimont  coal  group. 

Mauch  Chunk  red  shale ") 

Mountain    limestone V      XI 

d.  New  river  coal  group J 

Pocono      sandstone     (Vespertine) 

(Mountain  sands) X 

II.  77(6  Decnnian  System. 

1.  Catskill  sandstone  (Old  red)  (?Oil  sand 

group) IX 

2.  Chemung  sands  and  shales 

3.  Portage  shales  and  sands 

4.  Hamilton  formation 

Genesee  blacK  shales 

Hamilton  sandstone 

Juniata  river  coal  group 

Marcellus  black  shales 

5.  Upper  Helderburg  limestones J 

6.  Oriskany   sandstone VII 

III.  The  Silurian  System. 

1.  Lower  Helderburg  limestone VI 

Salina,  Niagara,  &c. 

2.  Clinton  red  shales  and  fossil  ore V 

3.  Medina  sandstone ) 

4.  Oneida  conglomerate j 

IV.  The  Sihiro- Cambrian  System. 
1.  Hudson  river  slates ) 


(■ 


VIII 


IV 


2.  Utica  slates j 

3.  Trenton   limestone A 

4.  Magnesian  limestone ^■ 

Chazy,  Calciferous,  &c } 

6.  Potsdam  sandstone 


Ill 


II 


V. 

VL 

VII. 


The  Cambrian  System  (South  mountain). 
The  Huronian  System  (Philadelphia  rocks). 
The  Laurentian  System  (Highlands)." 


Along  the  line  of  the  Pennsylvania  and  West 
Pennsylvania  railroads  in  Indiana  county  the 
levels  above  tide  are  as  follows : 

Pennsylvania  R.  R. 

Sang  Hollow  (in  Laurel  Hill  gap) 1143 

Conemaugh  Furnace 1185 

Nineveh 1141 

New  Florence 1076 

Lacolle 1056 

Lockport 1054 

Bolivar 1033 

Blairsville  Intersection 1113 


West  Pennsylvania  E.  R. 

Blairsville  (Market  street  station) 1011 

Livermore ' 945 

Saltsburg 891 

The  stations  on  the  Blairsville  and  Indiana 
branch  of  the  P.  R.  R.  occupy  the  following 
elevations,  the  datum  being  the  same  as  before: 

Feet. 
R.  R.  Junction  near   Blairsville  Inter- 
section   nil 

Blairsville  (as  above) 1011 

Smith's  Summit 1101 

Wier's  run 970 

Black  Lick 963 

Waferstation 966 

Black  Lick  bridge 1982 

Doty's  bridge 1011 

Rugh'g 1038 

Saw-Mill  run 1016 

Bell's  Mills  run 1032 

Phillip's  Summit 1044 

Kissinger's  Summit 1055 

Two-Lick  creek 1044 

Reed's 1145 

Indiana  terminus  (Main  street) 1311 

The  following  barometrical  levels  (which 
must  be  considered  only  as  approximately  cor- 
rect) are  here  introduced  to  show  the  relative 
elevations  of  the  points  named.  They  relate 
entirely  to  the  summits  of  the  main  ridges : 

Feet. 
Summit    of   Laurel    Hill    overlooking 

Sang  Hollow 2300 

Nolo;  summit  of  Nolo  anticlinal 1834? 

Summit  of   Chestnut   Ridge  opposite 

Packsaddle 20.50 

Oaks'  Point 1900 

Summit  of  Chestnut  Ridge,  Black  Lick 

gap 1894 

Summit  of  Chestnut  Ridge  at  Green- 
ville   1600 

Summit  of  Chestnut  Ridge  near  Smith- 
port 1815 

The  projected  pipe  line  (1879)  for  the  trans- 
portation of  oil  from  the  heart  of  the  oil 
regions  to  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  passes  in  a 
southeasterly  direction  through  the  northern 
part  of  the  county,  entering  it  a  short  distance 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


73 


south  of  Smicksbiirg,  in  West  Mahoning  tovvn- 
sliip,  to  continue  thence  across  the  northeast 
corner  of  South  Mahoning,  passing  close  to  the 
Smyrna  church,  and  so  on  to  the  town  of  Mar- 
ion; beyond  this  it  enters  Green  township,  in 
which  its  course  is  past  the  Duiikard  Churcli, 
past  Buterbaugh's  mill  and  within  about  one- 
third  of  a  mile  of  Cookport;  it  finally  crosses 
the  Cambria  county  Hue  about  G  miles  S.  W. 
of  Cherry  Tree.  The  levels  above  tide  along 
this  pipe  line  vary  from  1271  to  1999  feet. 

Formation  IX,  the  Ponent  of  Prof.  Rogers' 
classification,  is  the  equivalent  of  the  Old  Red 
sandstone.  It  has  an  extensive  outspread  in 
New  York  State,  forming  there  the  greater  part 
of  the  Catskill  mountains,  from  whence  it  has 
derived  its  geographical  name.  Prof.  Hall  de- 
scribes it  as  consisting  in  the  latter  locality  of 
alternating  strata  "of  sandstone,  shale,  and 
shaly  sandstone,  conglomerates  and  impure  lime- 
stones." Moreover,  these  strata  in  the  Cats- 
kills,- like  their  equivalents  in  Pennsylvania,  are 
much  stained  with  ferruginous  matter,  the  per- 
vading color  of  the  sandy  parts  being,  accord- 
ing to  Prof.  Hall,  a  brick  red. 

In  Eastern  Pennsylvania,  where  Formation 
IX  passes  under  the  Anthracite  coal-fields,  it 
has  a  composition  similar  to  that  above  de- 
scribeil,  and  a  thickness  of  nearly  2,000  feet, 
which  is  likewise  its  dimensions  on  the  south 
flank  of  the  Catskills.  In  the  Broad  Top 
region  of  Huntingdon  county  it  has  increased 
in  bulk  to  2,680  feet,  which  is  also  its  thickness 
on  the  face  of  the  Allegheny  Mountain.  Its 
thickness  under  the  Ligonier  basin  in  Indiana 
county  is  not  known,  because  only  the  upper 
members  of  the  Formation  are  above  the  level 
of  the  Conemaugh ;  but  the  oil  well  now  being 
drilled  at  Blairsville  will  show  the  character  and 
thickness  of  the  Catskill  rocks  in  tliat  region. 

The  topography  of  For.  IX  is  eminently 
characteristic,  rising  either  as  a  high,  uneven 
terrace  on  the  flank  of  the  mountains  of  X  as 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Juniata,  or  cut  up  by  num- 


erous ravines  and  projecting  then  as  bold  spurs 
as  along  the  Allegheny  moinitain  overlooking 
Tyrone,  Altoona  and  Ilollidaysburg. 

The  greenish  sands  and  grits  of  the  Pocono 
sandstone  (the  Vespertine  of  Rogers)  have  a 
wide  geographical  range  in  Pennsylvania,  form- 
ing as  they  do  the  southeast  border  of  the  Bi- 
tuminous coal-fields.  The  same  formation  also 
encloses  the  anthracite  basins,  having  there  a 
thickness  of  nearly  2,000  i'eet  and  forming  the 
Pocono  mountain,  from  whence  comes  the  geo- 
graphical name  assigned  to  the  Formation  by 
Prof  Lesley.  It  has  even  a  greater  thickness 
where  measured  by  Mr.  vishburner  on  Broad 
Top,  showing  there  nearly  2,200  feet  from  top 
to  base;  but  in  the  great  leap  from  the  Broad 
Top  to  the  Allegheny  it  loses  more  than  one- 
half  its  rocks  and  appears  on  the  mountain  face 
above  Altoona  as  a  formation  only  about  1,000 
feet  thick. 

Thence  westward  and  northwestward  the  re- 
duction is  continuous  but  more  gradual.  In 
the  Conemaugh  gap  of  I^anrel  Hill  the  entire 
thickness  of  the  formation  does  not  exceed  650 
feet;  in  the  Packsaddle gorge  (Chestnut  Ridge) 
east  of  Blairsville,  it  is  about  the  same  ;  then  it 
passes  under  the  uplands  of  Westmoreland  and 
Indiana,  and  where  "  it  rises  again  in  Ohio  and 
Northern  Pennsylvania  from  its  underground 
journey  [it  is]  so  lean  and  changed  as  scarcely 
to  be  recognized.  It  is  there  a  formation  of 
greenish  sandstone  less  than  two  hundred  feet 
thick.  The  whole  intermediate  space  of  course 
it  underlies ;  that  is  all  Northern  and  Western 
Pennsylvania,  all  Western  Virginia  and  the 
whole  southern  region  of  the  Cumberland 
mountain;  here  it  is  as  thin  as  in  the  Catskill 
region,  but  here  as  there  helps  to  pile  up  the 
immense  plateau,  which  narrowing  as  we  go 
southward  domineers  with  its  lofty  terminal 
crags  the  plains  of  Alabama." 

Prof  Fontaine  has  made  a  careful  study  of 
the  outcrops  of  the  Pocono  sandstone  in  West 
Virginia,  and  in  his  published  descriptions  of 


74 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


it  shows  that  the  maximum  thickness  of  the 
formation  in  that  locality  does  not  exceed  one 
thousand  feet,  and  this  is  including  about  500 
feet  of  rocks  which  Prof.  Fontaine  thinks  may 
belong  to  the  Catskill  group. 

It  was  stated  above  that  the  Catskill  rocks 
are  only  partially  exposed  along  theConemaugh 
river.  In  the  gaps  of  Laurel  Hill  and  Chest- 
nut Ridge  only  about  two  hundred  feet  of  these 
measures  are  above  water  level ;  while  north 
of  the  river  in  Indiana  county  Formation  IX 
does  not  again  rise  above  the  stream  beds,  but 
extends  in  an  unbroken  sheet  far  below  the  gen. 
eral  surface  of  the  country.  Even  iu  the  deep  gap 
of  Black  Lick,  and  in  the  almost  equally  deep 
gorges  of  Yellow  creek  and  Two-Lick  through 
Chestnut  Ridge,  the  arch  of  the  Catskill  rocks 
across  the  auticlinal  is  several  hundred  feet 
below  the  channels  of  those  creeks. 

What  little  of  Formation  IX  is  exposed 
along  the  Conemaugh,  can  best  be  seen  at  the 
centre  of  the  Laurel  Hill  anticlinal  below 
Johnstown.  Its  oval  shaped  outcrop  area  ex- 
tends only  a  short  distance  in  either  direction 
from  the  axis,  owing  to  the  rather  sharp  north- 
west and  southeast  dips  which  there  prevail. 
But  the  frequent  exposures  at  the  heart  of  the 
gap  show  how  the  red  clays  of  IX  extend  up 
to  and  touch  the  greenish  sands  of  X. 

Formation   XJ,  Mauch  Chunk  Red  Shale. 

Far  greater  than  in  either  of  the  Formations 
above  described,  is  the  reduction  which  takes 
place  in  the  thickness  of  the  Mauch  Chunk 
Red  Shale,  going  west  and  northwest  across 
the  State. 

Where  fully  developed  in  Eastern  Penn- 
sylvania, as,  for  instance,  at  Mauch  Chuuk 
(whence  its  name),  it  is  a  vast  accumulation  of 
soft  ferruginous  mud  rocks,  three  thousand 
feet  thick.  This  is  likewise  its  condition  and 
dimensions  in  the  valleys  of  the  Schuylkill  and 
Susquehanna  rivers ;  but  on  Broad  Top  we 
find  it  only  1,100  feet  thick,  and  but  400  feet 


thick  on  the  southeast  front  of  the  Allegheny 
mountain,  dropping  then  to  less  than  200  feet 
in  the  Packsaddle  Gap,  and  finally  to  less  than 
100  feet  in  the  Allegheny  river  region. 

It  may  here  be  stated  that  in  the  Conemaugh 
gaps  of  Chestnut  Ridge  and  Laurel  Hill  there 
are  no  transition  rocks  whatever  between  Form- 
ations XI  and  XII,  the  red  shales  of  the  lower 
formation  being  there  in  direct  contact  with  the 
lowest  member  of  the  Pottsville  Conglomerate. 
This  is  very  handsomely  shown  in  a  side  cut 
along  the  railroad  below  the  village  of  Bolivar. 

Nor  is  the  base  of  XI  any  less  distinct, 
either  in  the  Packsaddle  Gap,  or  in  the  gorge 
of  Laurel  Hill.  At  both  these  places  the  grits 
of  X  begin  directly  underneath  the  Carbonif- 
erous or  Mountain  Limestone,  and  the  base  of 
that  great  stratum  is  here,  without  doubt,  the  base 
of  Formation  XI.  That  this  is  a  considerable 
change  from  the  condition  of  the  formation  fur- 
ther east,  need  hardly  be  said ;  for  it  is  well 
known  that  not  only  along  the  face  of  the  Alle- 
gheny Mountain,  but  as  far  east  as  Broad  Top, 
the  Mauch  Chunk  Red  Shale  is  divisible  into 
three  distinct  groups,  of  which  the  Mountain 
Limestone  is  the  middle  member,  the  lower  mem- 
ber of  the  group  in  those  places  consisting  of  a 
mass  of  red  shale  and  sand,  which,  however, 
steadily  thins  (going  west)  from  Broad  Top,  and 
finally  disappears  altogether  from  the  Forma- 
tion before  reaching  the  Ligonier  Basin  of  In- 
diana county,  leaving  the  Mountain  Limestone 
to  rest  there  upon  the  upper  member  of  X. 

Mountain  Limestone. — From  the  series  of 
thin  bands  into  which  the  INIountain  Limestone 
is  divided  on  Broad  Top,  the  deposit  has 
changed  on  the  Allegheny  Mountain  to  a  com- 
pact mass  of  a  very  arenaceous  limestone,  thirty 
feet  thick.  In  the  Conemaugh  gaps  this  thick- 
ness is  increased  to  upwards  of  forty  feet,  pass- 
ing under  the  Indiana  county  upland  to  the 
west  of  Chestnut  Ridge,  a>s  a  highly  siliceous 
limestone,  which  is  further  characterized  by  its 
oblique  planes  of  deposition.     In  this  condition 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


75 


it  appears  at  both  euds  of  the  Laurel  Hill  gap, 
and  again  at  both  ends  of  the  Packsaddle  gorge, 
being  quite  extensively  quarried  by  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad  Co.,  and  broken  for  ballast, 
for  which  purpose  it  is  well  adapted,  being 
easily  raised  and  slow  to  disintegrate.  It  is 
further  exposed  at  the  heart  of  the  Black  Lick 
gap  of  Chestnut  Ridge,  forming  there  at  the 
centre  of  the  anticlinal  abrupt  high  cliffs  along 
the  water's  edge  ;  elsewhere  in  Indiana  county 
it  is  not  known,  being  at  all  other  points  far 
below  the  drainage  lines. 

The  deposit  continues  to  gain  slowly  in  bulk 
towards  the  west  and  southwest,  and  in  Ken- 
tucky it  appears  as  a  sub-formation  one  hun- 
dred feet  thick,  enclosing  a  vast  and  conijilicat- 
ed  series  of  caverns,  of  wliich  the  famous  Mam- 
moth Cave,  with  its  two  hundred  miles  of 
subterranean  chambers,  is  one.  Moreover,  in 
Kentucky,  as  in  other  equally  favored  regions, 
it  is  intersected  by  numerous  metalliferous 
lodes,  some  of  which  are  of  considerable  value. 

Among  the  Congressmen  who  iiavc  repre- 
sented Indiana  county  have  been  William  Find- 
ley,  1803-17  ;  Andrew  Stewart,  A.  G.  Mar- 
chand,  1840;  Joseph  Buffington,  1842-44; 
Alex.  Irwin,  1846;  Alfred  Gilmore,  1848; 
Augustus  Drum,  1854  ;  John  Covode,  John  L. 
Dawson,  Heiu-y  D.  Foster,  A.  W.  Taylor  and 
George  A.  Jenks.  Of  these,  Findley,  Stewart, 
Dawson  and  Covode  were  men  of  national 
reputation. 

William  Findley  was  born  in  Ireland,  Janu- 
ary 11,  1851  ;  "  received  a  parish-school  edu- 
cation ;  came  to  the  United  States  and  located 
in  Philadelphia;  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
war ;  removed  to  Westmoreland  county,  Penn- 
sylvania ;  was  a  member  of  the  State  legislature, 
and  a  delegate  to  the  State  Constitutional  Con- 
vention ;  was  elected  a  representative  from 
Pennsylvania  in  the  Second  Congress  as  a  dem- 
ocrat and  was  re-elected  to  the  Third,  Fourth 
and  Fifth  Congresses,  serving  from  October  24, 
1791,  to  March  3, 1799  ;  was  again  elected  to 


the  Eighth,  Ninth,  Tenth,  Eleventh,  Twelfth, 
Thirteenth  and  Fourteenth  Congresses,  serving 
from  October  17,  1803,  to  March  3,  1817;  he 
died  near  Greensburg,  Pennsylvania,  April  7, 
1821.  He  published  a  'Review  of  the  Funding 
System,'  1794,  a  'History  of  the  Insurrection  in 
Western  Pennsylvania'  1796,  and  several  po- 
litical pamphlets." 

'■' Amlrew  Stewart,  or 'Tariff  Andy,'  whose 
name  will  be  known  for  all  time  to  come  in  the 
political  history  of  the  United  St^ites  in  connec- 
tion with  the  tariff,  was  born  in  Fayette  county, 
Pennsylvania,  June,  1792;  received  a  public- 
school  education  ;  studied  law  ;  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1815,  and  commenced  practice  at 
Uuiontown  ;  was  appointed  by  President  Mon- 
roe United  States  attorney  for  the  western 
District  of  Pennsylvania ;  was  for  three  years  a 
member  of  the  State  House  of  Representatives  ; 
was  elected  a  representative  from  Pennsylvania 
in  the  Seventeenth  Congress  as  a  Jackson  dem- 
ocrat ;  was  re-elected  to  the  Eighteenth,  Nine- 
teenth and  Twentieth  Congresses,  serving  from 
December  3,  1821,  to  March  3,  1829;  was 
again  elected  to  the  Twenty -second  Congress  ; 
was  re-elected  to  the  Twenty-third  Congress, 
serving  from  December  5,  1831,  to  March  3, 
1835  ;  was  defeated  for  the  Twenty-fourth  Con- 
gress by  Andrew  Buchanan,  whig;  was  again 
elected  to  the  Twenty-eighth  Congress  ;  was  re- 
elected to  the  Twenty-ninth  and  Thirtieth  Con- 
gresses, serving  from  December  4,  1843,  to 
March  3,  1849  ;  died  at  Uniontown,  Pennsyl- 
vania, July  16, 1872." 

John  L.  Dawson,  a  leading  statesman,  a  fine 
orator  and  the  author  of  the  celebrated  '  Home- 
stead Bill,'  was  born  at  Uniontown,  Pennsyl- 
vania, February  7,  1813  ;  received  a  classical 
education,  graduating  at  Washington  college ; 
studied  law  ;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  com- 
menced practice  at  Brownsville,  Pennsylvania ; 
was  United  States  district-attorney  for  the 
western  District  of  Pennsylvania,  1845-48;  was 
elected  a  representative  from  Pennsylvania  in 


76 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


the  Thirty-second  Congress  as  a  democrat,  re- 
ceiving 6,404  votes  against  6,135  votes  for 
Ogle,  wiiig,  and  was  re-elected  to  the  Thirty-  . 
third  Congress,  receiving  9,791  votes  against  [ 
7,460  votes  for  Gowen,  whig,  serving  from 
December  1,  1851,  to  March  3,  1855j  was 
appointed  by  President  Pierce  governor  of 
Kansas  Territory,  but  declined ;  was  again 
elected  to  the  Thirty-eighth  Congress,  receiving 
10,234  votes  against  10,009  votes  for  Steward, 
Unionist,  and  was  re-elected  to  the  Thirty-ninth 
Congress,  receiving  10,855  votes  against  10,730 
votes  for  Fuller,  Unionist,  serving  from  De- 
cember 7,  1863,  to  March  3, 1867  ;  was  a  del- 
egate to  the  National  democratic  conventions  in 
1844, 1848, 1860  and  1868,  and  died  at  Union- 
town,  Pennsylvania,  September  18,  1870." 

'■'Henry  Donnel  Foster,  one  of  the  ablest 
lawyers  that  western  Pennsylvania  ever  pro- 
duced, Mas  born  at  Mercer,  Pennsylvania, 
December  19,  1812,  received  a  liberal  educa- 
tion at  Allegheny  college,  Meadville,  Penn- 
sylvania, studied  law  and  practiced  the  pro- 
fession ;  was  elected  a  representative  from 
Pennsylvania  in  the  Twenty-eighth  Congress  as 
a  democrat,  receiving  no  opposition,  and  was 
re-elected  to  the  Twenty-ninth  Congress,  serving 
from  December  4,  1843,  to  March  3,  1847;  was 
elected  to  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the 
legislature  of  Pennsylvania  in  1846  and  1847; 
was  the  democratic  candidate  for  governor  of 
Pennsylvania  in  1860;  was  a  candidate  for  the 
Forty-first   Congress,  but  did   not   secure  the 


seat,  and  was  again  elected  to  the  Forty-second 
Congress  as  a  democrat,  receiving  12,399  votes 
against  11,669  votes  for  A.  Stewart,  repub- 
lican, serving  from'  March  4,  1871,  to  March  3, 
1873,  and  died  at  Irwin,  Pennsylvania,  on 
October  16,  1880." 

The  writer,  in  securing  historical  matter  con- 
cerning Indiana  county,  received  valuable  assist- 
ance from  the  county  officials  of  1890,  and 
from  E.  B.  Clarke,  assistant  librarian,  and  C. 
B.  Boggs,  an  officer  of  the  Mercantile  Library 
of  Philadelphia.  In  Armstrong  county  he 
received  aid  from  the  county  officials,  and 
especially  from  the  clerk  of  the  Board  of  Com- 
missioners. In  regard  to  speculative  surveys 
and  projected  blocks  of  land  from  these  sur- 
veys and  "  shingled  "  land  claims,  we  received 
a  very  accurate  and  clear  account  from  Judge 
Silas  M.  Clark,  but  unfortunately  lost  the  notes 
of  the  same. 

When  Columbus  planted  the  royal  banner  of 
Spain  on  the  shores  of  the  new  world,  and 
beside  it  placed  the  cross  of  Christian  civil- 
ization, he  gazed  upon  an  empire  more  vast  in 
extent  than  any  of  the  empires  of  the  east,  and 
stretching  for  nine  thousand  miles  from  pole 
to  pole  it  rivaled  imperial  Rome  during  her 
golden  age  in  territory,  population  and  rich 
mines.  Of  the  thousands  of  counties  existing 
on  the  North  American  continent  to-day  but 
one  perpetuates  the  name  of  this  great  fallen 
Indian  empire — and  that  one  is  Indiana  county, 
Pennsylvania. 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


77 


INDIANA  BOROUGH. 


AT  the  northern  terminus  of  the  Indiana 
branch  of  the  Pennsylvania  railway,  nine- 
teen miles  from  its  intersection  with  the  main 
line,  and  seventy-two  miles  northeast  of  Pitts- 
burgh, is  Indiana,  the  county-seat  of  Indiana 
county  and  one  of  the  most  pleasant  and  healthy 
towns  of  this  State.  Indiana  is  near  the  geograph- 
ical centre  of  the  county  and  is  eligibly  built  upon 
rising  ground.  Its  wide  streets  and  side-walks, 
beautiful  residences  and  substantial  business- 
blocks,  and  handsome  churches  and  superior 
schools,  all  indicate  the  progressive  character 
and  high  standing  of  its  people.  Indiana  com- 
prises the  separate  boroughs  of  Indiana  and 
West  Indiana  and  contains  a  population  of  over 
two  thousand.  It  is  the  shipping-point  for 
over  two-thirds  of  the  county,  and  exports 
lumber,  bark,  grain,  live  stock,  leather  and 
straw-board.  It  contains  good  county  buildings, 
eight  churches,  one  of  the  largest  and  finest 
State  Normal  schools  in  the  United  States, 
excellent  public  schools,  eight  hotels  and  three 
banks.  It  is  lighted  with  gas,  has  good  water- 
works and  supports  a  fire  department.  It  has 
three  planiug-mills,  two  foundries,  three  flour- 
ing-mills,  a  wagon-works,  two  tanneries  and  one 
of  the  largest  straw- board  mills  in  thig  country. 
Indiana  is  situated  in  north  latitude  40  degrees 
38  minutes  and  in  2  degrees  8  minutes  west  longi- 
tude from  Washington  City.  It  was  laid  out 
in  1805,  and  was  incorporate<l  on  March  11, 
1816. 

Fergus  Moorhead  settled  on  the  Isaac  Moor- 
head  farm,  west  of  the  site  of  Indiana,  in  1772, 
and  in  1776  a  white  man  settled  on  the  James  P. 
Carter  farm  adjoining  one  of  the  present  borough 
boundary  lines,  but  the  Indians  burned  liis  cabin 
and  drove  him  away.  In  1795  Conrad  Rice 
came  to  the  James  P.  Carter  farm  and  found 
Fergus  Moorhead,  Thomas  Allison,  Timothy 
O'Neil,  George  Trimble,  Gawiu  Adams,  James 


Kelly  and  James  Thompson,  residing  within 
the  vicinity  of  the  site  of  Indiana. 

George  Clymer  owned  a  body  of  three  thou- 
sand and  fifty  acres  of  land,  which  included  the 
site  of  Indiana.  He  conveyed  two  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  (portions  of  tracts  warranted  iu 
the  names  of  James  Gall,  John  Beck  and 
William  Brown)  of  land  through  his  agent, 
Alex.  Craig,  on  which  tract  Thomas  Allison 
and  Alex.  Taylor  laid  out  the  town  of  Indiana. 
After  reserving  three  acres  for  the  public 
grounds,  the  town  was  laid  out  into-  two  hundred 
and  twenty-five  lots  and  ninety-two  out-lots. 
"Originally  the  public  grounds,  where  the  court- 
house stands,  extended  from  Piiiladelphia  to 
Water  street,  and  from  Clymer  street  to  Sutton 
alley,  nearly  three  acres.  The  square  upon 
which  the  Lutheran,  Presbyterian  and  United 
Presbyterian  churches  stand,  originally  extended 
from  Clymer  street  to  Vine  street,  and  from 
Church  street  to  the  southern  limits  of  the  town, 
embracing  about  two  acres  and  a  half  Unfor- 
tunately, many  years  ago  building  lots  were 
sold  off"  these  public  squares,  to  save  the  county 
a  pittance  of  taxes;  and  thus  was  the  beauty 
of  the  town  marred  and  the  comfort  of  the  in- 
habitants impaired.  Tiiis  was  worse  than  a 
crime — it  was  an  unpardonable  blunder.  The 
proceeds  of  the  sale  of  the  town  lots  were  ap- 
plied to  the  erection  of  the  county  buildings, 
and  thus  the  old  court-house  (a  most  creditable 
building  in  its  day)  and  the  old  jail  were  built 
without  taxation,  and  without  costing  the  people 
a  fartiiing."  The  first  jail  was  of  hickory  logs 
and  had  a  clapboard  roof.  The  stone  county 
jail  was  commenced  in  1806  and  completed  iu 
1807. 

The  contractor  was  Rev.  John  Jamison,  and 
the  building  was  two  stories  high  and  30x36 
feet  iu  dimensions.  James  Mahan  had  charge 
of  the  mason  work  and  Thomas  Sutton  of  the 
carpentering.  The  court  held  its  sessions  in  the 
upper  rooms  of  the  jail  until  the  erection  of  the 
old  court-house  iu  1809.     The  present  court- 


78 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


house  (a  picture  of  which  appears  opposite  page 
180),  a  most  substantial  and  beautiful  building, 
was  completed  in  1871,  at  a  cost  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  dollars. 

There  were  no  banks  up  to  1855,  when 
Hogue  &  Co.  opened  a  private  bank,  M'hich  was 
succeeded  by  the  banking  firm  of  Sutton  & 
Stewart,  who  did  business  from  1858  to  1864. 
On  January  2,  1864,  "The  First  National 
Bank"  was  organized;  "The  Indiana  County 
Deposit  Bank  "  was  organized  on  December  4, 


Sloan,  James  G.  Caldwell,  James  Johnson, 
John  Eason,  Harry  White,  James  Bailey,  W.  B. 
Marshall,  Robert  Walkinshaw,  Charles  Swoyer, 
Thomas  St.  Clair,  M.D.,  William  Reed,  M.D., 
William  Crawford  and  George  Sedgwick.  In- 
diana Lodge,  No.  21,  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen,  was  instituted  July  2,  1872,  and 
Clymer  Lodge,  No.  28,  Knights  of  Honor,  was 
instituted  August  12, 1874,  and  named  in  honor 
of  George  Clymer.  Post  No.  28,  Grand  Army 
of  the    Republic,  was  organized  on   June  28 


INDIANA    COUNTY  JAIL. 


1869;   and  "  The  Farmers' Bank  "  commenced 
operations  March  24,  1876. 

Palladium  Lodge,  No.  346,  Independent  Or- 
der of  Odd  Fellows,  was  chartered  February  19, 
1849,  and  Indiana  Lodge,  No.  313,  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  was  chartered  January  11, 
1858,  and  constituted  April  7,  1858.  The 
charter  members  of  Palladium  Lodge  were: 
J.  G.  Caldwell,  Charles  Slaysnian,  John  Hunter, 
W.  B.  Clark,  D.  Peeler,  W.  C.  Boyl,  T.  S. 
Searle,  J.  H.  Shryock,  W.  McCoy  and  A.  R. 
Marlin.  The  charter  members  of  Indiana 
Masonic  Lodge  were :  Robert  Crawford,  James 


1874,  and  its  charter  members  were :  D.  S. 
Porter,  B.  B.  Tiffaney,  D.  F.  Heasley,  A.  H. 
Mitchell,  J.  T.  Gibson,  J.  B.  Work,  A.  H.. 
White,  M.  J.  Shannon,  R.  M.  Birkman,  James 
McGaughey,  J.  M.  Sutton,  J.  H.  Hill,  E.  D. 
Cherry,  A.  S.  Thompson,  E.  E.  Allen,  G.  R. 
Lewis,  T.  C.  Ramey  and  A.  C.  Braughler. 

Henry  Shryock  erected  the  first  building  on 
the  site  of  the  town  in  1805.  It  was  a  round 
log  cabin  (about  the  centre  of  East  Philadelphia 
street)  and  was  used  for  several  years  as  a  tavern. 
Samuel  Young  and  William  Coulter  next  built 
cabins.     In  the  spring  of  1806   James  Moor- 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


79 


head  aud  Peter  Suttou  each  erected  a  two-story 
hewed  tavern  building  with  a  sliingle  roof.  The 
first  man  to  sell  goods  was  Samuel  Young  in 
1806,  and  the  first  regular  merchant  was  John 
Dennison,  who  opened  a  store  during  the  same 
year.  Between  1X06  and  1810  Robert  Nixon 
and  John  Sutton  opened  stores,  and  the  popula- 
tion increased  from  fifty  in  1806  to  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  in  1810.  In  1833  the 
town  contained  sixty  dwellings,  five  taverns, 
eight  stores  and  three  churches.  In  1856  the 
population  had  increased  to  over  one  thousand, 
and  on  the  5th  of  June  of  that  year  the  Indiana 
Branch  railroad  was  completed.  From  the 
opening  of  that  road  until  the  present  time  the 
borough  had  increased  steadily  in  population, 
manufactures  and  wealth. 

The  population  of  Indiana  at  each  census 
from  1820  to  1860  has  been  :  317,  433,  674, 
and  963. 

The  burgesses  of  Indiana  from  1816  to  1880 
were:  1816,  James  McKnight;  1818,  James 
M.  Kelly;  1819,  John  Taylor;  1820,  John 
Taylor,  Esq.;  1821,  John  Douglass;  1822, 
Robert  Nixon;  1824,  James  McCahan ;  1827, 
William  Lucas,  Esq.;  1828,  James  Moorhead ; 
1830,  William  Banks,  Esq.;  1831,  James 
Thompson ;  1832,  Fergus  Cannon ;  1834, 
James  Thomas ;  1835,  James  McKennan  ;  1836, 
Fergus  Cannon;  1837,  Woodroe  Douglass; 
1839,  Daniel  Stanard;  1840,  James  McKen- 
nan ;  1841,  Woodroe  Douglass  ;  1843,  James  M. 
Stewart;  1844,  William  McClaran  ;  1845,  I.  M. 
Watt;  1846,  Samuel  Moorhead  ;  1847,  Charles 
B.  Campbell  ;  1850,  J.  M.  Watt ;  1851,  James 
Sutton;  1852,  John  Myers;  1853,  James 
Todd;  1855,  William  M.Stewart;  1856,  E. 
P.  Hildebrand ;  July  13,  1856,  S.  A.  Douglass, 
appointed  ;  1857,  James  Sutton  ;  1859,  John  H. 
Lichteberger ;  1860,  F.  M.  Kinter  ;  1861,  Wil- 
liam H.  Coleman;  1862,  Adam  Row  ;  1863,  A 
W.  Taylor ;  October  16, 1863,  S.  A.  Douglass  ; 
1864,  J.  M.  Watt;  1865,  George  W.  Boden- 
hamer;    1866,  T.  S.  Nesbit ;  1867,  J.  S.  Nes- 


bit;  1868,  J.  G.  Caldwell;  1870,  James  Tur- 
ner;  November  8,  1873,  G.  S.  Christy  ;  1874, 
J.  A.  Smith  and  1877,  M.  F.Jamison. 

The  burgesses  of  West  Indiana  from  1870  to 
•1880  were:  1871,  James  Clark,  Esq.;  1872,  A. 
L.  McClusky  ;  1875,  John  Sutor ;  1876,  Griffith 
Ellis. 

Between  1850  and  1870  the  Cumberland 
Valley,  Columbia  and  other  mutual  insurance 
companies  did  some  little  business  in  the  county. 
Up  to  1870  the  standard  fire  insurance  com- 
panies had  scarcely  a  foothold  in  Indiana 
county,  when  in  April  of  that  year  H.  S. 
Thompson  established  his  present  agency,  and 
in  1872  movttl  into  the  Deposit  bank  building, 
which  he  now  occupies  on  Main  street,  in  the 
borough  of  Indiana.  Mr.  Thompson  has  for 
some  time  been  a  notary  public'  and  is  well  qual- 
ified to  represent  the  leading  insurance  com- 
panies who  have  secure<l  his  services.  He 
then  (1872)  represented  the  Insurance  company 
of  North  America,  of  Philadelphia  ;  the  Home, 
of  New  York  and  Farmers'  Insurance  company, 
of  York,  Pa.,  and  has  also  become  the  represen- 
tative of  the  /Etna,  of  Hartford,  and  Continental, 
of  New  York,  in  addition  to  the  Royal,  Phoenix 
and  Guardian  fire  companies  of  England  and 
the  Travelers'  Life  and  Accident  company,  of 
Hartford,  Connecticut.  Mr.  Thompson  is  a 
plea-saut,  straightforward  gentleman  as  well  as  a 
practical  and  successful  business  man,  energetic 
and  careful,  without  display  or  boasting,  and 
represents  companies  which  afford  every  ele- 
ment of  security,  as  well  as  reasonable  rates  of 
insurance  to  the  public.  Between  1870  and 
1872  the  late  Capt.  George  E.  Smith,  who  lo- 
cated in  the  county  in  1835,  established  a  gen- 
eral insurance  office  on  Water  street,  in  West  In- 
diana. In  1884,  R.  A.  Paul  &  Son  opened  an 
insurance  office.  They  are  now  locate*!  at  the 
corner  of  Sixth  and  Philadelphia  streets,  and 
represent  the  Fire  association,  the  American 
Fire  and  the  Franklin  Fire  insurance  companies 
of   Philadelphia ;  the  Liberty,  of  New   York  ; 


80 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  INDIANA   COUNTY. 


the  Artisan,  of  Pittsburgh ;  two  companies  of 
Allegheny  city,  and  the  Commercial,  Union  and 
Lancashire  companies,  of  England.  R.  A. 
Paul  &  Son  represent  substantial  and  leading 
companies,  and  by  extensive  experience,  fair 
dealing  and  promptness  have  won  a  permanent 
reputation  as  reliable  business  men. 

The  first  paper  of  Indiana  county  wa§  a 
federal  sheet  called  the  American,  and  issued  by 
James  McCahan  in  1814.  In  1821  the  Indi- 
ana and  Jefferson  Whig  was  established  in  the 
interests  of  democracy.  In  1828  the  American 
was  merged  into  the  Whig,  which  in  1832  be- 
came Anti-Masonic,  under  the  name  of  the 
Free  Press.  In  1834  the  Free  Press  became 
the  Indiana  Register,  which  was  purchased  by 
Jonathan  Row  (see  his  sketch),  and  after  various 
changes  passed  in  1863  into  the  hands  of 
George  Row  (see  his  sketch),  who,  in  1869,  sold 
it  to  Major  R.  M.  Birkman,  who  merged  it  into 
the  Blairsville  Press  and  issued  it  as  the  Indi- 
ana Progress,  which  he  sold  in  1880  to  William 
Black,  who  afterwards  disposed  of  it  to  A.  T. 
Moorhead,  its  present  editor  and  proprietor.  In 
1834  the  Inquirer,  a  democratic  journal,  was 
issued  by  Fergus  Cannon.  In  1840  the  Lib- 
erty or  Abolition  party  had  its  rise,  and  the  old 
Anti-Masonic  warrior,  James  Moorhead,  again 
entered  the  editorial  ranks  and  established  the 
Clarion  of  Freedom  in  the  interests  of  the  anti- 
slavery  cause.  This  paper  afterwards  became 
the  True  American,  which  was  issued  as  a 
know-nothing  journal  until  1852,  when  it  be- 
came republican  in  politics  and  supported  that 
party  until  its  consolidation,  in  1866,  with  the 
Register.     In  May,  1 855,  James  Moorhead  and 


his  son,  James  W.  Moorhead,  started  the  Inde- 
pendent, an  educational,  temperance,  anti-slavery 
and  anti-know-nothing  journal.  On  January 
9, 1857,  its  veteran  editor,  James  Moorhead,  died, 
and  in  1860  his  son  sold  the  office.  The  Mes- 
senger was  founded  in  1856  by  Judge  Silas  M. 
Clark,  J.  M.  Thompson  and  John  Young  as  a 
democratic  paper.  It  was  independent  in  I860 
and  in  1862  became  republican.  The  initial 
number  of  the  Indiana  Times  (see  sketch  of 
Horace  M.  Lowry)  was  issued  on  September  4, 
1878.  Tiie  Indiana  Democrat  (see  sketch  of 
Franklin  Sansom),  the  only  democratic  paper  in 
the  county,  was  established  on   May  4,  1862.  . 

The  initial  number  of  the  Indiana  County 
Gazette  was  issued  on  Wednesday,  August  13, 
1890,  by  the  Indiana  Publishing  Company, 
which  is  composed  of  thirty  of  the  business 
men  of  the  county.  It  aims  to  give  late  and 
accurate  news,  especially  concerning  the  devel- 
opment of  the  county.  Its  editor  is  Warner 
H.  Bell,  who  was  formerly  city  editor  of  the 
Pittsburgh  Post.  After  the  late  war  George 
Row  introduced  many  city  methods  into  the 
printing  business  at  Indiana,  and  advocated  in 
his  paper  the  establishment  of  the  present  State 
Normal  school. 

The  Indiana  post-office,  under  the  manage- 
ment of  Fannie  W.  Nixon,  ranks  high  as  one 
of  the  most  systematically  and  best  conducted 
offices  in  the  State.  Her  predecessor  was  A.  T. 
Moorhead,  the  courteous  and  successful  editor 
of  the  Progress,  who,  in  1876,  invented  the 
celebrated  revolving  book  and  goods  rack  of 
to-day,  which  he  used  as  a  revolving  letter- 
rack.  • 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  INDIANA  COUNTY. 


INDIANA. 


HON.  SILAS  M.  CLARK,  LL.D.,  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  Pennsylvania,  was 
born  at  Elderton,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  LH34.  His  ancestors  were  Scotch-Irish, 
a  sturdy  race,  which  probably  as  much  as  any 
other  has  contributed  to  the  annals  of  the  State 
and  country.  These  ancestors  went  to  western 
Pennsylvania  from  the  Cumberland  Valley, 
where  in  the  early  affairs  of  the  Commonwealth 
they  occupied  an  honorable  position.  Captain 
James  Clark,  from  whom  the  Judge  is  directly 
descended,  was  an  officer  in  the  war  of  the  Rev- 
olution, and  after  the  close  of  that  heroic  con- 
test settled  near  Hannastown,  Westmoreland 
county,  the  first  place  west  of  the  Allegheny 
mountains  where  justice  was  administered  ac- 
cording to  the  forms  of  law.  When  the  Indians 
under  the  famous  Seneca  chief  invaded  the 
settlement,  burned  the  town  and  massacred  the 
large  part  of  the  population  in  1782,  Captain 
Clark  was  among  those  who  sought  refuge  in 
the  fort  near  by  and  prepared  to  defentl  it 
against  an  expected  attack.  But  the  attack  was 
not  made,  for  after  plundering  the  town  and 
reducing  it  to  ashes,  the  Indians  withdrew. 
Soon  after  this  event,  Captain  Clark  removed 
to  South  Bend,  Armstrong  county,  where  he 
resided  many  years,  and  died,  leaving  a  numer- 
ous and  respected  progeny. 

Judge  Clark's  maternal  ancestor  was  Fergus 
6 


Moorhead,  who,  like  Captain  Clark,  went  to 
Westmoreland  county  from  the  Cumberland 
Valley.  As  early  as  1772,  Mr.  Moorhead 
with  his  family  settled  near  the  present  town  of 
Indiana.  He  was  more  than  usually  well  pro- 
vided with  the  goods  of  this  world,  and  brought 
to  the  new  home,  where  land  was  abundant,  a 
liberal  supply  of  cattle,  sheep  and  other  domes- 
tic animals  and  fowls  to  stock  his  farm,  and 
implements  to  cultivate  it.  Ijike  Captain  Clark 
he  had  dangers  to  encounter.  The  forests  were 
overrun  with  savage  beasts  and  peopled  with 
still  more  savage  men.  For  four  years,  how- 
ever, the  family  was  unmolested,  but  in  July, 
1776,  while  returning  from  the  fort  at  Kittan- 
ning,  then  under  command  of  his  i)rother  Sam- 
uel, his  horse  was  shot  under  him,  and  he  was 
taken  prisoner  by  a  band  of  Indians,  who  car- 
ried him  to  Quebec,  and  sold  him  to  the  British. 
His  wife  and  children,  thinking  him  dead,  left 
Indiana  and  returned  to  the  Cumberland  Val- 
ley. After  a  year  of  imprisonment,  the  hus- 
band and  father  was  exchanged  and  rejoined 
his  family,  having  traveled  on  foot  from  New 
York  to  the  Cumberland  Valley.  An  account 
of  his  capture  appeared  in  the  Gazelle,  Ben- 
jamin Franklin's  paper,  the  files  of  which  are 
still  preserved  by  the  Historical  Society  of 
Pennsylvania.  At  the  close  of  the  Revolution, 
Mr.  Moorhead  and  his  family  returned  to  the 

81 


82 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


border  home  from  which  they  had  been  so 
summarily  driven  five  years  before,  and  there, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-nine,  he  died. 
Among  his  descendants  are  the  prosperous  and 
M'ealthy  iron  masters  of  Pittsburgh,  of  that 
name,  and  others  who  have  distinguished  them- 
selves in  business  and  professional  life. 

In  1835  James  Clark,  Esq.,  the  father  of 
Judge  Clark,  removed  from  Elderton  and  set- 
tled in  Indiana,  the  county -seat  of  Indiana 
county,  where  he  has  since  resided  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  respect  of  his  fellow-citizens,  by 
whom  he  has  been  honored  with  every  evidence 
of  confidence  and  esteem,  and  has  had  conferred 
upon  him  many  offices  and  positions  of  trust. 

With  such  an  ancestor,  it  is  not  surprising 
that  Judge  Clark  exhibits  the  characteristics 
that  distinctly  mark  him,  namely,  warmness  of 
heart,  courage,  tenacity  of  purpose  and  public 
spirit.  He  is  essentially  a  man  of  the  people, 
and  through  all  his  busy  life  has  found  pleasure 
in  serving  his  neighbors.  His  own  success  has 
only  multiplied  the  opportunities  to  help  those 
less  fortunate,  and  he  is  as  free  with  bis  means 
in  the  dispensing  of  charity  as  he  is  generous  in 
giving  aid  and  assistance  to  deserving  young 
men  who  are  entering  the  struggle  of  life. 

Judge  Clark  obtained  his  rudimentary  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Indiana,  in  which 
he  continued  as  a  pupil  until  he  was  sufficiently 
equipped  with  learning  to  enter  the  academy  of 
that  town.  There  he  pursued  the  course  of 
study  that  prepared  him  to  enter  the  Junior 
class  of  the  Jefferson  college  at  Canuonsburg, 
Pa.,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1852, 
standing  fifth  in  a  class  of  about  sixty  members. 
He  was  an  adept  in  mathematics,  a  fluent  and 
forceful  speaker,  and  in  literary  experiences  ex- 
celled. In  recognition  of  this,  the  Philo  Liter- 
ary Society  iuvitetl  him  to  deliver  the  valedic- 
tory address  on  the  occasion  of  the  semi-cen- 
tennial anniversary  of  the  college. 

After  his  graduation  Judge  Clark  became  an 
instructor  in  the  academy  in  which  he  had  been 


prepared  for  college  and  continued  in  this 
position  for  two  yeai"s.  He  entered  into  the 
work  with  much  spirit  and  earnestness,  and 
aroused  among  the  pupils  the  greatest  enthu- 
siasm. The  sympathy  with  school  work  which 
was  implanted  during  that  period,  has  never 
abated.  Soon  after  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar, 
and  while  a  young  and  struggling  lawyer,  he 
was  elected  director  of  the  public  schools  of 
the  town,  and  for  twelve  consecutive  years 
served  the  people  faithfully  and  efficiently,  in 
that  important  capacity.  Later  on  he  became 
one  of  the  projectors  and  founders  of  the 
Normal  school  of  Indiana,  of  which  he  has 
from  the  first  been  a  member  of  the  trustees 
and  most  of  the  time  president  of  the  board. 
The  great  success  of  the  institution  is  attributed 
largely  to  his  intelligent  efforts  in  its  behalf. 
In  recognition  of  his  long  and  faithful  service 
in  the  interests  of  educational  progress  Lafayette 
College  in  1886  conferred  upon  him  the  hon- 
orary degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws,  and  the  com- 
pliment was  never  bestowed  upon  a  more 
deserving  recipient,  or  the  judicial  ermine  more 
appropriate  for  the  person  of  any  one. 

After  two  years  of  service  as  an  educator. 
Judge  Clark  abandoned  the  profession  and  en- 
tered the  office  of  a  prominent  lawyer,  then  of 
Indiana,  but  now  of  Philadelphia,  and  in  1857, 
at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years,  was  admitted 
to  practice  at  the  bar  of  Indiana  county.  Then, 
as  now,  the  bar  of  that  county  embraced  some  of 
the  strongest  lawyers  in  the  State,  but  the  young 
aspirant  for  legal  honors  was  not  long  in  mak- 
ing a  place  for  himself  among  the  most  success- 
ful, and  it  is  a  matter  of  record  that  durinsj  the 
ten  years  preceding  his  elevation  to  the  Supreme 
Bench,  not  a  single  case  of  importance  was  tried 
in  the  county  in  which  he  did  not  appear  as 
council.  His  fame  was  not  limited  to  his  own 
county,  either,  and  during  the  period  of  his  suc- 
cessful practice  he  received  many  tempting  offers 
to  conduct  important  cases  tried  elsewhere.  But, 
as  a  rule,  all  such  offers  were  declined,  for  un- 


c-^^^g^Jl 


^-^^ 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


85 


less  the  persons  interested  were  personal  friends 
or  home  clients  he  preferred  to  attend  to  his  ex- 
tensive and  lucrative  practice  in  his  own  dis- 
trict rather  than  go  to  other  fields. 

In  his  law  practice  Judge  Clark  was  always 
a  clear  and  profound  thinker,  a  strong  and  log- 
ical reasoner  and  an  eloquent  advocate  of  sur- 
passing power.  It  was  a  hopeless  case,  indeed, 
where  he  tailed  to  secure  a  favorable  judgment 
or  verdict.  Whether  arguing  questions  of  law 
before  a  court,  or  questions  of  fact  before  a  jury, 
the  strong  points  of  his  cases  were  so  strongly 
and  forcibly  presented  that  the  weak  ones  were 
likely  to  be  lost  sight  of  altogether.  Nor  was  it 
in  the  trial  of  causes  alone  that  he  excelled. 
Contracts,  wills  and  other  legal  papers  prepared 
by  him  were  .so  skillfully  executed,  contingencies 
so  carefully  provided  for  and  guarded  against, 
and  their  terms  so  clearly  expressed  that  they 
never  gave  rise  to  litigation  by  reason  of  their 
ambiguity. 

Judge  Clark  inherited  his  political  convic- 
tions, as  his  other  characteristics,  from  his  an- 
cestry, and  from  boyhood  has  been  a  Democrat. 
While  he  holds  it  to  be  both  the  right  and  duty 
of  every  citizen  to  maintain  his  political  con- 
victions fearlessly,  and  share  the  labors  and  re- 
sponsibilities of  citizenship,  he  has  never  been 
an  office-seeker,  and,  with  the  exception  of 
membership  in  the  Constitutional  Convention 
of  1873,  he  never  held  any  oflBce  except  that  one 
which  he  now  holds.  As  a  member  of  the  Con- 
stitutional Convention,  he  served  on  the  follow- 
ing committees  :  Declaration  of  Rights,  Private 
Corporations  and  Revision  and  Adjustment. 
Of  that  body  of  Pennsylvania's  representative 
men  he  ranked  as  one  of  the  ablest,  and  Mr. 
Buckalew,  himself  a  member,  in  his  very  able 
work,  "  The  Constitution  of  Pennsylvania,"  re- 
ferring to  tiie  discussion  of  the  judiciary  article, 
makes  special  mention  of  some  of  Mr.  Clark's 
speeches,  remarking  that  they  were  among  the 
ablest  upon  the  subjects  discu.ssed.  During  his 
long  career  at  the  bar  he  was  frequently  invited 


to  accept  nominations  for  office,  but  invariably 
declined,  with  the  exception  named  and  one 
other.  He  was  nominated  for  president  judge  of 
the  judicial  district  composed  of  Indiana,  West- 
moreland and  Armstrong  counties,  and  was  de- 
feated by  the  Hon.  James  A.  Logan,  the  ad- 
verse majority  in  the  district  being  too  great  for 
one  of  even  his  popularity  to  overcome.  His 
election  to  the  Supreme  Bench  occurred  in  No- 
vember, 1882,  and  he  entered  upou  the  duties 
of  his  office  in  January  following. 

Judge  Clark  meets  and  discharges  the  duties 
of  advanced  citizenship  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
win  the  respect,  esteem  and  confidence  of  all 
classes  of  his  fellow-men.  Every  enterprise, 
having  for  its  object  the  advancement  of  their 
interests  or  the  improvement  of  his  town,  finds 
in  him  an  energetic  and  active  supporter.  We 
have  spoken  of  his  interest  in  education.  His 
interest  in  agriculture  is  not  less ;  he  took  time 
in  the  midst  of  his  large  practice,  not  only  to 
cultivate  a  fine  farm  that  he  then  owned,  but  to 
serve  for  several  years  as  president  of  the  Ag- 
ricultural Society  of  his  county,  then  one  of  the 
most  flourishiug  in  the  State.  Perhaps  the  very 
best  evidence  of  the  esteem  in  which  Judge 
Clark  is  held  by  his  fellow-citizens  of  the  coun- 
ty is  the  fact  that  in  the  election  to  his  present 
position  they  gave  him  a  majority  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-one  votes  over  his  Republican 
CO  .ipetitor,  whilst  the  Republican  candidate  for 
governor  at  the  same  time  had  a  majority  of 
two  thousand.  In  his  judicial  capacity  he 
stands  very  high,  and  is  regarded  universally 
by  tlie  profession  as  one  of  the  ablest  members 
of  the  court.  His  opinions,  singularly  brief, 
are  couched  in  the  clearest  and  choicest  lan- 
guage, and  as  readily  understood  by  the  layman 
as  the  lawyer.  Many  of  them  have  received 
favorable  comment  from  the  law  critics  in  the 
leading  periodicals  in  the  country,  and  all  of 
them  are  models  of  forceful  and  graceful  rhet- 
oric. 

Upon  the  death  of  the  late  Hon.  Morriosn  R. 


86 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Waite,  chief  justice  of  the  United  States  Su- 
preme Court,  the  leading  newspapers  of  the 
State,  irrespective  of  party,  pointed  to  Judge 
Clark  as  a  man  eminently  qualified  to  fill  the 
exalted  position  thus  made  vacant.  In  the  sup- 
port of  their  petition  it  was  argued  that  he  was 
in  full  vigor  of  intellect  and  physical  strength, 
young  enough  to  promise  a  protracted  period  of 
useful  work,  and  old  enough  to  bring  to  the  posi- 
tion rijje  experience,  and  an  able  and  honorable 
record,  both  at  the  bar  and  on  the  bench. 

Judge  Clark,  on  the  26th  day  of  April,  1859, 
was  married  to  Clara  Elizabeth  Moorhead, 
daughter  of  William  Moorhead,  late  of  Pitts- 
burgh, Pa.  Her  death  occurred  on  the  17th 
day  of  January,  1887.  This  has  been  the  one 
great  sorrow  in  Judge  Clark's  otherwise  happy 
and  successful  life.  To  speak  publicly  of  a 
nature  so  modest  and  simple,  and  a  life  so 
private  as  Mrs.  Clark's  seems  almost  a  wrong, 
but  a  sketch  of  her  husband,  however  slight, 
would  be  incomplete  without  reference  to  the 
woman  whose  gentleness  and  courage  and  wis- 
dom were  the  good  angels  that,  since  his  earliest 
manhood,  breathed  their  benediction  upon  him. 
Mrs.  Clark  was  of  the  women  whose  lives  are 
noiseless,  who  live  at  home — she  was  a  wife,  a 
mother,  yet  her  character  was  so  firm,  tranquil 
and  self-possessed,  that  it  would  have  met  with- 
out doubt  or  hesitation  any  form  of  suffering 
for  conscience  or  duty.  Her  absolute  truthful- 
ness was  a  standing  rebuke  to  falseness  and  pre- 
tence, and  the  memory  of  her  loyalty  and  un- 
selfishness is  a  perpetual  blessing.  In  the  re- 
fined and  beautiful  home,  attuned  now  to  a 
deeper  and  sadder  note  by  the  loss  of  the  woman 
who  filled  it  with  her  rich  life.  Judge  Clark's 
warm,  domestic  and  social  nature  finds  its 
truest  expression.  There  he  meets  his  friends 
and  neighbors  in  genial  intercourse  and  hospi- 
tality, and  tliere,  amid  the  highest  charms  of 
life,  his  children  are  growing  into  a  gracious 
man  and  womanhood. 


NOAH  ADLER,  clothier  and  dealer  in  gents' 
furnishing  goods  at  Indiana,  served  as  a 
soldier  in  the  late  war  and  is  one  of  the  ener- 
getic and  successful  business  men  of  the  bor- 
ough. He  was  born  in  the  kingdom  of  Prus- 
sia, August  14,  1834,  and  is  a  son  of  Solomon 
and  Pauline  (Isaacs)  Adler.  His  parents  were 
both  natives  and  life-long  residents  of  Prussia. 
They  were  old  enough  to  recollect  the  invasion 
of  Prussia  by  the  French  army  and  the  closing 
years  of  the  stormy  career  of  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte, who  shook  the  world  in  his  passage  from 
from  his  island  home  in  the  Mediterranean  to 
his  prison-grave  on  the  ocean-rock  of  St.  He- 
lena. Solomon  Adler  was  a  prosperous  grocer 
and  died  iu  1871,  when  seventy-five  years  of 
age.  His  wife,  Pauline  (Isaacs)  Adler,  was 
born  in  the  opening  year  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury, but  died  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-six 
years. 

Noah  Adler  was  reared  in  the  land  of  his 
nativity,  where  he  received  his  education  in  the 
excellent  public  schools  of  Pru.ssia,  which,  with 
some  changes  and  alterations,  produced  results 
a  few  years  later  that  challenged  the  admiration 
of  the  world.  Leaving  school,  he  became  a 
clerk  in  a  grain  house  near  his  home.  In  1854 
he  gave  up  that  position  in  order  to  come 
to  the  United  States.  He  landed  at  New 
York  city  on  the  first  day  of  May,  went  to 
Harrisburg,  Pa.,  where  he  was  a  clerk  in  a 
clothing  house  until  1861.  He  then  enlisted 
in  Co.  B,  27th  regiment,  Pa.  Vols.,  and  served 
for  three  years  and  one  month.  He  partici- 
pated in  all  the  battles  of  his  regiment,  was 
taken  prisoner  at  Gettysburg  and  was  held  for 
three  months  before  he  was  exchanged  at  City 
Point.  He  was  honorably  discharged  on  June 
5,  ]  864,  and  returned  to  Harrisburg,  where  he  re- 
mained for  three  years.  On  March  16,  1867, 
he  came  to  Indiana  and  engaged  in  the  clothing 
business  for  himself,  which  he  has  continued  in 
successfully  ever  since. 

In  1867  he  married  Jenet  Vogel,  of  Phila- 


RESIDENCE  OF  JUDGE  S.   M.  CLARK. 


INDMNA   COUNTY. 


89 


delphia,  who  died- in  1885  and  left  no  children. 
On  August  23,  1886,  jNIr.  Adler  married  for 
his  second  wife  Odelia  Washer,  of  the  same 
city. 

Noah  Adler  is  a  republican,  but  is  liberal  in 
his  political  views.  He  is  a  member  and  as- 
sistant quartermaster  of  Indiana  Post,  No.  28, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  Encamp- 
ment No.  11,  Union  Veteran  Legion.  He  is 
a  member  of  Palladium  Lodge,  No.  34(5,  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  Salem 
Lodge,  No.  28,  I.  0.  B.  B.,  at  Harrisburg.  He 
is  also  treasurer  of  the  Odd  Fellows'  Hall 
association  of  Indiana.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Hebrew  church  of  Rodef  Shalom,  Broad  street, 
Philadelphia.  His  business  establishment  is 
opposite  the  court-house,  aud  he  carries  a  full 
stock  of  stylish  and  substantial  ready-made 
clothing  suited  to  all  tastes  and  purposes,  and  a 
complete  line  of  gents'  furnishing  goods  of 
every  description.  Mr.  Adler  is  a  public-spir- 
ited citizen  and  a  courteous  gentleman,  aud  has 
built  up  a  business  which  is  steadily  on  the 
increase. 


MAJOR  JOHN  B.  ALEXANDER.  Among 
the  lirst  lawyers  to  practice  at  the  Indi- 
ana bar  was  John  B.  Alexander.  "  He  was 
born  in  Carlisle,  Cumberland  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  emigrated  to  Greensburg,  Pa., 
early  in  the  present  century.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  Westmoreland  bar  on  motion  of  William 
Wilkins,  Esq.,  at  the  December  term  of  court, 
1804.  He  opened  his  first  office  there,  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  the  law,  and  resided  there 
until  the  war  of  1812  commenced.  Mr.  Alex- 
ander had  been  liberally  educated,  having  been 
graduated  at  Dickinson  college,  Carlisle. 

"  He  was  a  good  Latin  sciiolar,  readily  read- 
ing and  explaining  old  law  writers  to  the  court. 
In  his  old  age  he  was  heard  to  quote  Horace  in 
the  original  in  ordinary  conversation  with  gen- 
tlemen of  culture. 


"Mr.  Alexander  had  little  regard  for  any 
literary  pursuit  outside  of  his  profession.  He 
was  no  politician,  and  read  no  newspapers, 
novels,  magazines  or  histories.  His  sole  liter- 
ary recreation  was  the  reading  of  Shakspeare. 
This  he  knew  so  well  that  he  quoted  it  regu- 
larly in  court,  and  could  repeat  whole  scenes 
without  any  mistake,  and  with  proper  manner 
and  pronunciation.  And  to  him,  in  ^his  pro- 
fession, the  great  dramatist  was  undoubtedly  of 
great  use,  and  particularly  in  this,  that  it  sup- 
plemented him  with  a  fund  of  quotations  with 
which,  in  addressing  juries,  he  could  relieve  the 
dryness  and  dullness  of  professional  language. 

"  His  father  having  a  large  family  to  sup- 
port, he,  after  having  received  his  [collegiate 
education,  was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources. 
He  studied  much,  worked  hard  and  carefully, 
and  as  a  return  rose  to  the  front  rank  at  the 
bar,  and  gained  a  practice  in  the  counties  of 
Westmoreland  and  Indiana.  Only  on  two  oc- 
casions did  he  allow  his  mind  to  be  drawn  away 
or  diverted  from  the  practice  of  his  profe.ssion. 
The  first  of  these  occasions  was  the  war  of  1 81 2. 
When  that  war  with  Great  Britain  commenced 
he  collected  a  company  of  volunteers,  and 
.served  with  great  credit  under  Gen.  Harrison 
in  several  engagements  with  the  British  and 
Indians.  The  name  of  his  company  was  '  The 
Greensburg  Rifles.'  After  his  return  he  re- 
sumed the  practice  of  the  law,  rose  to  the  head 
of  the  Greensburg  bar,  and  obtained  a  lucrative 
practice  in  that  and  the  adjoining  counties. 

"He  raised  a  company  of  artillery,  which 
was  the  model  company  of  the  military  division 
in  which  the  militia  of  the  State  was  divided, 
aud  was  truly  a  fine  one  in  appearance.  The 
men  were  handsomely  uuiforined,  were  all  over 
six  feet  in  height,  and  their  two  handsome  bra?s 
cannons  were  drawn  by  large  gray  horses.  The 
rank  aud  file  consisteil  of  substantial  farmers 
and  stout  mechanics  and  laborers.  In  rich  and 
gaudy  uniform,  Alexander  always  commanded 
in   person,  and   he   expended   a   large  sum  of 


90 


SIOGRAPHIES  OF 


money  in  equipments,  horses  and  donations. 
He,  with  his  company,  turned  out  in  honor  of 
Lafayette  when  he  passed  through  the  southwest- 
ern part  of  Westmoreland  county.  Alexander 
not  only  encouraged  the  profession  of  arms  by 
his  example,  but  he  went  so  far  as  to  acknowl- 
edge the  code  of  honor  in  theorj'  and  practice. 
He  fought  a  duel  with  a  Mr.  Mason,  of  Union- 
town,  Fayette  Co.  They  exchanged  shots,  but 
neither  was  wounded.  Both  desired  a  second 
fire,  but  the  seconds  refused  on  the  ground  that 
the  point  of  honor  for  which  they  fought  did 
not  require  another  interchange  of  deadly  mis- 
sives. 

"  The  second  and  less  fortunate  occasion 
which  drew  off  his  attention  from  the  agreeable 
toil  of  the  office  and  the  bar  was  his  election  to 
the  State  Assembly.  It  was  admitted  by  all 
that  his  representative  career  was  a  failure. 
He  was  like  a  fish  out  of  water.  He  there 
came  in  contact  with  men  who,  although  they 
could  scarcely  have  spelled  their  way  through 
the  horn-book,  could  have  bought  and  sold  him 
in  legislative  trickery  every  hour  in  the  day. 
For  those  he  had  the  utmost  contempt,  and  he 
appeared  to  regard  the  whole  legislative  body 
somewhat  as  Gulliver  regarded  a  similar  assem- 
blage in  Lilliput.  Before  the  session  closed  he 
left  them  in  disgust,  mounted  his  horse  and 
rode  home.  Thenceforth  he  took  no  part  in 
politics  wliatever  until  1840,  when  his  old  com- 
mander was  nominated  for  the  presidency. 
During  that  campaign  he  consented  to  preside 
at  a  Harrison  meeting  at  Greensburg.  He  was 
then  on  the  verge  of  eternity,  and  died  shortly 
after,  in  the  same  year. 

"  As  a  sound  and  well-read  lawyer  he  had 
as  we  said,  no  equal  at  the  AVestmoreland  bar 
and  in  the  special  branch  of  the  law  relating  to 
land  title  he  had  no  superior  in  western  Penn- 
sylvania. He  was  retained  as  coun.sel  in  many 
cases  of  disputed  title  in  the  court  of  last  resort 
in  the  State,  and  even  in  some  ca.ses  of  a  like 
character  which  were  adjudicated  in  the  highest 


court  of  the  United  States.  He  was  the  coun- 
sel in  one  particularly  heavy  land-title  case  on 
an  appeal  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States,  wherein  his  adversary  was  the  celebrated 
William  Wirt.  Alexander  gained  his  cause, 
and  the  argument  displayed  such  legal  acumen 
that  he  astonished  the  bench  as  well  as  the  bar. 
At  its  conclusion  he  was  complimented  by  Mr. 
Wirt  and  by  Daniel  Webster,  who  was  present, 
and  who  expressed  in  his  warm  hearted  way  his 
approbation  of  the  manner  in  which  he  had  han- 
dled his  case,  of  his  exposition  of  the  law,  and  the 
profundity  of  his  legal  reasoning  and  learning. 
In  the  intricate  and  abstruse  practice  of  the  laud 
law  of  Pennsylvania  Alexander  was,  without 
doubt,  the  superior  of  Wirt.  Wirt  was  a  poli- 
tician, an  orator  and  a  literary  man,  but  to  the 
law  alone  had  Alexander  devoted  an  almost 
entire  attention.  If  Wirt  were  the  Bacon, 
Alexander  was  the  Coke.  He  brought  to  his 
cases  his  stored-up  learning  of  the  common  law, 
he  could  recall  old  judicial  decisions,  quote 
black-letter  authority  from  the  law-Latin  and 
Norman-French  text-books  of  the  Middle  Ages, 
marshal  together  all  the  maxims  of  the  conimon 
law  bearing  on  the  capacity  and  the  incapacity 
of  witnesses  to  testify,  bring  the  court  from  the 
fountain  sources  of  legal  wisdom  down  through 
a  long  series  of  English  decisions  to  a  moderate 
date,  and  examine  into  the  law  of  evidence  as  it 
was  recognized  in  Penn-sylvania,  and  apply  it  to 
his  arguments  in  his  cases. 

"  His  ancestors  were  Scotch-Irish,  and  they 
had  emigrated  to  this  country  before  the  Revo- 
lution. His  father,  Peter  Alexander,  was  born 
in  Cumberland  county.  Pa.  The  family  were 
whigs  and  patriots  during  the  war  of  the  Revo- 
lution. The  wife  of  John  B.  was  a  Miss  Smith, 
of  Cumberland  county.  He  had  no  children. 
His  wife  survived  him,  and  on  her  death  the 
property  went  to  the  collateral  heirs.  Besides 
two  sisters  he  had  two  brothers  :  Samuel  Alex- 
ander, who  was  a  leading  lawyer  of  the  Carlisle, 
Cumberland  countv  bar,  and    Thomas  Alexan- 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


91 


der,  who  once  lived  with  his  brother  in  Greens- 
burg,  and  who  was  never  married. 

"  In  business  transactions  the  integrity  of 
Alexander  was  inflexible.  He  was  never  known 
to  do  a  dishonest  or  dishonorable  action.  No 
man  could  say  that  he  ever  defrauded  him  of  a 
dollar.  His  handsome  fortune  was,  all  gained 
by  honorable  professional  toil." 


WASHINGTON  P.  ALTMAN.  Prorai- 
nent  among  the  citizens  of  Indiana  stands 
Washington  P.  Altman,  the  veteran  chief  of 
police.  Strictly  attentive  to  duty,  and  stern 
in  the  discharge  of  it,  he  is  the  terror  of  evil- 
doers. He  is  a  son  of  Capt.  Henry  and  Juli- 
ann  (Sloan)  Altman,  and  was  born  at  Indiana, 
Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  March  24, 1845. 
His  grandfather,  Henry  Altman,  Sr.,  was  a 
native  of  Germany,  and  came  to  this  country 
in  early  manhood,  and  followed  the  occupation 
of  farming.  His  son,  Colonel  Henry  Altman 
(fatiier),  was  born  in  Indiana  county,  in  the 
year  1803.  By  trade  he  was  a  carpenter  and 
builder,  living  most  of  his  life  in  Indiana.  At 
the  breaking  out  of  the  "  Great  Rebellion,"  he 
enlisted  in  Co.  K,  10-5th  regiment  Pa.  Vols. ; 
was  elected  captain  of  the  company.  His  death,  i 
which  occurred  soon  after  he  resigned,  was 
occasioned  by  exposure  in  the  Virginia  swamps. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-three,  deeply  de- 
plore<l  by  the  community  in  which  he  resided. 
He  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Presbyter- 
ian church,  and  always  took  an  active  part  in 
the  church  work.  He  manned  Juliann  Sloan, 
who  was  a  native  of  Armstrong  county,  and 
from  early  life  was  a  sincere  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  She  died  in  November, 
1888,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-four  years. 
Washington  P.  Altman  was  reared  at  Indi- 
ana, and  acquired  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  .the  borough  and  Indiana  academy, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1862.  In 
June,  1863,  he  enlisted  for  six  months  in  Co. 


A,  1st  Pennsylvania  Cavalry.  When  dis- 
charged in  December  following,  he  enlisted  in 
the  regtdar  army,  as  a  member  of  Co.  A,  in  the 
19th  U.  S.  Infantry,  for  three  years,  with  the 
rank  of  first  sergeant.  During  most  of  this 
time  his  regiment  was  stationed  in  Tennessee, 
Arkansas  and  Indian  Territory.  After  his 
discharge  he  taught  school  for  seventeen  years 
in  Arkansas,  Illinois,  Colorado  and  Iowa,  as 
well  as  in  his  native  State.  He  was  a  most 
successful  teacher ;  his  long  service  in  the  army 
having  given  him  special  training  as  a  disci- 
plinarian. At  length  the  confinement  to  the 
school-room  impairetl  his  health,  obliging  him 
to  seek  other  employment.  In  1880  he  was 
appointed  chief  of  police  of  Indiana,  which 
office  he  still  holds;  here,  too,  his  army  train- 
ing aids  him  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties. 

On  jSIarch  17, 1870,  he  married  Belle,  daugh- 
ter of  James  M.  White,  of  Indiana.  Slie  died  in 
1879,  leaving  one  child,  William  Houston. 
His  .second  wife,  whom  he  married  December 
9,  1880,  is  Ella,  daughter  of  William  Glass,  of 
Indiana  county.  To  this  second  union  have 
been  born  three  daughters :  Lulu,  Julia  and 
Helen. 

W.  P.  Altman  has  "always  been  a  republi- 
can, and  attends  the  Presbyterian  church.  He 
was  a  member  of  Palladium  Lodge,  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Shavano 
Lodge,  No.  28,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  Indi- 
ana Lodge,  No.  260,  Jr.  0.  U.  A.  M.  He  is 
very  prominent  in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public, a  member  of  Torbert  Post,  No.  11,  and 
Logan  Camp,  No.  77,  Sons  of  Veterans,  of 
Colorado.  AVhile  teaching  in  Colorado  he  was 
elected  to  the  offices  of  department  commander 
of  the  Grand  Army  of  Colorado  and  judge 
advocate  of  the  department  of  Colorado  of  the 
Sons  of  Veterans ;  the  latter  office  he  still 
holds.  Although  a  scourge  to  wrong-doers,  he 
is  quick  to  sympathize  with  and  aid  the  suflfer- 
ing,  living  up  faithfully  to  the  initiatory  vows 
of  the  various  orders  of  which  he  is  a  member. 


92 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


"Wf. 


ILLIAM  BANKS  was  a  native  of  Mif- 
couuty,  Pennsylvauia,  and  studied 
law  in  tlie  office  of  his  brother,  Hon.  John 
Banks,  at  Mercer,  Pa.  He  commenced  the 
practice  of  law  in  Indiana  in  1826,  and  for 
many  years  was  a  leading  member  of  the  bar. 
He  was  naturally  sensitive  and  diffident,  and 
only  commenced  to  argue  cases  before  the  jury 
when  circumstances  compelled  him.  He  be- 
came a  forcible  advocate,  concise,  to  the  point 
and  sometimes  eloquent.  He  was  fond  of  sci- 
entific studies,  and  was  very  conversant  with 
the  Scriptures.  He  filled  the  offices  of  deputy 
attorney-general  and  prothonotary,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  legislature.  After  serving  in 
the  legislature  he  totally  abjured  holding  pub- 
lic office.  He  died  on  the  10th  day  of  August, 
1871,  aged  seventy-six  years." 


ROBERT  BARE,  M.D.— The  late  Robert 
Barr,  M.D.,of  Indiana,  was  a  leading,  skill- 
ful surgeon  and  physician,  a  useful  citizen,  a  true 
friend,  and  a  sincere  and  an'honest  man.  He  was 
a  son  of  Thomas  and  Catherine  Coleman  (Gor- 
don) Barr,  and  was  born  in  that  part  of  Green, 
which  is  now  Cherry  Hill  township,  Indiana 
county,  Pennsylvania,  August  20,  1828.  His 
paternal  grandparents  were  Robert  and  Sarah 
Barr,  who  settled  in  this  county  in  an  early 
day.  Robert  Barr  was  a  Revolutionary  sol- 
dier, and  one  of  his  children  was  Thomas  Barr 
(father),  who  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
1812.  He  was  twice  married  ;  his  first  wife 
M'as  Elizabeth  Evans,  and  after  her  death  he 
married  Mrs.  Catherine  (Gordon)  Coleman,  and 
the  only  child  born  of  the  second  marriage  was 
Dr.  Robert  Barr. 

Robert  Barr  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  rural  schools  and 
Indiana  academy.  He  had  determined  at  an 
early  age  to  become  a  member  of  the  medical 
profession,  and  to  this  end  directed  his  educa- 


tion. He  read  medicine  with  Dr.  Stewart,  of 
Armagh,  and  Dr.  Thomas  St.  Clair,  of  Indiana, 
and  graduated  from  Jeiferson  Medical  college 
of  Philadelphia,  in  the  class  of  1854.  After- 
wards he  attended  schools  of  surgery  in  Phila- 
delphia and  other  cities  and  also  practiced  in 
the  hospitals  to  make  himself  more  proficient  in 
surgery.  He  commenced  the  active  practice  of 
his  profession  at  Armagh,  but  soon  removed  to 
Indiana,  where  he  practiced  until  his  death, 
excepting  the  time  of  the  late  war.  On  No- 
vember 8,  1861,  he  was  mustered  into  the  U.S. 
service  as  surgeon  of  the  67th  regiment.  Pa. 
Vols.,  and  aided  in  its  organization.  He  was 
actively  employed  in  the  field  with  his  regi- 
ment, brigade  and  division  until  the  expiration 
of  his  term  of  service,  in  the  fall  of  1864,  and 
then  left  field  duty  on  account  of  physical  dis- 
ability, incurred  from  exposure  and  continued 
service.  While  in  commission  he  was  intrusted 
with  the  most  responsible  duties,  and  was  always 
fully  equal  to  their  proper  discharge. 

He  was  promoted  to  surgeon-in-chief,  and  in 
the  trying  and  severe  campaigns  of  1863  and 
1864  was  conspicuous  for  skillful  surgical  oper- 
ations and  efficient  discipline  in  the  medical 
corps  under  his  charge.  The  high  esteem  in 
which  he  was  held  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
is  attested  by  the  complimentary  order  with 
which  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  service.  Re- 
turning home  from  the  army,  he  resumed  his 
practice  and  was  actively  engaged  until  a  few 
months  before  his  death,  in  1882. 

October  15,  1868,  Dr.  Barr  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Cordelia  E.  Elder,  who  still  resides 
in  her  pleasant  home  at  Indiana,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  that 
place.  Her  father,  Robert  Elder  (3d),  was  born 
December  23,  1809,  on  the  farm  on  which  he 
always  lived,  and  on  which  he  died  March  26 > 
1890.  He  was  a  son  of  Robert  Elder,  Jr.,  who 
married  Mary  Smith,  and  whose  father,  Robert 
Elder,  Sr.,  the  first  settler  on  the  ridge  that 
bears  his  name,  was  a  grandson  of  Robert  and 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


93 


Eleanor  Elder,  who  were  Scotch-Irish  natives 
of  Drummore,  county  Down,  Ireland,  and  set- 
tled near  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  about  1730.  Robert 
Elder  (3d)  was  a  quiet  man  of  wide-spread  in- 
fluence, and  was  the  last,  but  one,  surviving  of 
the  fifty  original  members  of  Dr.  Alexander 
Donaldson's  congregation.  He  donated  the 
ground  for  the  last  church  structure  of  that 
congregation,  besides  most  generous  subscrip- 
tions toward  its  erection.  He  was  a  hearty 
supporter  of  churches  and  schools,  and  liberal 
of  means  toward  any  movement  for  the  benefit  of 
his  community.  He  married  Nancy  W.  Doug- 
lass, who  still  survives  him.  One  of  his  sons, 
Lieut.  John  D.  Elder,  was  killed  at  Malvern 
Hill,  while  in  command  of  his  company. 

In  his  private  practice  Dr.  Barr  was  noted 
for  his  sincerity  and  frankness  with  his  patients. 
He  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  and,  although  sometimes  stern  in  man- 
ner, yet  ids  heart  was  always  sensitive  to  the 
tale  of  sorrow  or  the  voice  of  suffering.  He  died 
of  Bright's  disease  of  the  kidneys,  at  midnight 
on  Thursday,  March  2,  1882.  His  remains 
were  borne  to  their  last  resting-place  in  Indiana 
cemetery,  by  his  old  comrades  in  arms,  the 
members  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Kepublic, 
but  the  memory  and  example  of  his  useful  life 
remains  behind  him. 


JOSEPH  F.  BARNES.  —  Every  town  or 
^  borough  has  its  wide-awake  and  leading 
business  men  who  .seem  to  have  been  born  to 
be  publicly  useful.  Of  this  class  of  men  is 
Joseph  F.  Barnes,  of  Indiana.  He  is  a  .sou  of 
Henry  and  Mary  (Chapman)  Barnes,  and  was 
born  in  Burrell  township,  [iidiana  county, 
Pennsylvania,  March  4,  1828.  The  e;irly  an- 
cestors of  the  Barnes  family  were  rigid  non- 
conformists of  England.  Several  of  them  suf- 
fered martyrdom  in  Eliigland  for  adhcreuce  to 
their  faith,  and  one  of  that  number  was  Dr. 


Barnes,  who  was  burned  at  the  stake.  Among 
the  "  Puritan  Fathers  "  who  settled  at  Plymouth 
and  other  points  in  Massachusetts  were  several 
members  of  this  family.  One  of  these,  Richard 
Barnes,  settled  in  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony 
prior  to  1636,. when  he  served  in  the  Pequod 
war  in  Connecticut.  Charme<l  with  the  coun- 
try, he  settled  on  the  site  of  New  Haven  in 
1638.  His  son,  Gilbert  Barnes,  born  in  1636, 
was  an  active  business  man,  and  reared  a  family 
of  seven  sons  and  three  daughters.  His  son, 
Stephen  Barnes,  born  1677,  was  the  father  of 
four  children,  one  of  whom  was  Timothy 
Barnes,  who  was  born  in  1700.  His  children 
were  Timothy,  Capt.  Stephen ,|  Israel,  Michael, 
Prudence,  Faith  and  Hope.  Capt.  Stephen 
Barnes,  born  in  1736,  commanded  a  company 
during  the  Revolutionary  war,  married  Ezudia 
Kellogg,  and  removed,  in  1787,  to  Northamp- 
ton county.  Pa.  His  children  were  Joseph, 
Stephen,  Gilbert,  Timothy,  Ruth,  Margaret, 
Elizabeth  and  Clara.  The  eldest  son,  Joseph 
Barnes  (grandfather),  \\as  born  June  3,  1777, 
learned  the  trade  of  mill-wright,  and  in  1799 
started  on  foot  for  the  Connecticut  reservation 
in  Ohio,  but  stopped  at  a  ford  on  the  Cone- 
maugh  river,  two  miles  below  the  site  of  Blairs- 
ville.  He  there,  with  characteristic  Yankee 
foresight,  .saw  a  fortune  within  the  grasp  of  the 
man  who  would  start  a  ferry,  and  accordingly 
secured  the  land  on  both  sides  of  the  river  at 
that  point,  and  opened  a  ferry,  which  soon  be- 
came a  source  of  large  income  to  him.  He 
erected  a  grist-mill,  followed  farming  and  built 
flat-boats  for  the  Pittsburgh  trade.  On  April 
3,  1801,  he  married  Barbara  Beck,  a  daughter 
of  Simon  Beck,  a  native  of  Switzerland.  She 
was  born  April  lA,  1785,  and  died  in  1839. 
He  married  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Leer  in  1840,  and 
after  her  death  married  Mrs.  Clarissa  Griswold. 
He  died  at  Sharpsburg,  Allegheny  county,  in 
1855.  His  children  were  Henry,  William, 
Stephen  (a  missionary  to  Africa),  John  B.  (once 
attorney-general   of  the   Republic   of  Texas), 


94 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Elizabeth  (wife  of  John  Davis),  Simon  P.  and 
David  M.  The  eldest  son,  Henry  Barnes 
(father),  was  born  in  1802,  learned  the  mill- 
wright trade  with  his  father,  erected  many  mills 
and  made  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  inven- 
tions and  improvements.  He  married  Mary, 
daughter  of  Francis  Chapman,  of  Green  town- 
ship, and  reared  a  family  of  nine  children : 
Joseph  F.,  Sarah  (wife  of  J.  Haughton),  Bar- 
bara E.  (dead),  Stephen  A.,  George,  Mary  L. 
(Indian  missionary  in  Nebraska),  John  C.  (de- 
ceased), Phebe  A.  and  Lydia  E.  (wife  of  John 
H.  Martin).  Mrs.  Mary  Barnes'  mother,  Jen- 
nie (Drum)  Chapman  (maternal  grandmother), 
was  a  daughter  of  Lord  Drum,  of  England, 
whose  estates  she  was  heir  to  until  she  was 
eight  years  of  age,  when  a  son  was  born  to  her 
father,  who  had  re-married  when  she  was 
about  six  years  of  age.  Her  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Henderson.  Their  remains  sleep  in 
the  Blairsville  cemetery. 

Joseph  F.  Barnes  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and 
received  his  education  in  the  rural  schools  of 
his  native  township  and  Elder's  Ridge  acad- 
emy. Leaving  school,  he  went  to  Blairsville, 
where  he  published  for  two  years  a  paper 
called  the  Appalachian.  He  then  was  engaged 
for  thirteen  years  in  teaching  in  the  common 
schools  of  Indiana  County  and  the  public 
schools  of  Pittsburgh.  During  this  time  his 
vacations  were  spent  as  a  proof-reader,  local 
reporter  and  staff  correspondent  on  the  papers 
of  Pittsburgh.  In  1864  he  quit  teaching 
and  went  to  the  oil  country,  where  he  remained 
for  two  years.  He  then  came  to  Indiana  and 
engaged  in  the  jobbing,  produce  and  oil  busi- 
ness, which  he  has  followed  successfully  ever 
since.  He  handles,  some  years,  as  much  as 
160,000  worth  of  produce  and  from  ninety  to 
one  hundred  car-loads  of  oil.  He  handles  over 
fifty  diflPerent  kinds  of  oil. 

In  1858  he  united  in  marriage,  at  Pittsburgh 
with  Mary,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Agnes 
McLaren,  both   natives  of  Scotland.     Mr.  and 


Mrs.  Barnes  have  been  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren: Ida  C,  wife  of  W.  C.  McKnight,  of 
Pittsburgh  ;  Robert  M.,  a  practicing  lawyer  of 
Pittsburgh  ;  Agnes  C,  Joseph  F.,  Jr.,  and 
Henry  T.,  a  stenographer  of  New  York  city, 
who  married  Flora  Weaver,  had  one  child 
named  Edith,  and  was  drowned  in  1889,  in 
Hacken.sack  river  while  trying  to  rescue  his 
cousin  John  C.  Barnes  from  drowning. 

Joseph  F.  Barnes  owns  a  farm  near  Blairs- 
ville and  valuable  property  at  Indiana.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  and  Indiana 
Lodge,  No.  313,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  has  a  beauti- 
ful P.  M.  jewel  which  was  presented  to  him  by 
that  lodge.  He  is  a  democrat  and  has  served 
as  school  director  for  several  terms.  He  is  a 
member  and  deacon  of  the  Indiana  Baptist 
church  and  has  been  for  over  fifteen  years  the 
honored  superintendent  of  its  Sunday-school. 
As  clerk  of  the  Indiana  Baptist  Association  Mr. 
Barues  has  rendered  valuable  service  to  his 
church.  As  a  writer  he  wields  a  ready  pen  and 
writes  clearly,  forcibly  and  at  times  very  elo- 
quently. As  a  man  he  is  respected  and  honored 
for  his  integrity  and  usefulness. 


HUGH  M.  BELL  is  prominent  among  the 
sons  of  Indiana  county,  who  have  won 
their  own  unaided  way  to  prosperity  and 
who  have  made  for  themselves  names  that  will 
always  figure  conspicuosly  in  the  history  of  the 
industries  of  Indiana  borough.  He  is  a  son  of 
George  and  Mary  (Beatty)  Bell,  and  was  born 
in  Black -Lick  township,  Indiana  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, December  13,  1852.  The  Bells  are 
ofScotch-Irish  descent  and  George  Bell  was  born 
in  Black-Lick  township,  in  1820,  where  he  was 
reared  to  manhood  aud  resided  until  his  death, 
in  1855,  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-five  years. 
He  was  an  industrious  farmer  and  a  consistent 
member  of  tiie  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
His  early  death  prevented  him   from  acquiring 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


95 


much  of  a  competency.  He  married  Mary 
Beatty,  who  now  resides  at  Latrobe,  Westmore- 
land county,  this  State. 

Hugh  ]\r.  Bell  was  bereaved  of  his  father  at 
so  early  an  age  that  he  coidd  neither  remember 
him  nor  realize  his  loss.  Even  before  he  had 
completed  his  first  decade  of  years,  he  was  use- 
fully employed,  to  a  considerable  extent,  on  the 
fiirm  on  which  he  was  reared.  His  education 
was  acquired  in  the  winter  district  common 
schools,  which  at  that  day  had  not  arrived  at 
the  degree  of  excellence  tiiey  have  now  readied. 
At  seventeen  years  of  age,  imbued  with  the 
laudable  ambition  to  win  his  own  way  in  the 
world,  he  souglit  employment  and  accepted  the 
first  honest  labor  which  came  to  his  hand  and 
was  in  the  shape  of  driving  a  mule  in  a  bitumi- 
nous coal  mine.  He  soon  obtained  a  chance  to 
leave  his  mule  cart  and  dug  coal,  which  paid 
him  better  wages  than  his  former  job  of  driving. 
In  February,  1870,  he  came  to  Indiana,  where 
he  secured  a  position  as  clerk  in  the  implement, 
grain  and  lumber  house  of  John  C.  Moorhead. 
One  year  later  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  dry 
goods  house  of  A.  S.  Cunningham,  where  he 
remained  for  eighteen  months.     He  then  went 

into     the     foundry    establishment     of    

McFarland,  witii  whom  he  continued  for  ten 
years  and  where  he  laid  the  foundations  of  his 
present  honorable  and  successful  business  career 
as  a  manufacturer  and  general  dealer  in  en- 
gines, mill  machinery  and  agricultural  imple- 
ments. In  1882  he  left  the  foundry  and  was 
employed  for  two  years  as  a  clerk  in  the  pro- 
thonotary's  office;  but  not  liking  the  work,  al- 
though rendering  good  satisfaction  and  having 
a  decided  inclination  for  the  machinery  busi- 
ness, he  left  the  office  to  form  a  partnership,  in 
October,  1884,  with  the  Sutton  Bros.,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Sutton  Bros.  &  Bell.  They  pur- 
chased the  plant  of  the  Chilled  Car  Wheel  & 
Plow  company,  of  which  they  assumed  posses- 
sion on  January  21, 1885.  They  have  increased 
the  foundry  and   machine  shops,   have  added 


large  blacksmith  and  paint  shops  and  extensive 
storage  rooms.  Their  plant  now  covers  over 
half  a  square  in  area  and  employs  a  regular 
force  of  twenty-five  hands.  Tiie  foundry  ttu-ns 
out  land  rollers,  road  scoops,  stump  pullers  and 
all  kinds  of  castings,  and  in  the  machine  shop, 
engine,  saw  and  flouring-mill  machinery  is 
manufactured  and  repaired.  The  firm  deals 
largely  in  Syracuse  chilled  plows,  engine  boil- 
ers, iron  and  wood-working  machinery,  belting 
and  steam  and  gas  fittings.  The  present  mem- 
bers of  the  firm  are  Thomas  Sutton,  John  W. 
Sutton  and  Mr.  Bell,  and  for  thorough  work 
and  extensive  patronage  their  establishment  will 
compare  favorably  witii  any  of  its  class  in  the 
western  part  of  the  State. 

In  1876  he  was  married  to  Jennie  Kerr, 
daughter  of  Valentine  and  Catherine  Kerr,  of 
Indiana.  Mr.  and  Mis.  Bell  have  six  chil- 
dren :  George  M.,  Harry  M.,  Emma  V.,  Mary, 
Gilmore  C.  and  Hugh  M.,  Jr. 

Hugh  M.  Bell  is  past  master  of  Palladium 
Lodge,  No.  346,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  past  master  of 
Clymer  Lodge,  No.  28,  K.  of  H.,  past 
archon  in  the  I.  O.  H.,  past  W.  H.  of  Indiana 
Lodge,  No.  .313,  F.  &  A.  M.  and  a  member  of 
Indiana  Grange,  No.  313,  P.  of  H.  He  is  a 
member  of  Zerubabel  Chapter,  No.  162,  H.  R. 
A.  M.,  and  Pittsburgh  Commandery,  No.  1, 
Knight  Templars.  In  politics  Mr.  Bell  has 
been  an  adherent  of  the  Rei)ublican  party, 
served  as  chairman  of  the  Indiana  county  re- 
publican committee  in  1883,  and  in  1889  was  a 
member  of  the  republican  State  central  commit- 
tee. Like  most  men  whose  lives  are  largely 
devoted  to  business  he  has  spared  but  little  time 
to  public  affiiirs,  and  although  never  seeking  of- 
fice he  has  never  refu.sed  to  serve  his  fellow-cit- 
izens in  a  public  position.  Since  1885  he  has 
served  as  burgess  of  West  Indiana  and  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board  of  that  borough. 
Huah  M.  Bell  has  been  the  architect  of  his  own 
fortunes  and  has  had  no  one  to  help  him  .so  much 
ashehashelped  himself     He  isa  self-mademan. 


96 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


who  by  his  business  ability  and  energy  has 
passed  iu  a  few  years  from  the  depths  of  the 
ooal  mine  to  an  honorable  and  important  posi- 
tion iu  the  manufacturing  industries  of  the 
county. 


JOHN  A.  BELL,  the  well-known  and  efficient 
assistant  agent  of  the  P.  R.  R.  company  at  In- 
diana, is  a  wide-awake,  energetic  and  industrious 
citizen  of  Indiana  county.  He  was  born  in 
Green  township,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania, 
December  9,  1849,  and  is  a  son  of  William  R. 
and  Mary  (Lydick)  Bell.  William  R.  Bell,  of 
Irish  extraction,  is  a  native  of  eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania, came  to  Indiana  county  in  1836,  and 
located  in  Green  township.  He  was  a  very 
prosperous  farmer  and  came  to  Indiana  in  April, 

1866,  where  he  has  resided  ever  since.  After 
coming  to  Indiana  he  was  engaged  in  the  lum- 
ber business  for  some  time  and  for  the  last 
fifteen  years  has  been  janitor  of  the  court-house. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and 
in  political  opinion  is  a  democrat.  He  married 
Mary  Lydick,  daughter  of  Jacob  Lydick.  She 
was  a  native  of  Indiana  county,  died  September 
16,  1886,  aged  seventy  years,  one  month  and 
nine  days,  and  was  also  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church. 

John  A.  Bell  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm 
and  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  the  county.  Leaving  school,  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  P.  R.  R.  company,  November  11, 

1867,  as  warehou.«ie-man  and  by  strict  attention 
to  business  has  attained  to  the  position  he  now 
occupies.  He  served  continuously  for  eight 
years  as  a  member  of  the  West  Indiana  council, 
but  resigned  in  1888.  In  1889  he  was  elected 
as  overseer  of  the  poor  and  is  now  holding  that 
office.  He  served  very  efficiently  as  treasurer 
of  West  Indiana  borough  in  1888  and  1889. 

On  September  4,  1872,  he  married  Sarah  A., 
daughter  of  William  Lewis,  of  Indiana.     They 


have  five  children,  one  son  and  four  daughters : 
Mamie,  Lottie,  Lee,  Alice  and  Stella. 

J.  A.  Bell  is  an  active  and  influential  citi- 
zen and  is  ever  ready  and  willing  to  aid  in  any 
enterprise  that  will  be  of  benefit  to  the  town. 
He  is  a  strong  democrat  in  political  opinion,  and 
always  yields  a  whole-hearted  support  to  his 
party.  He  is  a  member  of  Indiana  Lodge,  No. 
21,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  Improved  Order  of  Hepta^ 
sophs,  No.  180,  P.  R.  R.  Voluntary  Relief  de- 
partment, and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
of  which  he  is  also  a  trustee.  He  has  been  tor 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  continuously  in 
the  employ  of  the  Pennsylvania  Central  Rail- 
road, and  this  long  service  fully  attests  to  his 
business  ability  and  complete  trustworthiness. 


MAJOR  RICHARD  M.  BIRKMAN.  No 
braver  officer  or  nobler  soldier  served  in 
the  armies  of  the  Union  during  the  late  war 
than  Major  Richard  M.  Birkman,  the  founder 
of  the  present  Indiana  Progress,  and  editor  of 
it  for  the  first  decade  of  its  existence.  He  was 
a  son  of  Peter  and  Hannah  (Swoyer)  Birkman, 
and  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  April  8, 
1837.  His  paternal  grandfather  Birkman 
was  a  strict  lutheran  and  resided  in  Sweden, 
where  his  son,  Peter  Birkman  (father),  was 
born  on  the  banks  of  the  Wetter  lake. 
Peter  Birkman  was  a  subaltern  in  the 
Swedish  army  at  sixteen  years  of  age,  then 
was  six  years  at  Brest,  France,  after  which 
he  came  to  the  United  States  and  about  1820 
became  a  teacher  at  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  where  he 
married  Hannah  Swoyer.  He  .soon  left  there 
and  finally  accepted  a  situation  as  a  book-keeper 
in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  he  died  July  26,  1837. 
He  was  a  man  of  high  moral  courage  and  noble 
principle. 

Major  Richard  M.  Birkman  was  reared  and 
received  his  education  in  Harrisburg,  Pa.  He 
visited  a  cousin  at  Blairsville  in  1858,  spent  the 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


97 


next  year  in  Memphis,  Tenn.,  and  then  was  in  | 
Philadelphia  until  Ft.  Sumter  was  fired  upon 
by  Beauregard,  when  he  returned  to  Blairsville^ 
where  he  enlisted,  ou  June  10,  1861,  in  Co.  E^ 
11th  regiment,  Penna.  reserves.  He  was  pro- 
moted on  May  13,  1862,  to  second  lieutenant, 
to  first  lieutenant  September  22,  1862,  and  when 
his  three  years  had  expired,  on  June  6,  1864^ 
was  made  captain  of  Co.  A,  190th  reg.,  Pa. 
Vols.  With  his  regiment  he  remained  till  the 
close  of  the  war,  and  in  April,  1865,  received 
from  President  Andrew  Johnston  the  rank  of 
brevet-major  for  meritorious  duty  and  gallantry 
in  the  service.  The  splendid  record  of  his  regi- 
ments, on  a  score  of  bloody  battle-fields,  needs  ; 
no  repetition  here,  and  Capt.  Birkman  was 
always  found  at  the  head  of  his  company 
After  the  war  he  returned  to  Blairsville,  where,  } 
in  January,  1867,  he  bought  the  Neiv  Era  and 
published  it  until  January,  1870,  when  he  con- 
solidated it  with  the  Indiana  Reyister  and 
American,  under  the  name  of  the  Indiana  Pro- 
gress, which  he  edited  until  March  1,  1880^ 
when  he  sold  the  paper  to  Wm.  R.  Black.  From 
1876  he  had  been  slowly  going  down  with  con- 
sumption and  died  in  less  than  two  mouths  after 
disposing  of  the  Progress.  "  His  heart  was  in 
the  Progress.  It  was  his  life-work ;  and  when 
he  yielded  up  his  paper,  it  was  like  the  final 
separation  of  dear  friends.  He  had  a  right  to 
be  proud  of  the  Progress,  for  under  him  it  had 
been  the  friend  of  temi>erauce,  morality  and  the 
oppressed." 

Ou  June  8,  1865,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Mary  L.  Black,  of  Blairsville,  and  their  union 
was  blessed  with  two  children:  Sarah  and  Agnes. 

Major  Birkman  was  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church  and  an  earnest  Christian.  He 
died,  April  24,  1880,  when  in  the  forty-third 
year  of  his  age,  but  left  a  record  upon  which  his 
widow  and  childreu  can  always  look  with  pleas- 
ure. His  remains  were  interred  in  the  Blairs. 
ville  cemetery  under  the  auspices  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.     Comrades  around  his 


bier,  who  had  been  with  him  on  the  march,  in 
the  camp  and  ou  the  battle-field,  declared  that 
no  truer,  braver  soldier  ever  wore  the  blue  than 
Major  Richard  M.  Birknjan. 


TUDGE  JOHN  P.  BLAIR.  A  worthy  de- 
^  scendent  of  a  time-honored  family  and  a 
fitting  representative  of  that  grand  old  Scotch- 
Irish  race  so  distiuguished  for  high  moral 
character,  unflinching  courage  and  undying 
patriotism,  is  Ex-Judge  John  P.  Blair,  who 
ranks  high  among  the  foremost  jurists  and 
the  ablest  lawyers  of  Pennsylvania.  He  is  a 
son  of  Rev.  David  and  Margaret  (Steele)  Blair, 
and  was  born  at  Indiana,  ludiana  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, March  28,  1835.  Among  the  liberty- 
loving  and  God-fearing  Scotch-Irish  Presby- 
terian families  of  the  north  of  Ireland,  was  the 
Blair  family  from  which  Judge  Blair  is  de- 
scended. His  paternal  grandparents,  Hugh  and 
Jane  Blair,  were  members  of  Donagar  Associate 
Presbyterian  church  and  were  highly  respected 
in  the  community  in  which  they  resided.  They 
were  the  parents  of  eight  sons  and  thi-ee 
daughters.  They  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1802,  and  after  spending  one  winter  at  Steuben- 
ville,  Ohio,  removed  to  near  Hartstown,  Craw- 
ford county.  Pa.,  where  Hugh  Blair  purchased 
a  four  hundred  acre  tract  of  laud.  He  here 
lived  an  exemplary  life  and  died  January  5, 
1837,  when  in  the  ninety-sixth  year  of  his  age. 
His  wife  had  preceded  him  to  the  tomb  by  two 
years,  having  passed  away  on  March  10,  1835, 
aged  ninety  years.  Their  eighth  son,  Rev. 
David  Blair,  a  graduate  of  the  oldest  theologi- 
cal seminary  of  the  new  world  and  the  founder 
of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  in  ludiana 
and  adjoining  counties,  was  born  in  the  {)arish 
of  Donagar,  in  Antrim,  Ireland,  in  November, 
1786.  In  early  life  he  was  somewhat  delicate. 
Having  fitted  for  college  with  Rev.  McLean, 
he  entered  Jefferson  college  in  1810  and  would 


98 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


have  graduated  in  the  class  of  1812  if  his 
health  had  not  given  way  early  iu  that  year. 
Recovering  his  health  somewhat,  he  spent  the 
required  four  sessions  at  Dr.  Anderson's  Theo- 
logical seminary, — was  ordained  in  October, 
1818,  to  the  ministry  of  the  Associate  Presby- 
terian church  and  installed  as  pastor  of  the 
United  congregations  of  Indiana,  Crooked  Creek 
and  Conemaugh.  He  spent  nearly  half  a  cen- 
tury in  laboring  for  these  churches,  and  as  the 
result  of  his  labors  nearly  twenty  congregations 
wei-e  built  up  out  of  them — an  unparalleled 
fact  in  the  history  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church.  While  inheriting  the  sturdy  independ- 
ence and  iron-willed  determination  of  his  own 
race,  he  was  remarkably  liberal,  charitable  and 
enlightened  in  his  views.  Rev.  W.  S.  Owens 
pays  this  just  and  eloquent  tribute  to  his  char- 
acter : 

"  He  resisted  the  narrow  spirit  of  exclusive- 
ness  and  advocated  always  the  broad  principles 
of  Christian  charity  and  unity.  No  man 
worked  harder  to  secure  that  happy  union  of 
1858  (union  of  Associate  and  Associate  Re- 
formed churches)  which  gave  birth  to  our 
United  Presbyterian  church.  In  the  great 
civil  war  he  was  a  Union  man  and  his  pulpit 
gave  forth  no  uncertain  sound  on  the  mighty 
issues  then  pending."  Rev.  David  Blair, 
in  1821,  married  Margaret  Steele,  of  Hun- 
tingdon, who  was  a  help-meet  to  him  in 
the  fullest  sense  of  that  term.  After  a  long 
life  of  quiet  and  unostentatious  usefulness  she 
was  called  hence  April  6,  1865,  when  in  the 
sixty-fourth  year  of  her  age.  In  1862  he  re- 
signed from  active  pastoral  work.  In  1882,  in 
the  ninety-fifth  year  of  his  life  and  in  the  land 
of  his  noble  life-work  as  an  able  minister  and 
excellent  man,  death  quietly  summoned  him  to 
the  realms  of  everlasting  peace. 

Hon.  John  P.  Blair  was  reared  at  Indiana, 
and  after  completing  his  academic  studies,  en- 
tered Washington  college,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  iu  the  class  of  1852.     In  1853  he 


entered  the  law  office  of  his  eldest  brother, 
Hon.  Samuel  S.  Blair,  of  Hollidaysburg,  and 
after  the  required  course  of  reading  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1856.  During  the  ensuing 
year  he  located  at  New  Castle,  Lawrence  county, 
this  State,  where  he  practiced  until  1859,  when 
he  was  elected  district  attorney  of  that  county. 
He  resigned  when  the  late  war  broke  out  and 
enlisted  as  a  private  in  Co.  F.,  12th  regt.,  Pa. 
Vols.  At  the  end  of  his  three  months'  term  of 
service  he  re-enlisted  as  a  private  and  was 
elected  first  lieutenant  of  Co.  I,  100th  regiment. 
Pa.  Vols.  He  held  this  position  until  after 
the  battles  of  Second  Bull  Run,  Chantilly  and 
Autietam,  when  the  company,  whose  ranks  had 
been  greatly  thinned  by  the  battles  through 
which  it  had  passed,  was  consolidated  with 
Co.  G,  and  he  was  commissioned  captain  of  the 
new-formed  company,  which  was  designated  as 
Co.  G.  When  Hilton  Head  and  Beaufort  were 
captured,  in  the  fall  of  1861,  he  was  detailed 
from  his  company  to  act  as  provost  marshal 
and  judge  advocate  general  of  the  Port  Royal 
district,  which  position  he  held  until  his  brigade 
was  sent  north  to  join  McClellan  on  the  Penin- 
sula. He  was  twice  wounded.  At  the  first 
assault  on  the  enemy's  earth-works  iu  the  rear 
of  Fort  Sumter,  in  Charleston  harbor,  a  grape- 
shot  struck  his  sword  and  inilicted  a  wound  in 
his  side  and  at  the  Second  Bull  Run  battle, 
where  his  company  suffered  severe  loss,  he  re- 
ceived a  painful  gun-shot  wound.  After  pass- 
ing through  the  campaign  against  Vicksburg, 
under  Grant,  and  the  campaign  in  east  Tennessee, 
under  Burnside,  he  suffered  from  a  fever,  the 
seeds  of  which  were  sown  at  Vicksburg  and 
which  clung  to  him  so  tenaciously  as  to  event- 
ually disable  him  for  further  service,  and  he 
was  honorably  discharged  on  the  31st  day  of 
May,  1864.  Soon  afterward  and  before  his 
own  recovery  his  mother  died,  leaving  his  father 
alone — the  other  children  being  married  and 
residing  elsewhere — and  at  the  request  of  his 
I  father  he  left  New  Castle  and  commenced  the 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


99 


practice  of  his  profession  at  Indiana,  when  his 
health  was  sufficiently  restored,  in  the  fall  of 
1865.  He  was  soon  employed  in  important 
cases  and  in  a  short  time  attained  a  high  stand- 
ing at  the  bar.  He  tried  his  cases  upon  their 
merits,  became  an  impressive,  earnest  and  suc- 
cessful jury  pleader  and  developed  those  quali- 
ties so  essential  to  a  calm,  unbiased  and  uuim- 
passioned  consideration  of  legal  matters.  His 
ability,  learning,  and  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
law  recommended  iiim  to  the  public  as  capable  of 
filling  the  highest  judicial  position  within  the  gift 
of  the  people  of  Indiana  county,  and  in  1874 
he  was  elected  president  judge  of  the  Fortieth 
Judicial  District  of  Pennsylvania,  composed  of 
the  county  of  Indiana.  When  Judge  Blair 
took  his  seat  on  the  bench,  he  found  the  busi- 
ness of  the  district  many  years  behind,  owing 
to  the  fact  that  the  county  had  previous  to  his 
election  been  iucluded,  with  Armstrong  and 
Westmoreland  counties,  in  the  Tenth  Judicial 
District  of  Pennsylvania,  and  its  judge  had 
found  it  impossible  to  keep  up  with  the  busi- 
ness of  three  counties.  Judge  Blair  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  his  office  with  the  purpose 
and  ambition  of  disposing  of  this  accumulated 
mass  of  business,  still  further  increased  by  the 
financial  disturbances  commencing  in  the  fall  of 
1873,  with  such  rapidity  as  would  be  consistent 
with  care  and  accuracy,  and  would  leave  the 
dockets  entirely  clear  at  the  end  of  his  term.  It 
was  no  ordinary  task,  but  a  labor  of  gigantic 
proportions  ;  yet  he  succeeded  in  its  accomplish- 
ment and  left  a  clean  docket  to  his  successor  in 
office  at  the  end  of  his  ten  years'  term.  He  de- 
cided causes  upon  their  merits  alone  after  such 
careful  and  thorough  examination  of  every  au- 
thority bearing  upon  them,  as  the  circumstances 
would  allow,  aud  by  his  entire  impartiality  and 
able  decisions  won  the  esteem  of  the  public  and 
attained  high  standing  as  a  judge  before  the 
supreme  court.  The  records  of  his  district  will 
show  that,  notwithstanding  the  number  of  jury 
cases  tried  by  him,  he  has  the  i-are  distinction 


of  never  being  reversed  in  any  of  them.  At 
the  end  of  his  term,  in  1885,  he  resumed  and 
has  continued  successfully  the  practice  of  law  in 
Indiana  aud  various  other  counties  and  before 
the  supreme  court  of  Pennsylvania.  Judge 
Blair  is  a  regular  attendant  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  a  member  of  the  Union  Veteran 
Legion.  He  is  a  stock-holder  and  director  and 
the  solicitor  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Indiana.  He  has  one  of  the  finest  residences 
and  most  beautiful  homes  in  Indiana  county. 

On  February  14,  1866,  he  was  married  to 
Elizabeth  Sutton,  daughter  of  James  and  Sarah 
Sutton,  of  Indiana.  Judge  and  Mrs.  Blair  are 
the  parents  of  three  children,  two  sons  and  one 
daughter:  Margaret  S.,  James  S.  and  David. 

In  politics  Judge  Blair  has  ever  steadfastly 
held  to  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party. 
As  a  lawyer  he  is  well  read  and  easily  grasps 
the  salient  points  of  his  cases.  As  a  counselor 
his  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  general 
principles  of  law  render  his  advice  very  valu- 
able and  as  a  jury  pleader  he  is  logical  in  argu- 
ment and  convincing  in  manner.  Before  public 
bodies  and  in  large  assemblages  or  important 
gatherings,  he  is  a  strong  and  impressive  speaker, 
who  clothes  logical  argument  in  appropriate  and 
eloquent  language. 


pAPT.  ADAM  C.  BRAUGHLER,  com. 
^  mander  of  Indiana  Post,  No.  28,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  and  a  prominent  citizen 
and  substantial  business  man  of  the  borough  of 
Indiana,  is  a  son  of  Solomon  and  Nancy  (Boyle) 
Braughler,  aud  was  born  in  Canoe  township, 
Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  November  20, 
18.37.  He  is  of  German  ancestry  on  his  pa- 
ternal side  and  Irish  descent  in  his  maternal 
line.  His  grandfather,  Adam  Braughler,  came 
from  Germany  to  Bucks  county,  and  in  1817 
removed  to  what  is  now  Canoe  township,  where 
he  died  at  a  ripe  old  age  in  1842.     His  son, 


100 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Solomon  Braughler  (father),  was  born  at 
Qiiakertown,  Bucks  county,  December  27, 
1803.  He  came  in  1817  with  his  father  to 
Canoe  township,  wiiere  he  followed  farming  and 
stock-raising  till  his  death  which  occurred  in 
May,  1870.  He  was  a  presbyterian  and  a  demo- 
crat and  held  several  township  offices.  He 
married  Nancy  Boyle,  who  was  born  in  White 
township  June  9,  1805,  and  passed  away  Jan- 
uary 6,  1886.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church  and  her  father,  Johnson  Boyle, 
came  when  a  young  man  from  county  Antrim, 
Ireland,  to  what  is  now  White  township.  He 
was  a  farnier,  and  re-visited  his  native  land 
several  times. 

Adam  C.  Braughler  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Canoe  township  and  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age. 
He  then  served  an  apprenticeship  of  two  and 
one- half  years  at  the  trade  of  carpenter,  which 
he  followed  until  the  dark  and  stormy  days  of 
1861,  when  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  respond 
to  the  Union  call  for  troops.  He  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  Co.  D,  78th  regiment,  Pa.  Vols.,  and 
served  until  November  4,  1864.  He  was  pro- 
moted to  orderly  sergeant  soon  after  enlisting, 
and  after  the  battle  of  Stone  river  was  commis- 
sioned second  lieutenant.  From  August,  1862, 
to  January,  1863,  he  was  stationed  as  a  recruit- 
ing officer  at  Pittston  and  Freeport,  Pa.  In 
January,  1863,  he  rejoined  his  regiment  and 
participated  in  the  battles  of  Hoover's  Gap, 
Macleymore's  Cove,  Chickamauga  and  Grays- 
ville.  He  fought  above  the  clouds  at  Mission- 
ary ridge  and  in  all  the  battles  of  the  campaign 
of  1864,  from  Chattanooga  to  Atlanta,  Ga., 
and  then  was  placed  under  Thomas  and  served 
for  six  mouths  beyond  his  term  of  enlistment. 
In  the  fall  of  1865  he  became  a  member  of  the 
grocery  and  shipping  firm  of  Brilhart,  Ellis 
&  Co.  In  1867  David  Ellis  retired  from  the 
firm,  and  in  February,  1872,  Mr.  Braughler 
purchased  J.  H.  Brilhart's  interest  and  since 
then  has  successfully  conducted  a  large  grocery 


and  queensware  business.  He  enlisted  as  first 
lieutenant  in  the  National  Guard  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, when  it  was  organized  in  1875,  served 
in  the  Pittsburgh  riots  of  1877  and  received  his 
present  commission  as  captain  August  7,  1880. 
He  is  commander  of  Post  28,  G.  A.  R.,  and  has 
been  adjutant  of  encampment  No.  11,  U.  V.  L. 
since  its  organization.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  the  K.  of  L.  and  the  Jr.  O.  U.  A.  M. 

On  April  4,  1865,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Sarah  C.  Donahey,  a  daughter  of  Wm.  B. 
Donahey,  of  Black  Lick  township.  They  are  the 
parents  of  five  children,  one  son  and  four  daught- 
ers: Mary,  Iva,  Sadie,  Jessie  and  William  A. 

Capt.  Adam  C.  Braughler  is  an  unswei'ving 
republican  in  politics,  was  a  member  of  the 
borough  council  for  four  years  and  is  now  in  the 
twelfth  year  of  his  service  as  school  director. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Indiana  Presbyterian 
church,  has  won  friends  and  patronage  in  busi- 
ness by  straightforward  and  honorable  dealing 
and  is  an  enterprising  and  prominent  citizen  of 
Indiana,  who  takes  deep  interest  and  an  active 
part  in  the  military,  educational  and  business 
affairs  of  the  county. 


"  Tj^PHRAIM  CARPENTER  was  of  New 
-L^  England  birth,  having  been  born  at 
Sharon,  Vermont,  August  10,  1788.  When  a 
young  man  he  taught  in  the  academy  at  Greens- 
burg,  Pa.,  and  tiiere  studied  law.  He  com- 
menced the  practice  of  the  law  at  Indiana 
in  1819,  and  remained  there  until  his  death, 
June  10,  1860  (at  the  age  of  seventy  years). 
For  many  years  he  was  deputy  attorney-general 
for  Indiana  and  adjacent  counties.  He  was  ex- 
ceedingly particular  and  precise  in  his  business 
habits,  and  made  an  excellent  prosecuting 
officer." 


THOMAS  B.  CLARK,  of  Indiana,  is  an  ar- 
tist who  occupies  a  front  rank  in  the  pro- 
fession of  photography.    He  was  born  at  Union- 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


101 


town,  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  30, 
1858,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  M.  and  Harriet 
(Semans)  Clark.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Sam- 
uel Alexander  Clark,  was  the  only  son  of  Wil- 
liam Clark,  who  emigrated  to  this  country  from 
northern  Ireland  about  the  time  of  the  Revolu- 
tioD,  and  earned  his  first  dollar  on  this  side  of 
the  ocean  with  his  musket,  in  the  defence  of 
Independence.  When  peace  was  declared  he 
bought  land  near  Uniontown,  and  settled  on  it, 
living  there  until  his  death,  whic^h  occurred  in 
1828,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years.  A  coin- 
cidence, in  this  family  was  that  his  wife  and 
himself  were  born  in  the  same  year  and  died  in 
the  same  year.  Samuel  M.  Clark,  son  of  Sam- 
uel Alexander  Clark,  and  father  of  Thomas  B. 
Clark,  was  born  in  the  year  1822,  in  Fayette 
county,  Pa.,  where  he  has  always  resided.  He 
learned  the  trade  of  carpenter,  which  he  has 
followed  ever  since.  For  many  years  he  has 
been  a  resident  of  Uniontown,  where  he  is  em- 
ployed at  his  trade.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  church,  and  in  political  matters  has 
always  given  his  undivided  support  to  tlic  Re- 
publican party.  He  married  Harriet  Semans, 
who  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Semans  and 
died  December  16,  1872,  aged  forty  years.  She 
was  a  faithful  and  devout  member  of  the  Bap- 
tist church,  aud  left  a  family  of  one  son  and 
two  daughters. 

Thomas  B.  Clark  was  reared  at  Uniontown, 
where  he  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools.  Leaving  school,  his  first  employment 
in  life  for  himself  was  as  a  clerk  in  a  grocery 
house.  In  1874  he  engaged  with  E.  A.  Lingo 
to  learn  the  art  of  photography,  and  after  serv- 
ing a  four  years'  apprenticeship  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  Mr.  Lingo's  brother,  Albert 
Lingo,  under  the  firm-name  of  Lingo  &  Clark. 
They  opened  a  photographic  gallery  at  Indiana, 
which  they  conducted  successfully  for  three 
years,  when  Mr.  Clark  purchased  his  partner's 
interest  and  has  continued  the  business  until 
the  present  time.  His  photographic  gallery 
7 


and  art  studio  is  situated  on  Philadelphia  street. 
No  artist  in  Indiana  county  sustains  a  higher 
reputation  for  fine  work  than  Mr.  Clark,  whose 
pictures  are  first-class  in  representation,  execu- 
tion and  finish,  while  no  better  commendation 
of  his  skill  need  be  mentioned  than  what  is 
offered  by  his  extensive,  influential  and  con- 
stantly increasing  patronage.  His  esbiblish- 
ment  is  well  and  tastefully  furni.shed,  and  is 
provided  with  the  latest  photographic  appli- 
ances. Courteous  operators  are  employed,  and 
photography  in  all  its  branches  is  executed  in 
the  highest  style  of  the  art. 

June  15,  1882,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Laura  E.  Kline,  daughter  of  Wellington  B. 
Kline,  a  prominent  dry-goods  merchant  of  In- 
diana. Their  union  has  been  blest  with  two 
children,  both  sons  :  Welliugtou  and  George. 

In  politics  Mr.  Clark  is  a  republican,  and 
has  served  his  borough  for  five  years  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Indiana  Presbyterian  church.  Palladium 
Lodge,  No.  346,  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  Improved  Order  of  Heptasophs. 
He  is  ever  alive  to  the  rapid  advances  of  his 
chosen  profession  in  this  wonderful  age  of  prog- 
ress, and  is  abreast  of  the  times  as  a  progressive 
photographer. 


WILLIAM  S.  COLLINS  is  a  leading  citi- 
zen of  Indiana,  prominent  in  business 
and  social  circles  as  well  as  in  the  church  and 
secret  societies  of  which  he  is  a  member.  He 
was  born  in  W^estmoreland  county.  Pa.,  June  6, 
1846,  aud  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Rebecca 
(Young)  Collins.  Joseph  Collins  is  a  native 
of  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  and  came  to 
Indiana  county  in  1852,  locating  at  West 
Lebanon.  He  is  a  machinist,  and  worked  at 
his  trade  until  1868,  when  he  removed  to 
Green  township,  where  he  bought  a  saw-mill, 
which  he  run  for  twenty -one  years,  moving  it 
first  to  Cauoe  township,  and  some  six  years 


102 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


after  to  Jefferson  county,  where  he  run  it  until 
1889.  He  then  found  the  work  too  arduous, 
and  sold  the  saw-mill  and  bought  a  farm,  on 
which  he  now  resides  in  his  old  age.  He  is 
now  in  his  sixty-ninth  year.  He  has  always 
been  a  stirring,  energetic  man,  cautious  and 
frugal  and  has  acquired  a  competency.  He  is 
an  esteemed  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
He  married  Rebecca  Young,  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  Young,  of  Westmoreland  county,  and 
now  in  her  sixty-sixth  year.  Her  father, 
Joseph  Young,  was  all  his  life  a  farmer  in 
Westmoreland  county. 

William  S.  Collins  was  reared  in  Indiana 
county  and  received  a  common-school  educa- 
tion. When  his  father  moved  from  West 
Lebanon,  in  1868,  to  Green  township,  he  went 
with  him.  He  remained  in  his  father's  employ 
until  1873  ;  then,  wearying  of  the  monotony  of 
the  work,  he  learned  the  art  of  photography, 
which  he  followed  for  five  years.  In  1878  he 
accepted  a  position  as  book-keeper  and  clerk 
for  the  lumber  firm  of  J.  M.  Guthrie  &  Co. 
So  faithfully  did  he  discharge  his  duties  that 
for  several  years  he  had  complete  supervision 
of  their  business  in  West  Indiana.  In  the 
spring  of  1889  he  united  with  his  father  in  the 
general  mei'cantile  business,  under  the  firm 
name  of  J.  Collins  &  Son,  since  which  time 
they  have  built  up  a  large  trade.  Tliey  deal  in 
dry-goods,  groceries,  and  all  the  different  arti- 
cles which  go  to  make  up  the  stock  of  a  first- 
class  store.  During  the  Great  Rebellion, 
William  Collins  served  three  mouths  in  Col. 
Gallagher's  regiment,  and  aided  in  Morgan's 
capture. 

He  was  married,  in  1865,  to  Harriet  J., 
daughter  of  Alex.  Henderson,  of  Indiana 
county,  l)y  whom  he  has  five  children  :  Joseph 
v.,  Minnie  E.,  George  A.,  Bertram  L.  and 
Sarah  J. 

William  S.  Collins  is  a  prohibitionist,  and 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He  is  a 
member  of  William  Penn  Council,   No.  305, 


Royal  Arcanum,  and  Ware  Union,  No.  326, 
E.  A.  U.,  Branch  No.  341,  O.  I.  H.,  and 
Conclave  No.  180,  Improved  order  of  Hepta- 
sophs.  He  is  a  public-spirited  citizen  and 
always  ready  to  give  liis  assistance  to  any 
scheme  which  may  benefit  Indiana. 


Y INCENT  M.  CUNNINGHAM,  a  thorough- 

'  going  and  successful  business  man  and 
the  proprietor  of  one  of  the  oldest  and  leading 
general  mercantile  establishments  of  the  enter- 
prising borough  of  West  Indiana,  is  a  son  of 
John  H.  and  Mary  P.  (Thompson)  Cunning- 
ham, and  was  born  in  Armstrong  township, 
Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  August  28, 
1852.  His  American  paternal  ancestors  came 
originally  from  Ireland,  and  his  grandfather, 
Archibald  Cunningham,  was  born  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  eighteenth  century  in  the  western 
part  of  this  State.  He  followed  farming  in 
Indiana  and  Westmoreland  counties.  He  mar- 
ried Rosanna  Hutchinson  and  reared  a  family 
of  nine  children :  Jane,  married  Andrew  Patter- 
son ;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  William  Cochran ; 
Mary,  married  to  William  McAdo ;  George, 
Ruth,  wife  of  John  Lucas ;  John  H.,  Archi- 
bald, Jr.,  Martha,  married  to  Rev.  Mr.  Chap- 
man ;  and  Rosanna,  wife  of  L.  E.  Free!.  The 
second  son,  John  H.  Cunningham  (father),  was 
born  September  11,  1817,  in  Young  township 
and  removed  to  Armstrong  township,  where  he 
followed  farming  until  1864.  In  that  year  he 
returned  to  White  township  and  purchased  a 
farm. 

In  1867  he  engaged  in  the  general  mercan- 
tile business  in  the  room  now  occupied,  for  the 
same  purpose,  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
He  was  a  republican  in  politics,  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  a  man  of 
good  business  ability.  He  had  held  several 
township  and  borough  offices,  was  highly 
esteemed  in  the  different  communities  in  which 


INDIANA  COUNTY. 


103 


he  had  resided  and  passed  away  December  17, 
1871,  at  fifty-four  years  of  age.  He  married 
Mary  P.  Thompson,  daughter  of  James  Thomp- 
son, a  native  and  farmer  of  this  county,  a  rela- 
tive of  Judge  Joseph  Thompson,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  United  Presbyterian  cluirch.  He 
died  at  Indiana  in  1872,  at  seventy-eight  years 
of  age.  Mrs.  Cunningham  was  a  memljer  of 
the  M.  E.  church,  and  died  January  29,  1874, 
aged  fifty-three  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cunning- 
ham had  twelve  children,  six  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing :  A.  S.,  John  M.,  Vincent  M.,  Joanna  M., 
wife  of  J.  T.  Gibson  ;  Phebe  J.,  married  to 
W.  W.  Lockhard ;  and  Laura  C,  wife  of 
Charles  Wood. 

Vincent  M.  Cunningham  was  reared  until 
eleven  years  of  age  on  his  father's  Armstrong 
township  farm,  and  then  came  to  the  site  of 
West  Indiana.  He  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  Armstrong  and  White 
townships.  Leaving  school,  he  assisted  his 
father  in  the  store  and  on  tlie  farm  till  1872. 
From  1872  to  1875  he  was  engaged  in  farming 
in  White  township.  In  1877  he  embarked 
in  merchandising  at  Cook  port,  where  he  re- 
mained for  five  years  and  enjoyed  a  good  trade. 
He  closed  out,  however,  in  1882,  at  that  place 
in  order  to  remove  to  West  Indiana,  where  he 
had  effected  the  purchase  of  his  father's  store. 
He  refitted  the  entire  premises,  put  in  a  new 
and  general  stock  of  goods  and  entered  upon 
his  present  successful  career  as  a  leading  mer- 
chant of  Indiana. 

He  united  in  marriage,  on  September 
19,  1877,  with  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Isaac 
McHenry,  of  Clearfield  county.  Pa.  Their 
children  are:  John  Simmons,  Charlie  V., 
Laura  B.,  Edwin  B.,  Mary  E.  and  Joanna  M. 

V.  M.  Cunningham  is  a  member  of  Clymer 
Lodge,  No.  28,  Knights  of  Honor,  William 
Penn  Council,  No.  305,  Royal  Arcanum,  Indiana 
Conclave,  No.  180,  Improved  Order  of  Hepta- 
sophs.  Local  Branch,  No.  341,  Order  of  the 
Iron  Hall,  and  Indiana  Methodist   Episcopal 


church,  in  which  he  is  now  serving  as  steward. 
He  is  a  republican,  has  served  as  auditor  of 
West  Indiana  and  is  now  treasurer  of  his 
borough.  He  has  carefully  followed  the  laws 
of  commercial  progress  and  prosperity,  and  as  a 
natural  consequence  has  won  mercantile  suc- 
cess and  an  extensive  patronage. 


JOHN  M.  CUNNINGHAM,  a  man  of  good 
*J  business  ability,  a  popular  liveryman,  the 
proprietor  of  the  well-known  Cunningiiara  liv- 
ery, feed  and  sales  stables  of  Indiana,  and  a 
dealer  in  carriages,  buggies  and  sleighs,  is  a 
son  of  John  H.  and  Mary  P.  (Thompson)  Cun- 
ningham, and  was  born  three  miles  west  of 
Indiana,  in  White  township,  Indiana  county, 
Pennsylvania,  June  19,  1848.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Archibald  Cunningham  (see  sketch 
of  Vincent  M.  Cunningham),  was  of  Irish  de- 
scent, and  followed  farming  until  his  death. 
His  maternal  grandfather,  James  Thompson,  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent,  was  a  native  of  this  coun- 
ty, followed  farming  in  White  township  and 
died  at  Indiana  in  1872.  John  H.  Cunning- 
ham (father)  was  born  on  the  Cunningham 
homestead  in  1817,  and  owned  a  farm,  of  which 
forty  acres  to-day  are  included  in  the  site  of 
West  Indiana.  In  that  borough  he  was  after- 
wards engaged  for  many  years  in  the  genei'al 
mercantile  business.  He  was  a  republican  in 
politics,  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  a  man  of  good  business  qualifications, 
a  well-respected  citizen,  and  died  December  17, 
1871,  at  fifty-four  years  of  age.  He  married 
Mary  P.  Thompson,  who  was  also  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  died  Jan- 
uary 29,  1874,  aged  fifty-three  years.  They 
reared  a  family  of  three  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters :  A.  S.,  John  M.,  Vincent  M.,  Joanna  M., 
wife  of  J.  T.  Gibson ;  Phebe  J.,  who  married 
W.  W.  Lockard,  and  Laura  C,  wife  of  Charles 
Wood. 


104 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


John  M.  Cunningham  was  reared  as  all 
fanners'  sous  were  at  that  day,  and  trained  to 
farm  work.  He  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools,  engaged  in  farming  and  after- 
wards became  interested  in  stock-dealing.  In 
1877  he  removed  to  Indiana,  where,  in  1880, 
he  engaged  in  his  present  livery  business.  He 
erected  his  large  livery,  feed  and  sales  stable  in 
1887.  It  is  substantially  constructed  and  most 
conveniently  arranged,  being  60x100  feet  in  di- 
mensions. It  is  two  stories  high,  with  box-stalls 
and  buggy  rooms,  has  all  the  modern  improve- 
ments, including  the  Casper  oat-cleaner,  and 
built  according  to  Mr.  Cunningham's  own 
plan.  He  has  a  well-selected  assortment  of 
carriages  and  buggies  and  a  large  stock  of  sad- 
dle and  harness  horses.  He  also  deals  exten- 
sively in  carriages,  buggies  and  carts,  which  he 
has  manufactured  especially  for  him.  He  has 
a  handsome  three  story  residence,  to  which  lie 
has  added  a  large  and  convenient  store-room, 
which  he  rents.  He  owns  a  well-improved 
tract  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land 
in  Wilkin  county,  in  the  celebrated  Red  River 
Valley  of  Minnesota.  As  a  man  he  is  pleasant, 
agreeable  and  genial ;  as  a  citizen  public-spirited 
and  progressive,  and  as  a  business  man  is 
prompt,  accurate  and  reliable.  His  success  in 
life  and  his  large  business  patronage  are  due  to 
his  energy,  honesty  and  methods  of  fair  dealing 
in  his  various  enterprises.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Metliodist  Episcopal  church,  a  republican 
in  political  afiFairs  and  a  man  who  enjoys  the 
respect  of  iiis  neighbors  and  patrons. 

In  1876  he  married  Maggie  McCuue,  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  McCune,  of  Blairsville.  They 
have  two  children,  a  son  and  daughter:  John 
L.  and  Charlotte  McCune  Cunningham. 


WILLIAM  S.  DAUGHERTY,  ex-deputy 
sheriff  and  ex-prothonotary  of  Indiana 
county,  and  the  proprietor  of  the  well-known 


Daugherty  planiug-raill,  is  one  of  the  active  and 
progressive  business  men  of  the  borough.  He  is 
a  son  of  James  R.  and  Mary  A.  (Hart)  Daugh- 
erty, and  was  born  at  Saltsburg,  Indiana  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  January  22,  1846.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  Hugh  Daugherty,  was  a 
native  of  Lycoming  county,  Pa.,  and  removed 
in  1799  to  Westmoreland  county,  this  State, 
where  he  settled  on  the  site  of  Irwin,  in  what 
is  now  North  Huntingdon  township.  His 
maternal  grandfather,  William  Hart,  was  of 
Scotch  descent,  and  settled  in  Indiana  county, 
where  he  resided  till  his  death.  James  R. 
Daugherty  (father)  was  born  and  reared  in 
Westmoreland  county  until  he  was  fourteen 
years  of  age,  when  he  came  to  the  site  of  Salts- 
burg to  work  upon  the  construction  of  the  old 
Pennsylvania  canal,  and  there  are  but  few  men 
living  now  who  were  engaged  upon  that  work. 
In  1863  he  was  elected  sheriff^  and  removed  to 
Indiana,  where  he  has  resided  ever  since.  In 
1866  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Cole- 
man, Ewing  &  Co.,  who  were  engaged  in  the 
planing-mill  business,  but  withdrew  in  1872  to 
fill  a  secondterm  as  sheriff',  and  three  years  later 
purchased  the  planing-mill  of  which  he  had  for- 
merly been  part  owner.  In  1889  he  disposed  of 
this  mill  property  to  his  son,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  a  stanch  republican,  and  has  held  im- 
portant offices  of  Indiana  borough.  He  has  also 
been  a  trustee  of  the  Indiana  Normal  school  for 
sixteen  years.  For  nearly  thirty  years  he  has 
been|one  of  the  leading  citizens  and  prominent 
business  men  of  the  county.  In  1839  he  married 
Mary  A.  Hart,  daughter  of  William  Hart,  and 
who  was  born  in  1820,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  Their  family  consists  of 
eight  children  :  Robert  J.,  a  member  of  Co.  C, 
9th  regiment  Pa.  Vols.,  who  died  of  exhaustion 
in  the  Seven  Days'  fight ;  William  8.,  Martha, 
wife  of  John  P.  St.  Clair;  James,  Frank, 
Annie,  John  and  Silas  C. 

William   S.    Daugherty  was   reared    in    the 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


105 


county  and  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  Saltsburg  academy.  Leaving 
school,  he  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter,  which 
he  followed  for  three  years.  At  the  end  of  this 
time  he  embarked  in  the  drug  business,  in 
which  he  was  engagetl,  with  more  or  less  regu- 
larity, until  1872,  when  he  became  deputy 
sheriff  under  his  father,  and  at  the  expiration  of 
the  term  of  the  latter  he  was  successively  em- 
ployed in  the  same  capacity  by  sheriffs  William 
C.  Brown  and  Daniel  Ansley.  His  third  term 
as  deputy  sheriif  having  expired  in  1881,  he 
was  elected  prothonotary  of  Indiana  county  in 
that  year,  and  re-elected  in  1884.  In  1888  he 
retired  from  the  prothonotary's  office,  and  in 
1889  became  superintendent  of  the  erection  of 
the  West  Indiana  school  building.  Late  in  the 
fall  of  the  last-named  year  he  purchased  his 
present  planing-mill  from  his  father,  and  since 
then  has  devoted  his  time  and  energies  princi- 
pally to  supplying  the  wants  of  his  many  patrons 
and  meeting  the  demands  of  his  constantly- 
increasing  trade.  This  planing-mill  is  a  large 
two-story  frame  building,  which  was  erected  in 
1856,  and  has  been  greatly  enlarged  and  much 
improved  since.  The  power  is  furnished  by  a 
thirty  horse-power  engine ;  eight  men  are  con- 
stantly employed,  and  the  large  quantity  of 
work  which  is  turned  out  is  first-class  in  every 
particular.  The  building  is  fitted  throughout 
with  all  needed  conveniences  for  the  planing- 
mill  and  lumber  business.  Mr.  Daugherty 
manufactures  and  deals  in  rough  and  worked 
lumber  of  all  kinds,  consistiny;  of  flooriua;, 
weather-boarding,  ceiling  and  bill  lumber.  He 
also  handles  doors,  sash,  mouldings  and  brack- 
ets, and  furnishes,  on  short  notice,  anything 
that  can  be  made  in  a  well-regulated  planing- 
mill.  He  not  only  enjoys  a  home  trade,  but 
ships  work  to  many  points  throughout  the 
southern  part  of  the  county. 

On  September  19,  1876,  he  married  Martha 
V.  Sanson),  daughter  of  John  Sansom,  and 
sister  of  James  B.  Sansom,  late  editor  of  the 


Indiana  Democrat.     They  have  two  children. 
Hart  B.  and  Ross  S. 

William  S.  Daugherty  is  a  member  of  Pal- 
ladium Lodge,  No.  346,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Indiana 
Lodge,  No.  21,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  Indiana  Lodge, 
No.  346,  F.  and  A.  M.  In  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity he  is  also  a  member  of  Zerubabel  Cliapter, 
No.  162,  and  Pittsburgh  Commandery,  No.  1. 
In  politics  Mr.  Daugherty  is  an  influential  re- 
publican, who,  besides  the  county  offices  which 
he  has  satisfactorily  filled,  has  served  his 
borough  for  ten  years  as  school  director.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  is 
one  of  the  leading  citizens  and  foremost  busi- 
ness men  of  the  county. 


FRANK  DOUGLASS,  an  enterprising  citi- 
zen, a  reliable  business  man  and  a  pros- 
perous merchant  of  Indiana,  is  a  son  of  Barna- 
bas and  Elizabeth  (Oaks)  Douglass  and  was 
born  in  Green  township  (near  Cherry  Tree), 
Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  19,  1863. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  Barnabas  Douglass, 
was  born  in  Ireland,  came  to  Indiana  county 
when  a  young  man,  and  followed  farming  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  March  15,  1845, 
when  he  was  seventy  years  of  age.  In  1823  he 
built,  on  the  Susquehanna  river,  the  Douglass 
grist  and  saw-mill,  now  known  as  "  Garman's 
Mills."  He  settled  in  Green  township  in  1825, 
when  it  was  almost  all  woods,  and  wolves  would 
chase  their  stock  to  the  cabin  door.  His  mater- 
nal grandfather,  Stephen  Oaks,  was  born  in 
Maine  and  came  from  the  "  Pine  Tree  Stale  "  to 
western  Pennsylvania  in  1837,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  farming  in  Indiana  and  Cambria 
counties  until  he  died,  in  1874,  at  seventy -eight 
years  of  age.  He  was  the  eldest  of  nine  sons, 
and  when  a  boy  went  with  his  father  to  what  is 
now  East  Sangerville,  Piscataqua  county,  Maine, 
where,  thirty  mil&s  from  human  habitations, 
they  cleared  out  a  farm.  The  moose  was  their 
principal  dependence  for  meat.    Barnabas  Doug- 


106 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


lass  (father)  was  a  native  of  this  county.  He 
was  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Green  township, 
wliere  he  owned  a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  of 
land,  and  in  connection  with  farming  handled 
stock  and  followed  lumberinj;.  He  was  adem- 
ocrat,  a  member  of  Cherry  Tree  Baptist  church 
and  died  November  29th,  1875,  aged  seventy- 
two  years.  He  married  Elizabeth  Oaks,  who 
was  born  in  Maine  in  1822,  and  came  with  her 
parents  to  this  county  about  1837.  She  is  an 
earnest,  zealous  and  active  member  of  Cherry 
Tree  Baptist  church. 

Frank  Douglass  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  his 
native  township.  He  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  and  the  State  Normal 
school  at  Indiana.  While  attending  the  nor- 
mal school  he  taught  several  M'inters  in  the 
common  schools.  In  1884  he  formed  a  mer- 
cantile partnership  with  Barto  Beringer,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Beringer  &  Douglass,  and 
they  built  the  dwelling-house  and  store-room 
now  occupied  by  Mr.  Douglass,  on  Second 
street,  near  the  normal  school,  Indiana,  Pa.  On 
December  5,  1884,  they  opened  a  store  and  the 
firm  continued  until  February  2.3,  1888,  when 
McLain  Davis  purchased  Mr.  Beringer's  in- 
terest and  the  new  firm  of  Douglass  &  Davis 
ran  about  six  months.  Mr.  Davis  was  sue-  | 
ceeded  then  by  R.  O.  Barber  and  the  firm  of 
Douglass  &  Barber  continued  about  six  months, 
when  Mr.  Douglass  bought  out  Mr.  Barber's 
interest.  Since  that  time  Mr.  Douglass  has 
continued  to  gradually  increase  both  his  stock  \ 
and  his  patrons. 

October  31, 1889,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Bertha  Neal,  daughter  of  J.  Milton  Neal,  of 
Jacksonville,  this  county. 

In  politics  Mr.  Douglass  is  a  democrat.  He 
is  a  pleasant  and  courteous  gentleman  and  has 
a  wide  circle  of  friends.  He  has  a  neat  and 
tasteful  store-room  which  is  well  filled  with  a 
good  stock  of  general  merchandise,  including 
special  lines  of  dry -goods,  groceries,  boots,  shoes 
and    notions.     He   also   deals    extensively   in 


country  produce  and  pays  out  a  considerable 
amount  of  money  for  the  large  quantities  which 
he  ships  every  year.  He  is  noted  for  handling 
the  best  shingles  in  the  county.  He  has  the 
agency  of  Indiana  county  for  Lister's  Agricul- 
tural Chemical  works,  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  which 
fully  explains  the  cause  of  his  present  large 
trade  in  commercial  fertilizers. 


"  A  UGUSTUS  DRUM  was  a  son  of  Simon 
■^  Drum,  of  Greensburg,  Pa.,  and  was 
educated  at  JeflPerson  college.  Pa.  He  studied 
law  under  John  B.  Alexander,  at  Greensburg, 
and  located  in  Indiana  in  1831.  He  was  a 
successful  lawyer,  and  a  gentleman  of  pleasant 
social  qualities  and  a  fine  literary  taste. 

"  He  was  a  member  of  the  Democratic  party, 
and  took  a  decided  part  in  politics,  and  to  some 
extent  was  a  newspaper  writer.  He  served  in  the 
State  Senate  and  in  Congress.  He  died  on  the 
17th  day  of  September,  1858,  aged  forty-three 
years." 


MARTIN  EARHART,  the  accommodating 
and  popular  proprietor  of  the  "American 
House,"  and  president  of  the  "  Library  Hall," 
of  Indiana,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Catherine 
(Shu maker)  Earhart,  and  was  born  near  the 
tunnel  in  Conemaugh  township,  Indiana  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  on  the  last  day  of  April, 
1834.  John  Earhart,  a  man  of  sterling  worth 
and  generous  disposition,  was  born  in  eastern 
Pennsylvania  in  1797,  and  commenced  life  for 
him.self  by  hauling  goods  over  the  "Old  Pike  " 
from  Philadelphia  to  Pittsburgh.  In  1850  he 
left  teaming  and  removed  to  Saltsburg,  where 
he  ran  the  Earhart  house  for  twenty  years,  and 
during  all  that  time  he  was  identified  with  the 
interests  of  Saltsburg  and  exerted  himself  un- 
tiringly in  everything  that  pertained  to  the 
public  weal  of  the  place.  He  w"as  kind  and 
generous  to  the  poor,  whose  wants  he  alway 


INDIAXA   COUNTY. 


107 


relieved  with  great  willingness  as  well  as  with 
great  cheerfulness.  He  contributetl  largely  to 
the  growth  and  prosperity  of  Saltsburg,  in 
which  he  owned  a  considerable  amount  of  prop- 
erty, besides  his  farm  in  Couemaugh  township. 
He  was  a  lutheran  and  a  republican,  and  served 
his  town  most  acceptably  in  many  places  of  , 
honor  and  trust.  In  the  midst  of  a  life  of  ac-  j 
tivity  and  usefulness  he  was  summoned  from 
time  to  eternity  and  passed  away  April  14, 
1864,  when  in  the  sixty-eighth  year  of  his  age. 
His  wife  was  Catherine  Shumaker,  of  Boiling 
Springs,  Armstrong  county,  Pa.  She  was  a 
life-long  member  of  the  Lutheran  church  and 
died  July  4,  1861,  aged  54  years. 

Martin  Earhart  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  when 
he  went  with  his  parents  to  Saltsburg  and  as- 
sisted them  in  the  hotel.  He  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools,  and  in  1857 
engaged  in  the  livery  business  at  Saltsburg? 
which  he  followed  for  five  years.  He  then 
came  to  Indiana,  where  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  his  brother  Solomon,  who  was  the 
proprietor  of  a  large  livery  stable.  In  the 
spring  of  1865  he  withdrew  from  the  firm,  re- 
moved to  West  Indiana  and  opened  a  hotel, 
which  he  conducted  until  1876.  In  that  year 
he  purchased  the  present  well  and  favorably 
known  "  American  House,"  which  he  has  con- 
ducted successfully  ever  since.  This  hotel, 
which  is  on  the  corner  of  Philadelphia  and 
Eighth  streets,  was  originally  a  private  dwell- 
ing-house. In  1865  Solomon  Earhart  added 
an  additional  story  to  it  and  opened  it  as  the 
"Continental  Hotel."  In  1876  Martin  Ear- 
hart became  the  owner,  added  the  rear  wings  to 
the  building  and  changed  the  name  to  the 
"  Americau  House." 

December  29,  1859,  he  married  Celia  M. 
Curry,  daughter  of  John  R.  Curry,  of  Blairs- 
ville.  To  this  union  have  been  born  seven 
children :  John  A.,  William  M.,  Frank  H., 
Celia  G.,    married   to  A.  H.  Chesley,  of  Pitts- 


burgh ;  Charles  E.,  Flora  M.  and  Harry  E. 
Mrs.  Earhart  was  born  January  9,  1839,  and 
passed  away  on  September  16,  1890.  She  was 
a  woman  of  many  excellent  traits  of  character, 
and  her  funeral  was  attended  by  a  large  con- 
course of  her  friends  and  acquaintances. 

In  the  various  improvements  which  have 
been  undertaken  for  the  advantage  and  pros- 
perity of  Indiana  Mr.  Earhart  has  always  taken 
an  active  part.  He  is  a  stockholder  of  the  In- 
diana water-works  and  a  stockholder  and  presi- 
dent of  Library  Hall,  which  was  erected  for 
public  entertainments.  He  is  a  republican  and 
attends  the  Presbyterian  church,  to  which  he  is 
a  liberal  contributor.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
A.  O.  U.  W.,  the  Iron  Hall  order,  the  Knights 
of  Honor  and  the  Improved  Order  of  Hepta- 
sophs.  He  was  a  member  of  the  school  board 
which  erected  the  present  fine  school  building 
of  West  Indiana.  His  hotel  is  well  arranged 
and  convenient  in  all  of  its  appointments,  while 
its  proprietor  cannot  be  surpassed  by  any  land- 
lord in  the  State  for  making  his  guests  com- 
fortable. 


HON.  JOHN  P.  ELKIN,  an  active  and  suc- 
cessful young  lawyer,  a  potent  factor  in 
the  present  rapid  development  of  the  coal  fields 
of  Indiana  county,  and  a  prominent  republican 
leader  in  the  Thirty-seventh  Senatorial  Dis- 
trict of  Pennsylvania,  is  a  son  of  Francis  and 
Elizabeth  (Pratt)  Elk  in,  and  was  born  in  West 
Mahoning  township,  Indiana  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, January  11,  1860.  The  Elkin  family 
of  Ireland  has  long  been  resident  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  the  "  Emerald  Isle."  One  of  its 
numerous  descendants  was  Francis  Elkin,  the 
great-grandfather  of  Hon.  John  P.  Elkin.  He 
lived  to  be  eighty-nine  years  of  age,  and  his 
wife,  Elizabeth  Elkin,  was  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  Hill,  who  died  in  1844,  at  the  remark- 
able age  of  one  hundred  and  seven  years.  Their 
sou,  William  Elkin  (grandfather),  was  born  in 


108 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


1803,  raarrial  Martha  Beattie  and  came  to 
Pittsburgh  iu  1850.  Four  years  late  he  re- 
moved to  West  Mahoning  township,  where  he 
still  resides,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-seven 
years.  Their  son,  Francis  Elkin  (father),  was 
born  at  Omagh,  county  Tyrone,  Ireland,  May 
4,  1830,  and  came,  in  1850,  to  Pittsburgh, 
where  he  learned  the  rolling-mill  trade.  He 
soon  removed  to  West  Mahoning  township,  and, 
after  farming  for  some  years,  he  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Smicksburg,  where  he  built  a  foundry  I 
and  opened  a  store.  In  1874  he  went  to  Wells- 
ville,  Ohio,  and,  in  company  with  others, 
founded  the  American  Tin  Plate  company,  and 
erected  the  first  mill  in  this  country  which  ever 
manufactured  tin  plate.  In  1875  he  returned 
to  Smicksburo;  and  resumed  his  mercantile  busi- 
ness,  in  which  he  continued  until  his  death, 
Dec.  12,  1882,  when  in  the  fifty-second  year  of 
his  age.  He  was  a  member  and  vestryman  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  of  Smicksburg, 
and  built  the  present  church  edifice  of  that  re- 
ligious denomination  at  that  place.  He  was  a 
republican,  and  served  his  township  as  school  j 
director.  Prompt  as  a  business  man,  honorable 
as  a  citizen  and  scrupulously  honest  in  all  of  his  1 
dealings,  he  was  highly  esteemed  by  all  who  i 
knew  him.  He  married  Elizabeth  Pratt,  who 
was  born  in  1833,  in  Queens  count}',  Ireland, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1851.  She 
still  resides  at  Smicksburg,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  church. 

John  P.  Elkin  was  reared  at  Smicksburg ; 
he  attended  the  State  Normal  school  at  Indiana 
and  was  graduated  from  that  favorably-known 
institution  of  learning  in  the  class  of  1880.  He 
taught  in  the  common  schools  of  the  county  for 
several  terms,  both  before  and  after  his  gradu- 
ation. He  began  his  career  as  a  school-teacher 
when  but  fifteen  years  of  age.  Many  of  the 
boys  and  girls  who  went  to  his  schools  are  now 
occupying  positions  of  trust  in  many  parts  of 
the  country.  As  a  teacher  he  had  the  reputa- 
tion   of   being    a   decided   success.      Desiring 


another  field  of  work,  he  quit  teaching,  and  de- 
termined upon  the  profession  of  law,  and  in 
1882  entered  the  law  department  of  the  univer- 
sity of  Michigan,  and  was  graduated  from  that 
famous  institution  in  1884,  where  he  carried  off 
the  honors  of  his  class,  being  the  orator  at  the 
closing  exercises.  After  his  graduation  he  pur- 
sued the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  the  able 
law  firm  of  Watson  &  Telford,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  practice  in  the  several  courts  of  In- 
diana county  in  September,  1885.  Since  then 
he  has  lieen  engaged  iu  the  active  prac'tice  of 
his  profession  at  Indiana.  In  1884  he  was 
elected  as  a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  House 
of  Representatives.  In  1886  he  was  re-elected 
and  ran  two  hundred  and  seventy-one  votes 
ahead  of  the  republican  ticket,  headed  by  James 
G.  Blaine.  During  his  first  terra  he  came  into 
notice  by  championing  the  oleomargarine  act, 
which  became  a  law  after  a  very  exciting  con- 
test, between  the  farmers  on  one  side  and  the 
manufacturers  of  bogus  butter  on  the  other. 
He  was  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Constitu- 
tional Reform,  and  as  such  had  charge  of  the 
Constitutional  amendment  prohibiting  the  sale 
of  intoxicating  licjuors.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  sub-committee  which  drafted  the  amendment 
afterwards  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the  people. 
He  also  served  on  the  committees  on  judiciary 
general,  retrenchment  and  reform  and  library. 
In  1887  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  State  conven- 
tion which  nominated  Hart  for  State  treasurer 
and  Mitchell  for  the  supreme  bench.  In  1890 
he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Republican  State  con- 
vention which  nominated  Hon.  George  W.  Del- 
amater,  of  Crawford  county,  for  Governor  of 
the  "  Keystone  "  Commonwealth.  This  was  one 
of  the  fiercest  contests  in  the  State,  and  was  won 
after  a  three  months'  canva.ss. 

He  united  in  marriage,  on  the  17th  day  of 
June,  A.  D.  1884,  with  Adda  P.,  daughter  of 
John  Prothero,  president  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Indiana.  To  their  union  has  been 
born  one  child,  a  daughter,  named  Helen  P. 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


109 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  member  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  church  at  Indiana.  He 
is  president  of  the  Indiana  School  board  and  a 
member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  State 
Normal  school.  His  fine  law  practice  and  sig 
nal  success  in  the  political  field  have  not  taken 
his  entire  time  or  attention,  for  he  has  been 
largely  instrumental,  with  several  others,  in  de- 
veloping the  Cush  creek  coal  region,  and  secur- 
ing the  construction  of  the  Cusli  creek  branch 
of  the  Jefferson  &  Clearfield  K.  R.  He  is  a 
director  of  tiie  Homer  &  Susquehanna  railroad, 
which  is  now  being  surveyed  with  a  view  of 
connecting  the  Cush  creek  branch  with  the 
Indiana  branch  of  the  P.  R.  R.  He  is  also 
connected  with  the  Gilpin  Coal  company  and 
various  other  local  enterprises.  The  coal  and 
coke  industry  is  among  the  gigantic  industrial 
enterprises  that  are  centred  in  Western  Penn- 
sylvania. Its  growth  has  been  as  wonderful  as 
its  history  is  marvelous.  Fifty  years  ago  it 
was  known,  but  to-day  it  is  one  of  the  fore- 
most industries  of  the  Unitwl  States.  Some 
of  its  rich  fields  are  those  of  Indiana  county, 
which  are  being  developed  by  Mr.  Elkin  and 
other  public-spirited  men  of  this  section.  John  P. 
Elkin  is  of  the  sturdy  Scotch -Irish  stock.  He 
has  a  high  standing  at  the  bar,  wields  great 
influence  in  the  political  field,  and  has  been, 
throughout  the  few  sliort  years  of  his  public 
life,  a  tiiorough  business  man  of  earnest  will 
and  vast  industry.  He  is  pre-eminently  the 
architect  of  his  own  fortune,  as  he  inherited 
nothing  save  a  strong  body  and  good  mind, 
and  his  remarkable  success  is  an  evidence  of 
what  those  imperial  qualities — energy  and  de- 
cision— can  accomplish  for  their  fortunate  pos- 
sessor. 


"pRANK  T.  EMPFIELD,  a  courteous  and 
-L  pleasant  gentleman  and  the  present  clerk 
of  the  board  of  commissioners  of  Indiana 
county,  is  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Clarissa  (Churchill) 


Empfield,  and  was  born  at  Greenville,  Cherry 
Hill  township,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania, 
March  26,  1860.  Among  the  jiiany  reliable 
German  settlers  of  eastern  Pennsylvania  were 
the  Empfields,  and  one  of  their  descendants, 
wIk)  settled  in  Indiana  county  during  the  early 
years  of  the  present  century,  was  Peter  Emp- 
field, the  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  He  followed  farming,  reared  a  very 
respectable  flimily  of  children  and  died  in  1870, 
at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-four  years.  His 
son,  Isaac  Empfield  (father),  was  born  in  Brush 
Valley  township,  November  20,  1818,  and  died 
July  5,  1872,  when  in  the  fifty-fourth  year  of 
his  age.  He  was  an  extensive  farmer  of  his 
native  township  and  owned  about  six  hundred 
acres  of  land.  He  became  a  resident  of  Green- 
ville when  a  young  man  and  was  prominent  and 
influential  in  the  affairs  of  that  place  as  long  as 
he  lived.  In  addition  to  the  management  and 
supervision  of  his  farms  he  kept  a  first-class 
hotel  and  livery  stable  at  Greenville,  and  dealt 
largely  in  stock.  As  a  republican  and  a 
presbyterian  he  was  active  in  religious  and 
political  matters  in  his  section  of  the  county. 
His  wife  was  Clarissa  Churchill,  who  still  re- 
sides at  Greenville  and  has  been  for  over  twenty 
years  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Frank  T.  Empfield  was  reared  to  manhood 
at  the  pleasant  village  of  Greenville.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  schools  and 
the  academy  of  that  place.  Leaving  Greenville 
academy  he  engaged  in  farming  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  two  years  and  then  (1884)  embarked 
in  the  drug  business  at  Greenville,  in  which  he 
continued  succe-ssfully  until  1888.  In  Decem- 
ber of  that  year  he  w;us  offered,  and  upon  signi- 
fying his  willingne.ss  to  accept,  was  elected  to 
his  present  position  of  clerk  of  the  board  of 
commissioners  of  Indiana  county.  Since  then 
he  has  given  his  time  and  attention  to  the  many 
and  various  duties  of  his  office,  in  which  he  has 
acquitted  him.self  very  eredital)ly. 

June  18,  1890,  he  united  in  marriage  with 


no 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Ruth  Porter,  daughter  of  the  late  Colonel 
Dauiel  S.  Porter,  who  was,  during  his  life- 
time a  well-known  citizen  and  attorney  of 
Indiana. 

Frank  T.  Empfield  is  a  member  of  the  Cos- 
mopolitan, the  leading  club  of  Indiana,  and 
various  other  social  organizations.  He  is  a  de- 
cided republican  in  his  political  opinions  and 
his  work  so  far  in  the  commissioner's  office  has 
been  satisfactory  to  the  public. 


DAVID  HALL,  D.D.  It  is  the  privilege 
of  few  men  who  are  engaged  in  the  work 
of  the  Christian  ministry  in  this  State  to  be  so 
highly  respected  as  the  Rev.  David  Hall,  D.D., 
the  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of 
Indiana  since  1874.  Of  him  it  is  re- 
corded in  the  standard  historical  work  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  of  the  United  States,  that 
"his  ministry  in  Indiana  has  been  largely 
blessed  "  and  that  "  he  is  greatly  beloved  and 
admired  by  his  people."  David  Hall,  D.D.,  is 
a  son  of  David  and  Margaret  (Hiudman)  Hall 
and  was  born  at  Slate  Lick,  Armstrong  county, 
Pennsylvania,  December  13,  1828.  Of  the 
numerous  Hall  families  in  the  United  States, 
which  have  produced  eminent  divines  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  one  is  the  Hall  family  of 
Indiana  county,  which  was  founded  by  Capt. 
David  Hall,  who  was  a  native  of  England  and 
came  with  his  parents  to  Westmoreland  county 
when  quite  young.  He  became  an  early  settler 
of  Armstrong  county,  served  as  a  captain  in 
the  war  of  1812  and  participated  in  several 
Indian  expeditions  into  the  Western  Reserve 
of  Ohio,  where  he  afterwards  took  up  several 
large  tracts  of  land.  He  married  Jane  Jackson 
and  died  March  27,  1836,  at  the  age  of  74 
years.  His  son,  David  Hall,  was  born  October 
27th,  1792,  and  died  at  Slate  Lick,  May  18th, 
1884,  when  rapidly  nearing  his  ninety-second 
mile-stone    on    the   pathway  of  life.     His  first 


business  was  manufacturing  salt  in  the  Kis- 
kiminetas  Valley,  which  he  soon  abandoned  to 
engage  in  farming.  He  was  an  old-time  demo- 
crat, an  extensive  farmer,  an  upright,  truth- 
ful man  and  an  exemplary  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  He  was  remarkable  for 
strength  of  purpose.  Christian  charity  and  moral 
firmness.  He  married  Margaret  Hindman,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  James  and  Mary  (Mc- 
Clellan)  Hindman,  and  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  She  was  born  June  25, 
1793,  in  Armstrong  county,  where  she  died 
March  15,  1864. 

Rev.  David  Hall  was  reared  on  a  farm  until 
he  was  sixteen  years  of  age.  He  received  his 
elementary  education  in  the  subscription  schools, 
attended    Kittanning   academy  and  at  sixteen 

'.  years  of  age  entered  Jefferson  college,  at  Can- 
nonsburg.  Pa.,  from  which  institution  he  was 
graduated    with   honors   on    March    30,  1850. 

j  Leaving  college,  he  served  for  eighteen  months 
as  assistant  principal  of  the  Witherspoon  insti- 
tute, a  presb}terian  academy  at  Butler,  Pa.  At 
the  end  of  this  time  he  resolved  to  devote 
his  life  to  the  cause  of  Christianity  and 
entered  the  Western  Theological  seminary, 
of  Allegheny,  Pa.,  to  prepare  for  the  work 
of  the  ministry.  After  three  years  of  hard  and 
profitable  study,  he  was  graduated  May,  1854, 
with  high  standing  in  his  class.  In  the  mean 
time,  June  20,  1854,  he  was  licensed  by  the 
presbytery  of  Allegheny,  Pa.,  but  wishing  to  be 
thoroughly  prepared  for  his  work,  he  went,  after 
his  graduation  at  Allegheny,  to  Princeton 
Theological  seminary,  where  he  spent  one  year 
as  a  resident  graduate  and  took  the  post- 
graduate course  of  that  thorough  and  efficient 
institution.  Returning  from  Princeton,  he  was 
called  as  oo-pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  of  Columbus,  Ohio,  .serving  with  Rev. 
Dr.  James  Hoge.  He  remained  there  about 
one  year,  then  accepted  a  call  from  his  native 
county  and  was  ordained  and  installed  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Allegheny  on  November  5, 1856, 


4^ 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


113 


as  pastor  of  Union  and  Brady's  Bend  churches, 
of  Armstrong  county.  His  pastorate  of  these 
two  churches  was  a  very  pleasant  and  successful 
one  and  extended  over  a  period  of  eleven  years. 
It  terminated  in  1867,  when  he  became  pastor 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Mansfield,  Ohio, 
where  he  labored  with  acceptance  and  good  re- 
sults until  1874.  On  June  30th  of  that  year  he 
was  installed  as  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  of  Indiana,  which  he  has  served  ac- 
ceptably ever  since.  When  he  assumed  his 
present  charge  the  membership  was  threo  hun- 
dred and  fifty,  but  now  the  church-roll  bears 
the  names  of  five  hundred  and  twenty  members- 
In  1858  Jefferson  college  conferred  the  degree 
of  D.D.  upon  him  for  his  ability,  learning  and 
valuable  services  in  the  ministry.  In  1857  he 
was  elected  at  Jefferson  college  as  professor  of 
Latin  and  Literature,  and  in  1858  he  served  as 
a  member  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  held  in  New  Orleans, 
In  political  matters  Dr.  Hall  is  a  democrat  from 
principle. 

December  2,  1856,  he  married  Elizabeth 
Walker,  daughter  of  David  Walker,  of  Butler, 
Pa.  Their  children  are :  Edward  Payson, 
Henry  Walker,  Laura  Baudelle,  Mary  Camp- 
bell and  Caroline  Rowland.  The  eldest  son, 
Edward  Payson  Hall,  is  an  attorney  of  the 
pension  bureau,  in  Washington  City,  and  the 
second  son,  Henry  Walker  Hall,  is  a  successful 
artist  of  New  York  city,  who  spent  three  years 
in  art  studies  in  Paris,  France,  and  is  now  en- 
gaged in  illustrating. 

Dr.  Hall  is  of  fine  physique  and  dignified 
bearing.  He  is  an  impressive  and  earnest 
speaker,  whose  style  is  characterized  by  clear- 
ness, simplicity  and  strength.  As  a  minister  of 
God  and  an  ambassador  for  Christ,  no  one  has 
ever  mistaken  his  character  or  his  purpose. 
\\  hilc  gentle  to  all  men,  yet  he  is  never  pliant, 
and  his  every  word,  tone  and  gesture  bears  the 
unmistakable  impress  of  sincerity.  Rather 
timid   in  disposition,  with   no  desire  to  preach 


on  set  occasions,  yet  he  is  bold  as  a  lion  in  the 
pulpit,  in  rebuking  vice,  folly  and  injustice. 

In  the  biography  of  Dr.  Hall  in  the  Ency- 
clopedia of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  the 
United  States,  Rev.  Alfred  Nevin,  LL.D.,  says: 
"  He  (Dr.  Hall)  is  a  man  of  fine  scholarship 
and  much  culture,  and  his  motto  seems  to  be, 
*  Do  all  the  good  you  can  and  say  nothing  about 
it.'  In  his  preaching  he  emphasizes  Christian 
morality,  honor,  manliness,  integrity,  truth, 
chivalry,  charity  and  helpfulness,  as  in  the  sight 
of  God  and  in  the  love  of  Christ.  He  teaches 
that  salvation  is  largely  character  and  exalts 
Christ's  offices  of  Prophet  (or  Teacher)  and 
King,  as  well  as  his  office  of  Priest.  He 
abounds  in  illustrations  from  nature.  He  makes 
an  impression  on  the  community  by  his  efforts 
to  tone  up  public  morals." 


T  CLEMENT  HASINGER.  Although  oue 
^  '  of  the  younger  business  men  of  Indiana, 
J.  Clement  Hasinger  is  noted  for  the  indus- 
try and  frugality  which  so  much  tend  to 
make  busiuess  a  success,  and  when  we  add 
to  this  the  simple  encomium  that  means  so 
much.  He  is  an  honest  man,  we  have  noted  his 
whole  character.  He  is  a  son  of  Clement  and 
Susannah  (Rising)  Hasinger,  and  was  born  at 
Indiana,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  Jan- 
uary 24,  1862.  His  father,  Clement  Hasinger, 
was  a  native  of  Bavaria,  and  in  1853  came  to 
Indiana,  where  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness for  some  twenty-five  years,  when  he  retired 
from  active  busiuess  life,  leaving  to  his  sons,  as 
a  result  of  his  untiring  energy,  a  well-estab- 
lished business.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  church  and  a  democrat.  He  died 
December  8,  1888,  aged  sixty-three  years.  His 
wife  was  a  daughter  of  Martin  Rising,  who 
came  to  this  country  with  her  parents  in  1839, 
landing  at  Baltimore.  They  settled  in  Cherry 
Hill  township,  where  Martin  Rising  bought  a 


114 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


farm  on  which  he  still  lives,  being  now  eighty- 
five  years  of  age.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Cath- 
olic church,  as  is  also  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Has- 
iuger,  who  lives  in  Indiana  with  her  sons,  and 
is  now  in  the  fifty-third  year  of  her  age. 

J.  Clement  Hasinger  receivetl  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Indiana.  Leaving 
school,  he  assisted  his  father  in  the  grocery  store 
until  the  latter  gave  up  the  business,  in  1888, 
to  J  him  and  his  brother,  John  E.,  who  have 
since  done  business  under  the  firm-name  of 
Hasinger  Bros.  John  E.  also  runs  a  cigar  fac- 
tory at  Indiana,  while  J.  Clement  owns  a  bread 
and  cake  bakery. 

On  October  5,  1880,  he  was  married  to 
Mary,  youngest  daughter  of  Conrad  Bergman, 
of  Indiana.  They  have  two  children,  a  daugh- 
ter, named  Florence,  and  a  son,  William  Ralph. 

J.  Clement  Hasinger  is  a  democrat  in  politi- 
cal opinion,  and  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Knights  of  St.  George.  The  Hasingers — father 
and  sons — are  an  example  of  what  industry 
and  frugality,  the  noted  German  characteristics, 
will  accomplish. 


JOHN  S.  HASTINGS.  One  of  the  most 
"  useful  and  important  industries  of  any 
town  or  city  is  the  lumbei  business.  A  repre- 
sentative lumber  manufacturer  and  dealer  of 
Indiana  county  is  John  S.  Hastings,  a  soldier 
of  the  late  war  and  the  proprietor  of  the 
Hastings  planing-mill.  He  was  born  near 
Dayton,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania, 
January  16,  1848,  and  is  a  son  of  Enoch  and 
Eliza  (Sutor)  Hastings.  He  is  a  descendant  of 
the  old  Hastings  family  of  England.  His 
grandfather,  John  Hastings,  lesided  nearBelle- 
fonte,  Centre  county,  this  State,  where  he  died. 
His  .son,  Enoch  Hastings,  was  born  in  1781, 
removed  to  Armstrong  county,  near  Day- 
ton, where  he  worked  at  his  trade  of  black- 
smith and  was  engaged  for  many  years  in 
farming  and    operating   a    flouring-mill.      He 


soon  became  a  leading  citizen  in  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  resided.  He  was  a 
member  and  deacon  of  the  Baptist  church  and 
served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  in  local 
offices  for  many  years.  He  died  on  his  farm 
near  Dayton  in  1855,  in  his  seventy-fourth 
year.  He  married  Eliza  Sutor,  daughter  of 
John  Sutor,  who  was  a  native  of  Scotland  and 
after  coming  to  this  State  located  in  Washing- 
ton county,  but  subsequently  removed  near 
Marion,  this  county,  where  he  followed  farm- 
ing till  1875,  when  he  passed  away  in  the 
ninety-sixth  year  of  his  age.  Mrs.  Eliza 
Hastings  was  born  in  Washington  county  and 
was  brought  at  seven  years  of  age  to  this 
county,  where  she  was  reared  in  the  faith  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  with  which  she  united 
in  early  life,  but  subsequently  joined  the  Bap- 
tist church.  She  died  in  1883,  aged  about 
72  years,  and  her  remains  were  interred  at 
Marion,  while  her  husliand's,  body  was  en- 
tombed in  the  Glade  Run  church-yard  in 
Armstrong  county. 

John  S.  Hastings  was  reared  on  a  farm  un- 
til he  was  16  years  of  age,  and  received  his  ed- 
ucation in  the  common  schools  and  Dayton 
academy.  On  February  23, 1864 — just  shortly 
after  his  .sixteenth  birthda}' — he  enlisted  in  the 
United  States  Signal  Corps  and  served  till  he 
was  honorably  discharged  at  San  Antonio, 
Texas,  April  20,  1866.  During  the  last  named 
year  he  went  to  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  where  he  work- 
ed at  the  trade  of  carpenter  with  William 
Dick,  and  in  the  fall  of  1867  came  to  Indiana. 
There  he  finished  his  trade  with  his  uncle, 
Johu  Sutor,  for  whom  and  with  whom  he 
worked  until  1872.  He  then  purchasetl  his 
uncle's  half-interest  in  a  planing-mill  and  be- 
came a  member  of  the  firm  of  Lowry,  Hastings 
&  Co.  In  1877  hepurcliased  Lowry's  interest, 
and  the  firm  was  Hastings  &  Leach  until  June, 
1879,  when  Mr.  Leach  sold  his  share  to  Col.  D. 
S.  Porter  and  the  business  was  carried  on  in 
the  name  of  John  S.  Hastings. 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


115 


The  Hastings  planing-mill  is  a  two-story 
frame,  50x113  in  dimensions,  and  is  run  by  a 
forty-five  horse-power  engine  and  supplied  with 
all  late  and  improved  machinery.  The  central 
portion  of  the  mill  was  erected  in  1866;  next 
the  southern  addition  was  built  and  later  the 
eastern  addition  was  erected.  Mr.  Hastings 
keeps  constantly  on  hand  a  large  stock  of  rough 
and  dressed  pine,  oak,  hemlock  and  all  other 
kinds  of  lumber  and  manufactures  doors, 
sash,  blinds,  frames,  scroll  work,  stair  rails, 
lath  and  shingles  in  large  quantities  to  supply 
the  wants  of  his  many  patrons.  He  is  also  a 
contractor  and  has  built  a  great  many  buildings. 
The  Indiaua  county  jail,  First  Presbyterian 
church  of  Kittanning  and  Jackson  street  Bap- 
tist church  of  Scranton,  Pa.,  being  among  the 
number. 

He  was  married,  February  28,  1884,  to  Vir- 
ginia Coleman,  a  resident  of  Indiana,  but  a 
native  of  Wheeling,  W.  Va.  Their  union  has 
been  bles.sed  with  one  child,  a  son,  named  Ralph 
Wendell  Hastings. 

John  S.  Hastings  is  a  republican  in  politics 
and  supports  his  party  whenever  it  is  necessary, 
but  is  no  politician.  For  twenty  )-ears  he  has 
been  identified  with  the  material  interests  and 
prosperity  of  Indiana.  Every  movement  for 
the  advancement  of  the  borough  has  met  with 
his  approval,  enlisted  his  attention  and  secured 
his  support.  His  business  has  built  up  with  the 
town  in  its  steady  and  substantial  growth  and  de- 
velopment of  the  last  two  decades.  His  busi- 
ness has  expanded  slowly  from  year  to  year  until 
it  has  attained  very  respectable  proportions  and 
extends  over  considerable  area  of  territory.  Mr. 
Hastings  is  a  notable  example  of  a  wide-awake 
and  self-made  man. 


THOMAS  E.  HILDEBRAND.     Prominent 
among  the  leading  representatives  of  the  drug 
business  in  this  section  is  Thomas  E.  Hildebiand, 


the  proprietor  of  the  oldest  drug  house  in  Indiana 
county  and  one  of  the  young  and  progressive 
business  men  of  Indiana  borough.  He  is  a  son 
of  William  B.  and  Sarah  (McClaran)  Hilde- 
j  brand,  and  was  born  at  Indiana,  Indiana  county, 
Pennsylvania,  February  18,  1860.  His  ances- 
tors were  early  settlers  in  this  State.  The  Hil- 
debrand  family  is  one  of  the  old  families  of 
Adams  county.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Wil- 
liam Hildebrand,  was  a  sou  of  John  Hilde- 
brand,  of  German  origin,  and  married  Elizabeth 
Swigart.  One  of  their  .sons  was  William  B. 
Hildebrand  (father),  who  was  born  in  Adams 
county  in  1825  and  removed  in  1853  to  Indi- 
ana borough ,  where  he  embarked  in  the  drug 
business,  which  he  followed  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1886,  when  in  the  sixty- 
first  year  of  his  age.  He  was  an  experienced 
and  enterprising  business  man  who  had  estab- 
lished a  wide  reputation  for  honorable  dealing 
and  was  highly  esteemed  by  the  many  who 
knew  him.  On  account  of  his  business  ability 
and  experience,  in  1876  he  was  elected  .secretary 
of  the  Indiana  State  Normal  school  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. His  services  were  so  satisfactory  in  this 
position  that  he  was  annually  re-elected  till  his 
death,  in  1886.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Indi- 
ana Presbyterian  church,  in  which  he  had  served 
ten  years  as  a  trustee.  In  politics  he  was  a  re- 
publican, but  aside  from  a  general  interest  in 
political  matters  he  devoted  his  time  chiefly  to 
the  management  of  his  business  undertakings. 
In  1859  he  married  Sarah  McClaran,  by  whom 
he  had  six  children,  three  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters: Thomas  E.,  Gertrude,  Frank,  Walter, 
Willie  M.  and  Mary  (deceased).  Mrs.  Sarah 
Hildebrand  was  born  at  Blairsville,  this  county, 
in  1826,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Hon.  William 
McClaran,  who  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent. 

He  was  born  in  .Indiana  county,  where 
he  always  lived.  He  was  an  old  line  whig, 
a  strict  Presbyterian  and  a  man  who  com- 
manded respect  by  the  integrity  of  his  actions 


116 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


and  the  uprightness  of  his  life.  He  represented 
his  native  county  twice  in  the  State  legislature 
and  served  two  terms  as  register  and  recorder  of 
Indiana  county,  being  elected  to  the  latter  posi- 
tion iu  1842  and  re-elected  in  1845. 

Thomas  E.  Hildebraud  was  reared  at  Indiana, 
where  he  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  aud  the  State  Normal  school  of  that 
place.  His  first  employment  was  in  the  drug 
business  with  his  father,  whom  he  assisted  till 
the  death  of  the  latter,  when  he  purcliased  aud 
assumed  entire  charge  of  the  drug  store  and  has 
continued  successfully  to  conduct  it  ever  since. 
In  1889  he  tore  down  the  old  building  aud 
erected  on  its  site  his  present  large  and  beauti- 
ful three-story  brick  drug  house,  21  x  75  feet  in 
dimensions.  His  establishment  is  on  Philadel- 
phia street,  and  is  one  of  the  best  furnished 
drug  houses  in  the  western  part  of  the  State.  ; 
His  stock  is  large  and  varied  in  order  to  meet 
the  numerous  demands  of  his  constantly  increas- 
ing patronage.  He  is  a  skillful  and  accom-  j 
plished  druggist  and  an  agreeable  gentleman  of 
excellent  business  qualifications. 

In  1884  Thomas  E.  Hildebrand  was  made 
teller  of  the  Indiana  County  Deposit  bank, 
which  position  he  still  holds.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Cosmopolitan  club,  which  is  composed 
of  the  young  business  men  of  Indiana.  Mr.  I 
Hildebrand  is  a  republican  in  political  opinion, 
has  served  three  terms  asauditor  of  his  borough 
and  takes  considerable  interest  in  political  af-  j 
fairs.  He  is  also  well  informed  upon  the  im- 
portant events  of  this  wonderful  age,  and  has 
acquired  quite  a  fund  of  general  information. 


JOHN  H.  HILL,  one  of  the  Hancock  and 
English  democratic  presidential  electors  of 
Pennsylvania  in  1880,  a  well-known  member  of 
the  Indiana  bar  since  1874  and  a  soldier  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  during  1864  and  1865, 
was  born  at  Elderton,  Armstrong  county,  Penn- 


sylvania, October  12, 1848,  and  is  a  son  of  Dan- 
iel and  Eliza  A.  (Trimble)  Hill.  On  both  his 
paternal  and  maternal  side  he  is  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent.  His  grandfather,  Daniel  Hill,  Sr.,  was 
a  native  and  resident  of  some  county  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  State  until  he  attained  his 
majority,  when  he  joined  the  hardy  pioneers  who 
were  venturing  into  the  forest  regions  v/est  of 
the  Allegheny  mountains  at  the  risk  of  their 
lives.  He  settled  in  what  is  now  Westmoreland 
county,  where  he  died.  His  son,  Daniel  Hill, 
was  born  in  1817,  learned  the  trade  of  mill- 
wright, and  removed  to  Armstrong  county, 
where  he  remaineil  until  1855.  He  then  came 
to  Indiana  county  aud  embarked  in  the  lumber 
business  on  the  Susquehanna  river,  which  he 
followed  up  to  1880,  when  he  removed  to  White 
township  and  has  been  engaged  in  farming  ever 
since.  He  is  a  Presbyterian  in  religious  belief, 
a  democrat  in  political  faith  and  has  .served  in 
various  township  offices.  He  married  Eliza  A. 
Trimble,  who  was  born  in  1811  and  died  in 
1866.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Trimble, 
a  life-long  resident  and  well-to-do  farmer  of 
Westmoreland  county,  who  died  in  1850. 

John  H.  Hill  was  reared  principally  at  Cher- 
ry Tree,  this  county.  He  attended  the  common 
schools,  Pine  Flat  academy  and  Cherry  Tree  col- 
lege, a  chartered  institution  which  has  since 
gone  down.  In  1870  he  entered  Washington 
and  Lee  university  at  Lexington,  Va.,  and 
became  a  student  in  the  law  department  of 
that  institution,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  the  law  class  of  1873.  One  year  later  he 
was  admitted  to  the  Indiana 'county  bar,  and 
since  that  time  has  been  actively  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  the  courts  of  this  and 
adjoining  counties.  In  1864  he  enlisted  in 
Company  K,  88th  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers  (from  Philadelphia),  participated  in 
all  the  principal  battles  of  his  regiment,  and 
was  honorably  discharged  under  general  orders 
at  Washington  City  in  1865.  He  is  a  member 
of  Indiana  Post,  No.  28,  G.  A.  R. 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


117 


In  1873  he  married  Mollie  I.  Kingports, 
daughter  of  David  R.  Kingports.  They  have 
one  child,  named  Don  James  Hill. 

John  H.  Hill  is  considerably  interested  in 
manufacturing,  and  is  the  senior  member  of  the 
firm  of  J.  H.  &  W.  B.  Hill,  proprietors  of 
the  Hill  flouring  mill  and  Hill  woolen  factory, 
of  White  township,  which  are  in  operation.  In 
addition  to  his  investments  with  his  brother  in 
milling  and  woolen  manufacturing,  he  owns  a 
grain  and  stock  farm  of  considerable  size.  He 
is  a  stanch  democrat,  one  of  the  democratic 
leaders  of  the  county,  and  has  served  as  school 
director  for  six  years  and  as  a  member  of  In- 
diana borough  council  for  the  same  length  of 
time.  He  was  chairman  of  the  Democratic 
county  committee  for  three  years.  He  was 
nominated  by  his  party  for  prothonotary, 
and  again  for  district  attorney,  and,  although 
polling  the  full  democratic  strength  and  receiv- 
ing complimentary  votes  from  the  opposition 
party,  yet  was  bound  to  be  defeated  in  a  county 
largely  republican.  Mr.  Hill  is  an  active  and 
energetic  worker  in  his  profession  and  enjoys  a 
good  practice. 


HON.  GEORGE  W.  HOOD.  Among  the 
prominent  citizens  and  public  men  of 
Indiana  county  who  are  held  in  high  esteem  for 
integrity,  good  judgment  and  business  and  pro- 
fessional ability  is  Ex-State  Senator  George  W.  j 
Hood.  He  is  a  son  of  James  and  Margaret 
(Trimble)  Hood,  and  was  born  in  White  town- 
ship, Indiana  couuty,  Pennsylvania,  December 
1,  1846.  The  historic  north  of  Ireland,  which 
contributed  so  largely  to  the  worthy  pioneer  stock 
of  early  settlers  in  Indiana  couuty,  was  the 
birth-place  of  his  paternal  grandparents,  Thomas 
and  Jane  (Henderson)  Hood.  They  left  the 
home  of  their  childhood  and  early  associations 
in  life  and  settled  in  1799  in  what  is  now 
Indiana  county,  where  Thomas  Hood  died  in 
1861,   aged   83   years.     Of  the   family  which 


they  reared  in  their  new  found  home  one  son  is 
James  Hood  (father),  who  was  born  in  1810. 
Upon  arriving  at  manhood  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, which  he  pursued  until  1880,  when  he 
retired  from  active  business  life.  He  resides  at 
Indiana,  is  well  preserved  for  his  four-score 
years  and  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  Church.  He  is  a  republican  in 
politics,  has  always  been  active  in  support  of 
his  party  and  served  creditably  as  treasurer  of 
Indiana  county  from  1851  to  1853.  He  mar- 
ried Margaret  Trimble,  who  died  January  1, 
1888,  and  reared  a  family  of  six  sons  and  three 
daughters. 

George  W.  Hood  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm  in  White  township.  He  attended  Dayton 
academy  in  Armstrong  county  and  Tuscarora 
academy  of  Juniata  couuty,  and  then  entered 
Westminster  college,  Lawrence  county,  from 
which  well-known  institution  of  learning  he  was 
graduated  in  the  class  of  1870.  After  grad- 
uating he  read  law  with  Hon.  A.  W.  Taylor 
and  was  admitted  to  the  Indiana  county  bar  in 
December,  1872.  The  summer  of  the  ensuing 
year  he  spent  in  traveling  through  Europe  for 
the  purpose  of  gaining  general  information  of 
the  habits  and  customs  of  its  people  and  the  laws 
and  institutions  of  its  leading  nations.  During 
the  latter  part  of  1873  he  opened  a  lawof3fice  at 
Indiana,  where  he  has  been  engaged  ever  since 
in  the  active  and  successful  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. In  1882  he  made  a  trip  to  Europe  on 
professional  business  and  spent  some  time  in 
Ireland,  England  and  France.  In  1884,  in 
recognition  of  his  many  valuable  political  ser- 
vices and  on  account  of  his  fitness  for  the  posi- 
tion, he  was  nominated  for  State  senator  by  the 
Republican  party  of  Indiana  county.  He  was 
elected  in  November,  1884,  and  for  four  years 
creditably  represented  the  Thirty-seventh  Sena- 
torial District  of  Pennsylvania.  He  served 
on  the  committees  on  federal  relations,  judiciary 
(both  general  and  special)  and  congressional 
appointment.      His   legal   ability   and   profes- 


118 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


sioual  ability  and  political  experience  well  fitted 
him  for  the  efficient  service  which  he  rendered 
on  those  four  important  committees.  During 
the  session  of  1885,  Senator  Hood  with  Senator 
Biddis,  of  Pike,  and  Ex-speaker  Faunce,  of  i 
Philadelphia,  Robinson  of  Delaware  and  • 
Sponsler  of  Perry,  were  the  committee  ap-  ' 
pointed  on  the  Senate  and  the  House  for  the 
purpose  of  inquiring  into  the  fitness  of  district 
Judge  Kirkpatrick  of  Allegheny  county.  He 
had  refused  to  resign  after  a  petition  had  been 
sent  into  legislature  for  his  removal  on  account  of 
his  physical  disability  to  fill  the  office.  The  com- 
mittee removed.  His  entire  course  in  the  State 
senate  was  such  as  to  gain  him  many  warm  friends 
in  the  ranks  of  the  opposition  as  well  as  among 
his  own  colleagues  on  the  republican  side  of 
the  senate.  While  ever  alive  to  the  interests  of  j 
his  own  district,  yet  he  never  slighted  the  actual 
needs  or  just  requirements  of  any  other  section 
of  the  State.  In  1890  he  was  appointed  and 
served  as  supervisor  of  the  Eighth  Census 
District  of  Pennsylvania.  His  patriotism  was 
shown  in  the  late  war,  when,  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  years,  he  entered  Co.  F,  2d  Battalion 
(six  months)  Pa.  Vols.,  and  yielded  most  will- 
ing service  in  the  armies  of  the  imperiled 
Republic  in  her  ever-memorable  struggle  against  ; 
dismemberment  and  dissolution.  His  interest 
still  continues  unabated  in  his  companions  in 
arms  of  the  Great  Rebellion,  and  is  manifested 
by  his  membership  in,  and  services  for  Indiana 
Post,  No.  28,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

In  1878  he  married  Sarah  E.  Ehrenfield, 
daughter  of  Rev.  A.  C.  Ehrenfield,  of  Indiana. 
Mrs.  Hood  died  November  12,  1879  and  left 
one  child,  a  son  named  Augustus.  On  December 
22,  1888,  Mr.  Hood  united  in  marriage  with 
Adalene  M.  Quigg,  a  handsome  and  talented 
lady  of  Oswego,  New  York. 

Senator  Hood  is  a  large  and  fine  looking  man 
of  good  address  and  affiible  manners.  He  is 
of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  has  a  large  law  practice 
and  is  a  very  pleasing  speaker.     In  1887  he 


was  largely  instrumental  in  the  organization  of 
the  Indiana  Water  company,  of  which  he  was 
and  is  its  president.  Their  water  works  are  on 
the  artesian  well  .system  and  carry  fifty  pounds 
pressure  in  their  pipes,  which  can  be  increased 
to  one  hundred  and  thirty  pounds  in  case  of 
fire.  He  owns  land  in  Idaho,  is  interested  in 
the  irrigating  system  of  that  State  and  has 
ttt'ice  visited  the  Pacific  coast  states.  Senator 
Hood  devotes  his  energies  to  the  practice  of  his 
profession  and  to  such  financial  and  business 
iluties  as-  naturally  come  to  a  man  in  his  position. 
He  is  a  popular  republican  leader,  has  been 
very  successful  in  the  political  arena  and  stands 
well  with  the  masses,  whose  true  interests  he 
has  alway  advocated  and  defendetl. 


SUMMERS  M.  JACK.  One  of  the  promi- 
nent names  which  go  to  make  up  the 
strength  and  give  importance  to  the  Indiana 
count}'  bar  is  that  of  Summers  M.  Jack,  the 
late  efficient  district  attorney  and  one  of  the 
rising  lawyers  of  western  Pennsylvania.  He 
was  born  at  Summersville,  Jefferson  county, 
Pennsylvania,  July  18,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of 
Lowry  and  Cornelia  (Baldwin)  Jack.  As  the 
name  would  indicate,  the  Jack  family  is  of 
Scotch  origin.  Jacob  Jack,  the  grandfather  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  and  reared 
in  Scotland,  which  he  left  when  a  young  man 
to  come  to  this  State,  where  he  settled  in  Cen- 
tre county  at  an  early  day  in  its  history.  He 
married  Sarah  Collin,  of  that  county,  and  after- 
wards removed  with  his  family  to  Clarion 
county,  where  he  died  in  1831.  His  sou, 
Lowry  Jack,  was  born  in  Clarion  county.  Pa., 
July  18,  1830.  He  is  a  carpenter  and  painter 
by  trade,  but  is  chiefly  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business,  and  resides  at  Summersville,  Jetlerson 
county,  this  State.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  is  a  republican  in 
politics,  has  served  as  a  school  director,  and 
held  other  township  offices.     His  wife  is  a  na- 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


119 


tive  of  Summersville,  which  was  named  for  her 
uncle,  Summers  Baldwin.,  .Her  father,  Alonzo 
Baldwin,  owned  at  that  time  the  large  tract  of 
land  which  included  the  site  of  that  town. 
Alonzo  and  Eliza  (Carrier)  Baldwin  (maternal 
grandparents)  were  natives  of  Connecticut,  and 
came  from  that  State  to  Pennsylvania  early  in 
life,  where  they  were  married.  Alonzo  Bald- 
win died  iu  LSoS,  when  in  the  sixty-second 
year  of  his  age,  and  his  wife  passed  away  two 
years  later,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years. 

Summers  M.  Jack  was  reared  at  Summers- 
ville, where  he  received  his  early  education  in 
the  public  and  private  schools  of  tliat  place. 
He  completed  his  education  at  the  State  Normal 
school  at  Indiana,  then  was  engaged  in  teaching 
for  two  vears  in  the  common  schools  of  Jeffer- 
son county,  and  came  to  Indiana  borough, 
where  he  was  vice-principal  of  the  high  school. 
He  filled  this  position  satisfactorily  for  four 
years,  when  he  relinquished  teaching,  although 
it  offered  him  some  very  remunerative  positions, 
and  commenced  reading  law  with  the  Hon. 
Silas  M.  Clark.  After  two  years  of  diligent 
and  assiduous  reading,  he  was  admitted  in  1879 
to  the  Indiana  county  bar.  The  same  year  he 
opened  an  office  and  entered  upon  the  active 
practice  of  his  profession,  which  he  has  followed 
successfully  ever  since  at  Indiana.  In  the  fall 
of  1883  he  was  elected  by  the  Republican  party 
as  district  attorney  of  Indiana  county,  and  his 
course  of  action  during  his  term  was  so  highly 
satisfactory  that  in  1886  he  was  re-nominated 
and  re-elected  as  district  attorney  for  a  second 
term,  which  expired  January  1,  1890,  when  he 
retired  from  the  office,  after  six  continuous 
years  of  hard  and  faithful  services  in  the  inter- 
ests of  the  county.  Since  returning  to  his  in- 
dividual practice  as  a  lawyer,  he  has  continually 
increased  his  influence  and  extended  his  prac- 
tice. 

He   is   well    read,    thorough    and   practical, 
and  prosecutes  his  cases  with  all  possible  care 
and  attention.     He  is  a  clear  thinker,  an  earn- 
8 


est  and   effective  speaker,  and  a  diligent  and 
persistent  worker. 

On  November  8th,  1881,  he  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Margaret  F.  IMitchell,  daughter  of 
W.  J.  and  Sai-ah  E.  (Adair)  Mitchell,  of  West 
Indiana.  They  have  two  children,  both  sous: 
William  J.  and  James  L. 

In  politics  he  is  a  strong  republican,  and 
has  always  worked  for  the  success  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  his  party.  He  has  held  various  bor- 
ough offices,  and  is  a  member  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church.  In  1886  Mr.  Jack  Wius 
appointed  by  Gov.  Pattison  to  represent  the 
State  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of 
the  State  Normal  school  at  Indiana,  and  at  the 
expiration  of  his  term  of  service  he  was  re-ap- 
pointed by  Gov.  Beaver  for  a  second  term, 
which  will  expire  iu  1892.  Summers  M.  Jack 
has  won  respect,  confidence  and  esteem  by  his 
honesty,  his  ability  and  his  energy.  As  a  law- 
yer, he  is  true  to  his  client ;  as  a  business  man, 
he  is  exact,  prompt  and  accurate ;  as  a  citizen, 
he  is  honorable  and  just,  and  as  a  friend,  he  is 
kind  and  faithful. 


JOHN  A.  JOHNSTON,  a  successful  business 
man  of  twenty  years'  experience  and  one 
of  the  leading  merchants  of  Indiana,  was  born 
in  Plum  Creek  township,  Armstrong  county, 
Pennsylvania,  June  20,  1847,  and  is  a  son  of 
Andrew  and  Rebecca  (Mahan)  Johnston.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  John  Johnston,  was  a 
native  of  and  followed  flirining  in  Plum  Creek 
township,  where  he  died  June  19,  1843,  while 
his  wife,  Jane  (McCreight)  Johnston,  lived  till 
September  16,  1862,  when  she  passed  away  iu 
the  eighty-fourth  year  of  her  age.  His  ma- 
ternal grandfatlier,  William  Mahan,  was  a  native 
of  county  Donegal,  Ireland,  and  came  to  this 
country  about  1819.  Andrew  Johnston  (father) 
was  born  January  23, 1811,  and  reared  in  Plum 
Creek  township,  where  he  has  always  resided, 
being  successfully  engaged  iu  farming.    He  died 


120 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Sept.  9,  1890,  wheu  in  the  eightieth  year 
of  his  age,  but  the  hand  of  Time  had  dealt 
gently  with  him  and  he  was  well  preserved  for  an 
octogenarian.  He  was  a  democrat,  a  prosperous 
farmer  and  a  member  of  the  United  Presby- 
terian church.  His  wife,  Rebecca  (Mahan) 
Johnston,  was  born  in  Ireland,  November  13, 
1816,  and  was  brought  to  this  country  by  her 
parents  when  only  three  years  of  age.  She  is 
a  member  of  the  same  church  as  her  hus- 
band. 

John  A.  Johnston  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
attended  the  common  schools  until  1864,  when 
he  went  to  the  oil  region  of  this  State.  Five 
years  later  he  entered  upon  his  successful  mer- 
cantile career  by  engaging  as  a  clerk  with  J.  W. 
Marshall  &  Co.,  of  Atwood,  Armstrong  county, 
Pa.  In  October,  1870,  he  and  Thomas  Martin 
bought  out  Marshall  &  Co.,  and  ran  for  ten 
months  under  the  firm  name  of  Johnston  & 
Martin.  They  then  admitted  John  Stewart  as 
a  partner,  and  continued  business  under  the 
name  of  Johnson,  Martin  &  Stewart  until  May, 
1873,  when  Mr.  Johnston  sold  out  to  his  part- 
ners. On  Christmas,  1873,  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  W.  G.  L.  Black,  of  Ambrose,  and 
spent  two  years  there  in  the  mercantile  business. 
He  then  retired  from  the  firm  and  was  engaged 
in  the  produce  business  until  the  fall  of  1879, 
when  he  purchased  the  store  of  J.  P.  Leach,  on 
Church  street,  Indiana.  In  1882  he  admitted 
A.  T.  Lowery  as  a  partner,  and  in  December, 
1887,  disposed  of  his  entire  interest  to  Mr. 
Lowery.  In  January,  1888,  he  bought  one- 
half  interest  in  Fred.  Wegley's  store,  on  the 
corner  of  First  and  Philadelphia  streets,  in  West 
Indiana.  In  June,  1889,  Mr.  Wegley  was 
killed  in  a  flouring-mill,  and  Mr.  Johnston 
purchased  his  interest  of  his  heirs.  In  April, 
1890,  he  sold  a  half  interest  to  D.  C.  Mack,  the 
present  sheritf  of  Indiana  county,  and  the  pres- 
ent successful  and  prosperous  mercantile  firm  of 
Johnston  &  Mack  was  inaugurated.  Their  es- 
tablishment is  known  by  the  popular  name  of 


"  The  Farmers'  Headquarters,"  and  they  carry  a 
full  and  complete  stock  of  general  merchandise, 
deal  in  agricultural  implements  and  purchase 
all  kinds  of  country  produce.  They  command 
a  large  share  of  trade  and  patronage. 

John  A.  Johnston  was  married  on  December 
20,  1870,  to  Margaretta  Black,  daughter  of 
Samuel  Black,  of  Armstrong  county.  To  their 
union  have  been  born  five  children  :  Ida  E., 
Olive  R.,  Rebecca  A.,  Wellington  B.  and 
Martha  B. 

In  politics  Mr.  Johnston  is  a  republican.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Merchants'  and  Salesmen's 
association  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and  a  member 
and  elder  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church. 
Much  of  his  good  fortune  and  mercantile  success 
is  due  to  his  business  ability,  venture,  activity 
and  enterprise,  yet  a  considerable  part  of  his 
prosperity  is  attributable  to  his  reliability, 
promptness  and  fair  dealing. 


FRANK  KEENER,  one  of  the  young  and 
promising  members  of  tiie  Indiana  county 
bar  and  secretary  of  the  Republican  county 
committee,  is  a  son  of  Johnston  and  Lena  A. 
(Armstrong)  Keener,  and  was  born  in  Arm- 
strong township,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania, 
January  24,  1862.  The  grandparents  of  Frank 
Keener  on  his  paternal  side  were  of  German 
descent  and  became  residents  of  this  county,  in 
which  they  afterwards  died.  The  grandfather, 
Isaac  Keener,  was  a  native  of  Armstrong 
county,  this  State.  He  was  a  republican  and  a 
hard-working  farmer,  and  died  in  1877,  aged 
seventy-five  years.  His  .sou,  Johnston  Keener, 
was  born  in  Armstrong  township,  where  he  was 
reared  to  manhood,  after  which  he  removed  to 
White  townshij),  and  engaged  in  his  present 
occupation  of  farming.  He  is  a  republican,  a 
member  of  the  Indiana  United  Presbyterian 
church  and  a  reliable  citizen.  He  has  served 
in  nearly  all  of  his  township's  local  offices  and 
is  in  the  fifty-sixth  year  of  his  age.     He  mar- 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


121 


ried  Lena  A.  Armstrong,  who  was  born  in 
1836,  and  is  a  member  of  the  same  church  as 
her  husband.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John  Arm- 
strong, who  is  a  native  of  Armstrong  township. 
He  is  of  Scotch-Irisii  descent,  was  born  in  1804 
and  belongs  to  the  U.  P.  church.  He  is  a  re- 
pul)lican  in  polities. 

Frank  Keener  was  reared  on  a  farm  until  he 
was  eighteen  years  of  age.  His  early  education 
was  received  in  the  conmiou  seiiools  of  his 
native  township.  He  then  took  a  three  years' 
college  preparatory  course  at  the  Indiana  Noi- 
mal  school  and  entered  the  University  of  Woos- 
ter,  Ohio,  from  which  institution  of  learning  he 
was  graduated  in  June,  1887.  During  the 
winter  of  1887-88  he  was  principal  of  Van 
Buren  High  school,  Hancock  county,  Ohio,  and 
also  superintendent  of  the  schools  of  the  town- 
ship adjoining  Van  Buren.  In  the  spring  of 
1888  he  commenced  reading  law  with  the  legal 
firm  of  Watson  &  Telford  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  of  Indiana  county  in  November,  1889. 
After  his  admission  to  practice  in  the  courts  of 
the  county  he  engaged  in  his  profession  at  In- 
diana, where  he  lias  his  office  with  Watson  & 
Telford,  with  whom  he  read.  He  has  secured 
a  practice  which  is  steadily  increasing  and  is 
regarded  as  a  safe  counselor  and  careful  pleader. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  an 
active  republican  and  has  been  serving  since 
June,  1889,  as  secretary  of  the  Republican 
county  committee.  As  a  high  school  principal 
and  superintendent  he  was  very  successful,  and 
in  the  practice  of  law  he  bids  fair  to  make  his 
mark  at  a  day  not  far  distant  in  the  future. 


JAMES  M.  KELLY  was  a  native  of  Indi- 
ana county,  sou  of  James  Kelly  and  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  the  county.  At  an  early 
day  the  attention  of  George  Armstrong,  a  lawyer 
of  Greensburg,  Pennsylvania,  who  attended  the 
courts  at  Indiana,  was  arrested  by  the  sprightli- 
ness  of  young  Kelly  and  his  skill  as  a  performer 


on  the  violin.  Armstrong,  who  was  without 
children,  induced  young  Kelly  to  go  to  Greens- 
burg and  become  a  member  of  his  family,  where 
he  assisted  him  in  obtaining  an  education  and  in 
the  study  of  tlie  law.  Upon  being  admitted  to 
the  bar,  he  returned  to  Indiana  and  engaged  in 
tiie  practice  of  the  law,  where  he  had  a  brilliant, 
but  brief  career. 

He  was  tall,  slender,  graceful,  and  most  win- 
ning in  his  ways.  He  was  bright  and  took  the 
hearts  of  the  people  by  storm.  Altiiough  a 
member  of  the  minority  party,  a  federalist,  he 
was  irresistil)le  as  a  candidate,  and  was  triumph- 
antly elected  to  the  State  Legislature,  in  a  strong 
democratic  district.  lu  1820  he  visited  Cuba, 
in  company  with  Dr.  Kobert  Mitchell,  for  the 
benefit  of  his  health,  but  consumption  had 
marked  him  for  her  own,  and  soon  after  his 
return  home,  in  the  same  year,  he  breathed  his 
last,  aged  thirty-five  years. 


SAMUEL  S.  LANDIS,  M.D.,  assistant  sur- 
geon of  the  2d  Pa.  regiment  of  Volun- 
teers during  the  Mexican  war,  was  a  physician 
whose  early  and  unexpected  death  in  1853  was 
much  deplored  in  the  northern  part  of  West- 
moreland and  the  southern  part  of  Indiana 
county.  He  was  born  in  York  county,  Penu- 
.sylvania,  September  20,  1820,  and  was  a  .son 
of  Henry  Landis. 

Samuel  S.  Landis  was  reared  in  York  county, 
wliere  he  read  medicine  and  practiced  his  pro- 
fession in  his  native  county,  until  lie  removed  to 
Westmoreland  county  where  he  soon  built  up  a 
good  practice  at  New  Alexandria.  When  war 
was  declared  with  Mexico,  he  volunteered  as  a 
private  in  Co.  B.,  2d  regiment.  Pa.  Volunteers, 
but  was  soon  made  assistant  surgeon  of  the 
regiment  and  participated  in  its  many  battles  in 
the  Mexican  republic  until  near  the  close  of  the 
war.  Hardship,  toil  and  death  terribly  thinned 
the  ranks  of  the  regiment,  and  Dr.  Landis  was 
one  of  those  who,  in  the  last  few  months  of  the 


122 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


contest,  was  stricken  down  by  disease,  so  preva- 
lent under  the  burning  rays  of  Mexico's  un- 
changing summer  suu.  He  returned  to  West- 
moreland county,  where,  after  recruiting  his 
badly-shattered  health,  he  resumed  the  practice 
of  medicine.  He  opened  an  office  at  New  Salem, 
but  soon  removed  to  Ijivermore,  where  he  secured 
an  extensive  practice,  which  extended  into 
Indiana  county  and  which  was  rapidly  increas- 
ing at  the  time  of  his  death,  iu  1853.  Ou 
April  13,  1852,  he  married  Margaret  Todd, 
who  survives  him.  Mrs.  Landis  is  a  daughter 
of  Hon.  James  Todd  aud  resides  in  her  com- 
fortable and  well-appointed  home  at  Indiana, 
where  she  owns  some  very  valuable  and  de- 
sirable property.  She  is  an  amiable  and  intelli- 
gent woman  and  has  been  a  consistent  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  for  many  years. 

Dr.  Samuel  S.  Landis  was  stricken  down  in 
his  home  at  Livermore,  by  the  hand  of  death, 
on  September  20,  1853,  when  only  in  the  thirty- 
third  year  of  his  age  and  in  the  midst  of  a 
highly  successful  career  as  a  physician. 


JONATHAN  N.  LANGHAM,  a  young  and 
rising  member  of  the  Indiana  bar,  is  a  son 
of  Jonathan  and  Eliza  (Barr)  Langham,  and 
was  born  in  Grant  township,  Indiana  county, 
Pennsylvania,  August  4,  1861.  The  Langham 
family  can  be  traced  back  for  several  centuries 
in  England.  Several  members  of  it  came  to 
America  and  from  one  of  them  was  descended 
Joseph  Langiiara  (grandfather),  who  was  born 
in  Bedford  county.  Pa.,  and  followed  farming 
for  many  years  previous  to  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  August,  1864.  Of  his  sons  who 
lived  to  arrive  to  the  years  of  manhood,  one 
was  Jonathan  Langham,  father  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  who  was  born  in  Bedford  county, 
this  State,  and  is  now  in  the  sixty-seventh  year 
of  his  age.  When  ten  years  of  age  he  removed 
to  Indiana  county,  where  he  located  permanently 
and  has  continued  to  farm  ever  since.     In  con- 


nection with  farming,  he  has  also  been  engaged 
to  some  considerable  extent  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness. He  married  Eliza  Barr,  who  was  born 
in  Indiana  county.  Her  father,  Robert  Barr. 
of  Irish  descent,  was  born  in  this  county,  in 
1796,  learned  the  trade  of  cooper,  which  he 
followed  for  many  years  and  died  in  1871,  aged 
seventy-five  years.  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Langham 
are  the  parents  of  twelve  children.  Two  of 
their  sons,  Samuel  S.  and  Joseph  L.,  .served  as 
soldiers  in  the  late  war. 

Jonathan  N.  Langham  was  reared  on  his 
father's  flirm.  He  attended  the  common  schools 
and  Purchase  Line  academy  and  completed  his 
educational  course  at  the  State  Normal  school 
of  Indiana,  where  he  graduated  in  the  class  of 
1882.  Leaving  school,  ho  was  engaged  in  teach- 
ing for  several  years.  In  June,  1887,  he  com- 
menced the  study  of  law  with  John  N.  Banks, 
of  Indiana,  being  admitted  to  practice  on  De- 
cember 6,  1 888. 


pHARLES  T.  LEMMON,  stenographer  of 
^  the  courts  of  Indiana  county,  is  a  self-made 
man  in  the  true  .sense  of  that  term.  He  was 
born  in  Kittainiing,  Armstrong  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, July  14,  1861,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
H.  and  Rosanna  (Taylor)  Lemmon.  His  pater- 
nal great-grandfather,  Thomas  Lemmon,  was  a 
native  of  eastern  Pennsylvania,  and  was  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent.  He  served  as  a  soldier 
in  the  Revolution.  The  following  romantic 
story  concerning  him  has  been  handed  down  in 
the  family  from  generation  to  generation : 
While  on  his  way  to  join  the  Continental  army, 
he  was  very  thirsty  one  day  and  asked  for  a 
drink  of  water  from  a  hand.some  young  lady 
who  was  present.  Seeing  his  worn-out  condi- 
tion, she  hastened  to  bring  him  a  gla.ss  of  milk. 
Touched  by  her  womanly  sympathy  and  thought- 
fulness,  he  told  her,  half  in  jest,  half  in  earnest, 
that  when  the  war  closed  he  would  return  and 
marry   her ;    which  promise  he  afterward  ful- 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


123 


filled.  Their  son,  Col.  Daniel  Lemmon  (grand- 
father), iu  earlj  life  moved  to  Fraukliu  town- 
ship, Armstrong  county,  where,  for  many  years, 
he  was  engaged  in  farming  and  hotel-keeping. 
He  served  iu  the  Black  Hawk  war,  with  the 
rank  of  colonel.  He  died  in  1857,  when  in  the 
seventy- lift  I J  year  of  his  age.  His  son,  John 
H.  Lemmon  (father),  was  born  at  Kittanning. 
He  is  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  is  now  in  his 
seventy-third  year.  During  the  Rebellion  he 
served  in  Co.  K,  78th  reg..  Pa.  Vols,  for  one 
year,  and  was  discharged  on  account  of  his  eye- 
sight failing.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  church,  and  since  the  late  war 
has  been  a  stanch  republican.  He  has-  (illed  the 
office  of  coroner  of  Armstrong  county  for  several 
terms.  He  married  Rosanna  Taylor,  who  was 
born  in  Valley  townsiiip,  iu  1819,  and  died  in 
1888,  aged  sixty-nine  years.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Taylor,  whose  father, 
a  Presbyterian  minister  of  the  same  name,  \vas 
chaplain  in  the  Continental  army  and  was  killed 
in  the  battle  of  Brandywine.  Thomas  Taylor 
was  a  native  of  eastern  Pennsylvania,  aud  re- 
moved to  Armstrong  county  when  a  young  man, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  farming.  He  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Mexican  war.  He  died  in  1853, 
aged  about  eighty-two  years. 

Charles  T.  Lemmon  was  reared  at  Kittan- 
ning. While  attending  the  public  schools,  he 
laid  out  a  course  of  study  for  himself,  which  he 
followed  diligently  in  spite  of  all  obstacles. 
After  becoming  proficient  in  phonography,  he 
assisted  the  late  G.  S.  Crosby  in  his  law  office 
at  Kittanning,  as  well  as  in  the  publication  of 
the  "  T^nioii  Free  Preaa"  of  which  Mr.  Crosby 
owned  a  one-lialf  interest.  He  remained  in  Mr. 
Crosby's  employ  until  June,  1885,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Indiana  borough,  having  been  appointed 
stenographer  of  the  courts  of  the  county,  which 
position  he  still  holds.  He  was  married,  in 
February,  188!),  to  Laura  E.  Shankel,  daughter 
of  Samuel  S.  Shankel,  of  Kittanning. 


In  polities,  Mr.  Lemmon  is  a  republican,  and 
like  his  forefathers  is  a  communicant  in  the 
Protestaut  Episcopal  church.  He  is  one  of  the 
solid  men  of  the  borough,  taking  an  active  part  in 
the  business  interests  of  the  county  as  well  as  in 
the  public  welfare  of  Indiana.  He  is  financially 
interested  in  several  business  enterprises  of 
prominence  iu  Indiana  and  Armstrong  counties. 


HON.  JAMES  A.  LOGAN  was  president 
judge  of  the  courts  of  Indiana  county 
from  1871  to  1875. 

"  He  was  a  native  of  Westmoreland  connty, 
born  in  the  limits  of  Burrell  township.  He 
received  his  education  at  Elder's  Ridge  academy, 
a  preparatory  .school  in  Indiana  county,  and 
Studied  law  with  ^^'illiam  A.  Stokes,  Esq.,  and 
with  the  Hon.  H.  P.  Laird,  aud  on  motion  of 
W.  H.  Markle,  Esq.,  was  admitted  to  practice 
on  the  16th  of  May,  1863.  AfW  his  ad- 
mission to  the  bar  he  entered  into  partnership 
with  Mr.  Markle,  aud  remained  with  him  until 
the  senior  member  of  the  firm  was  appointed 
collector  of  the  United  States  revenue  of  this 
congressional  district.  He  was,  shortly  after 
his  admission,  appointed  solicitor  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania railroad,  and  after  the  Southwest  rail- 
way was  incorporated  was  selected  to  manage 
the  legal  affairs  of  the  road,  of  which  he  was 
also  a  director. 

"  He  applied  himself  with  diligence  to  the 
study  of  the  law,  and  soon  evidenced  legal 
talents  of  more  than  ordinary  degree.  He  ac- 
quired a  good  practice,  and  was  prominent  as  a 
rising  politician  in  the  Republican  party,  and 
was  mentioned  as  a  candidate  for  Congress  a 
year  or  two  prior  to  his  appointment  as  judge. 

"  Judge  Logan,  presiding  with  satisfaction  in 
each  of  the  three  counties  of  his  district  under 
this  appointment,  was  nominated  by  the  Re- 
publican party  as  its  candidate  for  election,  and 
was  elected,  his  party  having  a  majority  in  the 
district.     He  presided  after  his  election  over  all 


124 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


the  courts  of  the  district  until  Westmoreland 
was  made  a  separate  judicial  district  by  the 
Constitution  of  1874,  when  he  was  retained  as 
judge  of  that  county  alone.  He  resigned  in 
1879  to  accept  the  position  of  assistant 
general  solicitor  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  a 
position  in  the  legal  department  of  that  corpo- 
ration which  he  was  the  first  to  occupy." 


HORACE  M.  LOWRY.     In   the   advance 
of  modern  journalism  the  newspapers  of 
Indiana  county  have  not  been  behind.     To-day 
better   home   newspapers   are    nowhere   to   be 
found    in    the    State   thau    are    those    of   this 
county  ;    nor  do  we  know  of  the  jjress  of  any 
county  of  equal   population   and   wealth   any- 
where which  surpasses    them    in    the    full    and 
complete  chronicling  of  local  as  well  as  general 
news.     Foremost  among  the  influential    papers 
of  the  county-seat  is  the  Indiana  Times,  edited  [ 
by  Horace  M.   Lowry,  one  of  the  progressive 
editors  of   Indiana.      He  was  born  at  Clarks- 
burg, in  Conemaugh  township,  Indiana  county,  1 
Pennsylvania,  February  23,  1856,  and  is  a  son  { 
of  Hon.  John  and  Nancy  (McCartney)  Lowry.  ' 
The  Lowreys  were  among  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  what  is  now  South  Bend  township,  in  Arm- 
strong  county,  where,  in  1773,  Joseph   Lowry 
(grandfather)  came  from   eastern   Pennsylvania 
and  settled  on  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  seven  : 
acres,  which  was  one  of  the  original  thirty-five  : 
tracts  of  land  first  taken   up   in   tiie  township. 
He  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  many  years  | 
and  married  more  couples  than  any  other  squire 
in  the  county.     Hon.  John  Lowry  (father)  was 
born  near  the  village  of  South  Bend,  January  ; 
25,  1832,  and  died  April  23,  1886,  aged  fifty- 
six   years.     He   was   educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  by  private  tutors ;    he  read  law  in 
the  office  of  Hon.   William  M.  Stewart,  and  | 
Hon.   Silas   M.   Clark,  judge  of  the  supreme  : 
court.     He  was  admitted  to  the  Indiana  county 


bar  in  1860,  and  soon  became  a  prominent  man 
in  Indiana  county,  served  as  district  attorney 
from  1862  to  1865,  was  elected  as  prothonotary 
in  1866  and  held  that  office  until  1873.  In 
1882  he  was  elected  as  a  member  of  the  House 
of  Representatives  of  Pennsylvania  and  was 
re-elected  in  1884.  During  both  of  his  terms 
he  served  his  constituents  faithfully  and  was 
chairman  of  the  committee  on  constitutional 
reform.  His  journalistic  career  commenced  when, 
in  connection  with  J.  C.  Rairigh,  he  founded  the 
Indiana  Times,  whose  initial  number  they  issued 
on  September  4,  1878.  On  the  13th  of  No- 
vember following,  he  purchased  his  partner's 
interest  and  was  sole  proprietor  until  his  death, 
in  1886.  He  was  an  earnest  republican  who 
rendered  valuable  service  to  his  party.  In  1 855 
he  married  Nancy  McCartney,  daughter  of 
John  Y.  McCartney,  who  was  born  in  1808,  on 
what  is  now  the  State  experimental  farm  near 
Indiana ;  married  Sarah  Coleman  and  was  a 
merchant  for  forty  years  at  Clarksburg.  He 
was  a  son  of  Samuel  McCartney,  who  came 
from  eastern  Pennsylvania,  married  Nancy 
Young,  a  native  of  Maryland,  and  died  in 
1815,  of  black  fever,  of  which  his  wife  also 
died  in  the  same  year. 

Horace  M.  Lowry  was  reared  at  Indiana, 
where  he  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  place.  He  assisted  his  father  in 
the  publication  of  the  Indiana  Times  until  the 
death  of  the  latter,  in  1886,  when  he  succeeded 
him  as  editor  and  publisher  of  the  paper.  Mr. 
Lowry  has  successfully  kept  the  Times  up  to 
the  demands  of  what  a  county  paper  should  be, 
has  always  yielded  the  full  and  proper  measure 
of  support  to  his  party  and  has  never  allowed 
any  department  of  news,  local  or  general,  to  be 
slighted  in  its  presentation  to  the  public  through 
the  Times.  As  a  citizen  Mr.  Lowry  takes  a 
deep  interest  and  just  pride  in  the  advance  of 
his  native  county,  and  as  an  editor  he  is  zealous 
in  advocating  and  supporting  all  movements 
for  the  benefit  of  the  borough  and  the  county. 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


125 


pAPT.  DAVIS  A.  LUCKHART,  a  wounded 
^  veteran  of  the  grand  old  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac, and  the  present  trustworthy  and  efficient 
treasurer  of  Indiana  county,  is  a  son  of  Jacob 
and  Lena  (Davis)  Luckhart,  and  was  born  in 
West  Mahoning  township,  Indiana  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, March  21,  1841.  His  paternal  ances- 
tors were  early  settlers  of  Blair  county,  this 
State,  from  which  his  grandfather,  Conrad 
Luckhart,  removed  to  South  Mahoning  town- 
ship, where  he  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land, 
and  was  engaged  in  farming  for  many  years. 
He  was  of  German  extraction,  stood  high  as  a 
man  and  a  citizen  in  the  community  in  which 
he  resided,  and  died  May  6,  1861,  aged  seventy- 
seven  years,  seven  months  and  three  days.  Of 
his  sons,  one  was  Jacob  Luckhart  (father),  who 
was  born  in  Blair  county  in  1810,  aud  died  in 
West  Mahoning  township  in  1863.  He  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  a  republican  in  politics 
and  a  strict  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  in 
which  he  had  frequently  served  as  deacon.  He 
married  Lena  Davis,  who  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  church,  and  died  in  1887, 
when  in  the  seventy-first  year  of  her  age.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  Abraham  Davis,  of  Wales, 
who  came  to  this  county,  \\here  he  was  engaged 
in  farming  for  many  years  previous  to  his 
death,  on  September  18,  1869,  at  eighty-three 
years  of  age. 

Davis  A.  Luckhart  was  reared  on  a  farm 
and  attended  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
township.  Leaving  .school,  he  learned  the  trade 
of  carpenter,  which  he  followed  till  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  last  war.  On  August  21,  1861 
he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Co.  A,  61st  regi- 
ment. Pa  Vols.,  aud  was  discharged  with  the 
rank  of  captain,  and  in  command  of  the  compa- 
ny, at  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  on  June  28,  1865.  He 
participated  in  all  the  principal  battles  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  for  meritorious  con- 
duct and  soldierly  bearing  was  successively 
promoted  until  he  was  commissioned  captain  of 
his   company.     He    was    wounded    four   times 


while  in  the  Union  service.  His  first  wound 
was  received  when  he  was  a  private,  at  the 
battle  of  Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862,  where  a 
musket-ball  fractured  one  of  the  bones  of  his 
left  arm,  which  in  the  last  few  years  has  be- 
come paralyzed  from  the  effects  of  that  injury. 
He  was  next  slightly  wounded  in  the  side,  at 
Fredericksburg,  by  a  shell,  while  serving  as  a 
corporal  in  the  color  guard  of  the  regiment. 
He  passed  safely  through  several  battles  until 
the  dreadful  wilderness  fights  came,  in  which, 
on  the  24th  of  May,  he  had  one  of  his  little 
fingers  split  open  by  a  minie  ball.  His 
fourth  and  last  wound  was  received  at  Win- 
chester, where,  on  the  1 9th  of  September,  1 864, 
he  was  struck  on  the  left  leg  by  a  piece  of  shell 
while  serving  as  first  lieutenant.  He  was 
never  in  the  hospital  but  twice,  had  several 
hair-breadth  escapes  and  his  life  was  once 
.saved  by  a  frying-pan  in  his  knapsack  inter- 
cepting a  bullet  that  otherwise  would  have 
reached  his  heart. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  Capt.  Luckhart 
returned  home ;  but  in  October,  1865,  he  re- 
moved to  Missouri,  where  he  resided  in  Mor- 
gan county  till  1876.  While  in  Mi.ssouri  he 
was  engaged  in  teaching  school,  milling  and 
farming.  In  the  Centennial  year  he  returned 
to  his  native  county,  where  he  worked  at  his 
trade  for  several  years.  In  1879  he  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  at  Smicksburg,  in  West 
Mahoning  township,  which  office  he  filled  un- 
til October,  1885.  The  succeeding  year  he  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace,  and  held  that  office 
till  the  fall  of  1887,  when  he  resigned  to  accept 
the  county  treasurership,  to  which  he  had  been 
elected  by  the  Republican  party.  He  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  the  latter  office  January  2, 
1888,  and  so  far  has  ably  and  honorably  dis- 
charged the  .same.  The  duties  of  his  office  are 
many  and  various,  but  to  their  discharge  he 
has  brought  such  good  judgment,  keen  insight, 
great  energy  and  executive  ability  that  he  thor- 
oughly understands  and  .satisfactorily  manages 


126 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


the  Diauifokl  complications  of  the  business 
brought  under  his  control.  To  the  mastery  of 
the  more  important  business  of  his  office,  Capt. 
Luckiiart  has  added  close  attention  to  every 
detail  of  the  minor  affairs,  and  has  been  enabled 
to  secure  favorable  results  in  the  interests  of 
the  county  and  its  tax-payers. 

March  28,  1865,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Catliariue  Stear,  daughter  of  John  Stear,  of 
Smick-sburg,  this  county. 

Capt.  Luckhart  is  an  active  and  leading  re- 
publican, a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church, 
and  at  present  lieutenant-colonel  of  Encamp- 
ment No.  11,  Union  Veteran  Legion. 


DAVID  C.  MACK,  a  prominent  and  leading 
citizen,  and  the  present  efficient  and  popular 
sheriff  of  Indiana  county,  was  born  in  West 
Wheatfield  township,  Indiana  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, September  7, 1846,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph 
and  Elizabeth  (McRorey)  Mack.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Eobert  Mack,  was  a  native  of 
county  Antrim,  Ireland,  and  came  about  1798 
to  Pennsylvania,  where  he  located  in  what  is 
now  West  Wheatfield  township,  this  county, 
and  was  engaged  for  many  years  in  farming. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church,  was  a  large  landholder  and  influ- 
ential citizen,  and  died  in  1844  at  the  age  of  88 
years.  John  McRorey  (maternal  grandfather) 
was  born  in  county  Antrim,  Ireland,  where  he 
learned  the  trade  of  shoemaker.  He  came  to 
this  county  about  1 800,  was  an  elder  in  one  of  the 
first  United  Presbyterian  churches  organized  in 
Indiana  county,  and  died  in  1865,  when  in  the 
78th  year  of  his  age.  Joseph  Mack  (father) 
was  born  in  West  Wheatfield  township,  where 
he  has  always  resided,  and  is  an  extensive 
farmer  and  stock-raiser.  He  is  a  prominent 
member  aud  useful  elder  of  the  LTnited  Presby- 
terian church,  a  leading  republican  who  has 
held  various  of  his  township's  offices.      He  is  a 


practical  and  accurate  business  man.  He  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  McRorey,  and  has  reared  a  fam- 
ily of  six  sons  and  two  daughters.  Although  in 
his  seventy-third  year,  he  is  yet  able  to  conduct 
his  farm  and  manage  all  of  his  business.  His 
wife  is  one  year  his  junior  in  age,  and  has  been 
for  many  years  a  member  of  the  United  Pres- 
byterian church. 

David  C.  Mack  was  reared  on  the  home  farm 
till  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age.  His  educa- 
tion was  received  in  the  common  schools  and 
Elder's  Ridge  academy.  Leaving  .school  he 
followed  teaching  for  seven  or  eight  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  purchased  a  farm  in  West 
Wheatfield  township,  and  was  engaged  in  the 
stock  business  for  twelve  years.  In  1883  he 
built  hou.se  and  store-room  at  New  Washington, 
on  the  old  Frankstown  road,  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  township,  where  he  embarked  in  the  gen- 
eral mercantile  business,  which  he  followed  for 
four  years.  In  1887  he  was  elected  on  the  re- 
publican ticket  as  sheriff  of  Indiana  county, 
and  moved  to  Indiana,  where  he  now  resides, 
and  is  the  first  sheriff  to  occupy  the  new  jail. 
He  is  a  republican  from  principle,  has  always 
been  active  in  politics  and  is  well  acquainted  with 
all  the  political  issues  of  the  day.  In  1890 
Sheriff  Mack  formed  a  partnership  with  J.  A. 
Johnson,  under  the  firm-name  of  Johnson  & 
Mack,  and  engaged  in  the  general  mercantile 
business  at  the  old  stand  of  Wegley  &  Johnson, 
on  the  corner  of  First  and  Philadelphia  .streets. 
Their  mercantile  e.stabllshment  is  known  as  the 
"  Farmers'  Headquarters,"  and  is  well  filled 
with  a  large,  varied  and  complete  stock  of  general 
merchandi.se.  They  deal  extensively  in  country 
produce,  and  are  exclusive  agents  for  improved 
harrows  and  plows  and  other  useful  fiirm  ma- 
chinery. By  close  attention  to  business  and  the 
requirements  of  their  patrons  they  are  building 
up  a  very  prosperous  trade. 

On  July  18,  1872,  he  married  Emma  K. 
Wilson,  of  New  Wilmington,  fiercer  county, 
Pa.     They  have  five  children,   four  sons  and 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


127 


one  daughter:    Joseph   P.,  James  W.,  Edgar 
McRorey,  Olive  E.  aud  Paul  W. 

Sheriff  Mack  owus  a  valuable  farm  of  oue 
hundred  and  twenty-one  acres  of  well  improved 
land  in  West  Wheattield  townshi]).  He  is  a 
man  of  good  judgment,  of  fine  business  ability 
and  extended  business  experience.  His  manner 
of  discharging  the  duties  of  the  slieritf's  office 
has  made  him  very  popular  with  the  masses  of 
the  people  throughout  the  county,  irrespective 
of  party.  He  is  courteous,  prompt  and  accu- 
rate in  the  discharge  of  eitlier  public  or  private 
business,  and  has  many  warm  and  faithful 
friends. 


JOHN  McGAUGHEY,  the  oldest  real  estate 
agent  now  doing  business  at  Indiana,  and 
a  battle-scarred  veteran  of  oue  of  Pennsylvania's 
most  famous  fighting  regiments  of  the  late  war, 
is  a  son  of  Nicholas  and  Sarah  (Lowry)  Mc- 
Gaughey,  and  was  born  in  Armstrong  town- 
ship, Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  April  4, 
1842.  The  McGaughey  family  is  of  Scotch- 
Irish  origin,  and  was  early  settled  in  south- 
eastern Pennsylvania.  Alexander  McGaughey, 
Sr.  (great-gi-andfather)  came  from  York  to 
Westmoreland  county  prior  to  the  war  of  1812, 
but  soon  thereafter  removed  to  C'ouemaugh 
township,  where  he  was  a  farmer.  He  married 
Sally  Marshall,  and  one  of  their  sons  was  Alex- 
ander McGaughey  (grandfather),  who  married 
Jane  Coleman,  and  followed  farming  in  Cone- 
raaugh  township  until  his  death.  Plis  son, 
Nicholas  McGaughey,  was  born  October  6, 
1806,  and  died  in  June,  1872,  aged  sixty-six 
years.  He  remove<i  in  18.34  to  Armstrong 
township,  where  he  purchased  two  hundred  and 
thirty  acres  of  land,  which  was  in  the  woods, 
and  cleared  it  out,  and  made  of  it  one  of  the 
best  imjiroved  farms  of  this  day.  His  wife  was 
Sarah  Lowry,  who  died  in  18.55,  at  forty-seven 
years  of  age.  They  were  members  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  church,  and  their  remains 
are  buried  in  Crete  church  Cemetery.      Mrs. 


McGaughey  was  a  daughter  of  Robert  Lowry, 
who  was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  a  well-to-do 
farmer  aud  good  millwright  of  Armstrong 
township,  where  he  died  about  1850,  when  in 
the  ninety-second  year  of  his  age. 

John  McGaughey  was  reared  on  the  farm 
and  attended  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
township  until  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age, 
when  he  enlisted  on  September  25,  1861,  as  a 
private  in  Co.  K,  105th  regiment  Pa.  Vols, 
and  was  promoted  to  corporal  in  1863,  and  to 
color-sergeant  January  1,  1865.  He  partici- 
pated in  the  Peninsular  campaign,  fought  in  all 
of  the  hard  battles  of  Buruside,  Hooker,  Meade 
and  Grant,  and  was  honorably  discharged  on 
July  11,  1865.  At  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks  a 
musket-ball  went  through  his  right  arm,  at 
Gettysburg,  on  the  2d  of  July,  a  piece  of  a  shell 
wounded  him  in  his  right  side  and  hand,  and 
in  the  Wilderness  fight,  of  May  5th,  a  rifle-ball 
struck  him  in  the  right  leg.  After  the  close 
of  the  war  he  was  engaged  in  farming  until 
1875,  when  he  removed  to  Indiana  and  dealt 
in  farming  implements  for  three  years.  He  then 
embarked  in  his  present  real  estate  and  general 
agency  business.  He  buys,  sells  and  exchanges 
real  estate.  He  is  a  member  of  Indiana  M.  E. 
church,  Lodge  No.  21,  A.  O.  U.  W.  Improved 
Order  of  Heptasophs,  Indiana  Post,  No.  28, 
G.  A.  R.,  and  commander  of  Encampment  No. 
11  of  the  Union  Veteran  Legion.  He  is  a  re- 
publican from  principle  and  a  member  of  the 
borough  council,  in  which  he  has  frequently 
served  within  the  la.st  ten  years.  He  is  prompt 
and  attentive  to  the  interests  of  his  patrons,  has 
secured  an  extensive  business  and  is  active  and 
energetic  in  all  of  his  various  enterprises.  He 
is  honorable  and  fair-dealing  in  all  of  his  busi- 
ness transactions. 

On  March  22,  1866,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Susan  Lowman,  daughter  of  Michael  and 
Nancy  Lowman,  of  Armstrong  township.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  McGaughey  arc  tlic  parents  of  two 
children,  Mary  L.  and  Charles  McGaughey. 


128 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


JAMES  McGregor.      One   who  has  in- 
herited the  careful  foresight,  the  prudent 
thrift  and  the  strict  morahty  of  liis  Scottish  an- 
cestors is  James  McGregor,  the  present  register 
and  recorder  of  Indiana  county.     He  was  born 
in  Potter  township,  Jefferson  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, December  6,  1840,  and  is  a  son  of  Maii- 
lon  and  Margaret  (Chambers)  McGregor.     Dur- 
ing the  latter  half  of   the  eighteenth  century, 
one  of  the  sturdy  Scotchmen  who  left  his  native 
county  and    came  to  Pennsylvania  was  Alex- 
ander McGregor.      He  was   a  mill-wright  by  I 
trade   and  located   near   Bedford,    in   Bedford  ; 
county,  where  he  purchased  a   farm   which  he 
cultivated   until    his   death.      His  son,  Daniel 
McGregor  (grandfather),  was  born  in  Bedford 
county,  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter,  came  to  j 
Washington    township,  this   county,  where  he  ! 
remained  four  years  and  then  removed  to  Por- 
ter township,    Jefferson    county,  in    which   he  [ 
resided  until  his  death  in  April,  1880,  in  the 
eighty-ninth  year  of  his  age.     He  was  a  farmer 
and  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church.     Of  his 
sons  one  was  IMahlon  McGregor  (father),  who 
was  born  in  Bedford  county  in  1810,  and  died 
in  Armstrong  county,  July  12,  1873.     In  his 
twenty-first    year    he    removed     to    Jefferson 
county,  where  he  located   in   Porter  township. 
He    then   followed    farming  and    stock-raising 
until   1869,  when  he  went  to  Cowanshannock 
township,  Armstrong  county,  and  continued  in 
the  same  line  of  business  until  his  death.     He 
was  an  active  business  man,  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian   church  and  a  stanch  republican, 
but  was  never  an  aspirant  for  any  office.     He 
mai'ried  Margaret    Chambers,    a    daughter    of 
James  Chambers,  an  extensive  farmer  of  Jeffer- 
son and  Indiana  counties,  as  well  as  being  en- 
gaged in  the  general  mercantile  business.     Mrs. 
Margaret    McGregor    was   a   native  of  Perry 
township,  Jefferson    county,   a    member  of  the 
Presbyterion   church    and    died    February    4, 
1845,    in   the   twenty-sixth    year  of    her  age. 
She  was  baptized,  married  and  had  her  funeral 


sermon  preached    by   the  same  minister.  Rev. 
John  Carothers. 

James  McGregor  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  obtained  his  education  in  the  common 
schools.  At  thirteen  years  of  age  he  went  to 
work  in  a  brick-yard,  where  he  remained  one 
year.  Three  years  later  he  engaged  in  teaching, 
which  he  followed  for  one  year  and  then  ac- 
cepted a  position  as  clerk  in  a  store.  After 
seven  years'  experience  as  a  clerk  he  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  and  live-stock  business  for  him- 
self at  Marion,  this  county.  In  1884  he  was 
elected  sheriff  of  Indiana  county  and  served  in 
that  capacity  from  January  1, 1885,  to  January 
1,  1888.  In  1889  he  was  nominated  by  the 
republicans  and  elected  register  and  recorder. 
On  the  first  Monday  of  January,  1890,  he 
took  charge  of  that  office  and  his  term  of 
service  will  expire  on  the  first  Monday  of  Jan- 
uary, 1893. 

James  McGregor  was  married  on  September 
'20,  1860,  to  Catherine,  a  daughter  of  John 
Pounds,  of  East  Mahoning  township,  who  died 
March  11,  1880,  leaving  eightchildren  :  Daniel 
E.,  William  H  ,  James  C,  May  O.,  Clara  L., 
Alice  C,  Anna  D.,  and  Harvey  M.  On  the 
14th  of  March,  1883,  Mr.  McGregor  married 
for  his  second  wife,  Mrs.  Agnes  A.  (Duncan) 
Sutton.  By  his  last  marriage  he  has  three 
children  living,  two  sons  and  one  daughter : 
John,  Frank  and  Ola  A. 

In  religious  belief  he  is  a  methodist,  of 
which  church  he  has  been  a  member  for  twen- 
ty-one years.  He  was  president  of  the  board 
of  trustees  of  Marion  M.  E.  church,  and  a 
member  of  the  building  committee  which 
erected  the  present  M.  E.  church  at  that  place. 
After  removing  to  Indiana  in  1884,  he  was 
elected  to  the  same  position  he  had  held  at 
Marion  and  was  one  of  the  committee  who 
built  the  handsome  M.  E.  Parsonage  in  1888  at 
Indiana.  In  politics  he  is  an  ardent  and  en- 
thusiastic republican.  He  served  for  a  long 
period    as  school   director  in   Marion    borough 


/j-  ij,  MjX^.aJJ^ 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


131 


and  also  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  five  years. 
As  sheriff  he  gave  good  satisfaction  and  has  so 
far  filled  the  office  of  register  and  recorder  in  a 
manner  creditable  to  himself  and  acceptable  to 
the  public.  Mr.  McGregor  is  always  firm  and 
decided  in  doing  that  which  he  believes  to  be 
right,  and  allows  no  influence  to  swerve  him 
from  any  duty.  In  business  he  is  liberal, 
honest  and  straightforward  and  those  who  have 
to  do  with  him  will  find  him  an  affable  and 
courteous  gentleman. 


WILLIAM  J.  MITCHELL.  Among  the 
older  business  men  of  Indiana  who  are 
highly  respected  by  all  w^ho  know  them,  is 
William  J.  Mitchell,  the  accommodating  and 
efficient  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Indiana,  Pa.  He  was  born  in  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania,  August  2,  18.37,  and  is  a 
son  of  James  and  Sarah  (Johnston)  Mitchell. 
Among  the  many  pioneer  settlers  who  came 
from  Cumberland  county  and  the  grand  old 
Cumberland  Valley  into  western  Pennsylvania, 
was  James  Mitchell  (paternal  grandfather),  who 
selected,  purchased,  cleared  out  and  improved  a 
tract  of  land  in  Armstrong  county,  on  which  he 
resided  until  his  death  in  1845,  at  seventy  years 
of  age.  His  wife,  who  was  Agnes  (Sharp) 
Mitchell,  was  the  first  white  child  born  west  of 
Crooked  creek,  in  this  county.  Of  their  .sons, 
one  was  James  Mitchell  (father),  who  was  born 
in  Armstrong  county  in  1811,  and  died  at 
Black  Lick,  aged  about  sixty-four  years.  He 
came  to  Indiana  when  a  young  man,  was  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business  for  many  years, 
and  traded  in  live-stock.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  United  Presbyterian  church,  and  a  republi- 
can, and  was  a  prominent  and  energetic  business 
man  of  the  borough.  His  wife  was  Sarah 
Johnston,  a  daughter  of  John  Johnston,  who 
came  from  Ireland  to  Armstrong  county,  Pa., 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  near  Elderton, 
and  died  in  1843  at  the  age  of  about  sixty-four 


year.s.  He  and  A.  C.  Boyle  built  and  operated 
a  very  fine  flouring-mill  at  Indiana,  which 
burned  down  a  few  years  ago.  Mrs.  Sarah 
Mitchell  was  a  United  Presbyterian  in  religious 
faith  and  church  membership,  and  passed  away 
in  1864,  when  in  the  fifty-first  year  of  her 
age. 

William  J.  Mitchell  was  reared  principally  at 
Indiana,  having  come  with  his  father  to  that 
place  in  1845,  when  but  seven  years  of  age. 
He  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools 
when  they  were  not  so  far  advanced  as  they  are 
now.  From  1861  to  1870  he  was  employed  as 
a  clerk  for  J.  P.  Carter,  who  was  in  the  grain 
business.  The  nature  and  extent  of  Mr.  Car- 
ter's trade  made  the  position  of  clerk  a  very 
difficult  one  to  fill,  while  in  connection  with  it 
was  some  very  hard  labor.  In  1870  he  was 
given  the  position  of  teller  in  the  Indiana  Coun- 
ty Deposit  Bank,  which  he  held  for  one  year, 
when  he  accepted  the  position  of  teller  in  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Indiana,  Pa.  In  1878 
he  was  made  cashier  and  has  acted  in  that  capac- 
ity ever  since.  He  is  a  member  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church  and  a  republican  in  poli- 
tics. He  has  served  as  school  director  of  Indi- 
ana for  nine  years,  also  trustee  of  the  Indiana 
State  Normal  school  for  the  last  six  years,  be- 
sides holding  other  borough  offices,  and  is  now 
a  member  of  the  town  council  of  West  Indiana, 
where  he  resides,  and  has  a  nice  house  and  beau- 
tiful grounds. 

On  May  4,  1858.  he  married  Sarah  E.  Adair, 
daughter  of  Joseph  H.  and  Eliza  (Todd)  Adair, 
of  White  township,  this  county.  They  are  the 
parents  of  two  children  :  Maggie  F.  and  Delia 
L.  Maggie  F.  is  married  to  S.  M.  Jack,  a 
prominent  lawyer  of  Indiana,  and  Delia  L.  is 
the  wife  of  James  R.  Daugherty,  Jr.,  who  is 
assistant  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Indiana,  Pa. 

Although  denied  the  educational  advantages 
of  the  present  day,  William  .1.  Mitchell  added 
much  to  the  limited  education  which  he  received 


132 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


by  reading,  observation  and  meditation.  By 
his  energy  and  faithfulness  and  business  ability, 
he  has  always  gained  the  confidence  of  those 
by  whom  he  has  been  employed.  By  his  wil- 
lingness to  work  and  close  application  to  what- 
ever labor  has  been  given  him  he  has  been  able 
to  hold  any  position  in  which  he  has  been 
placed,  for  as  long  a  time  as  he  has  desired.  His 
business  career  in  life  has  been  chiefly  confined 
within  the  limits  of  the  county,  yet  has  been 
eminently  successful  in  all  that  truly  goes  to  make 
a  career  successful,  which  is  integrity,  honesty, 
liberality  and  the  practice  of  the  Golden  Rule. 
Mr.  Mitchell  has  never  sought  for  political 
preferment,  and  is  a  good  citizen  as  well  as  a 
successful  business  man.  In  his  business  in- 
vestments he  has  been  fortunate,  and  has 
secured  for  himself  a  beautiful  and  comfortable 
home. 


FERGUS  MOORHEAD,  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  Indiana  county,  was  a  man  of  honor, 
honesty  and  great  courage. 

"  In  the  month  of  May,  1772,  Fergus  Moor- 
head,  his  wife  and  three  children,  his  two 
brothers,  Samuel  and  Joseph,  James  Kelly, 
James  Thompson  and  a  few  others  bid  farewell 
to  their  friends  and  relatives  in  Franklin 
county,  and  set  out  on  their  journey  to  the 
'  Indian  country '  west  of  the  Allegheny. 
Though  the  prospects  of  acquiring  extensive 
possessions  and  wealth  for  themselves  and  pos- 
terity might  buoy  up  the  adventurous  spirits  of 
the  three  brothers,  it  may  well  be  imagined 
that  Mrs.  Moorhead  left  home  and  all  its  en- 
dearments with  a  heavy  heart.  But,  being  a 
woman  possessing  great  energy  of  character,  as 
is  shown  in  the  sequel,  and  touched,  perhaps, 
with  that  romantic  spirit  peculiar  to  that  period 
of  which  we  are  writing,  she  pressed  forward 
with  a  firm  step  and  a  resolute  heart,  deter- 
mined to  share  with  her  devoted  husband  the 
dangers  and  trials  of  the  wilderness. 

"  At  length,  at  the  end  of  four  weeks  from 


the  time  they  had  left  Franklin  county,  the 
party  reached  the  point  of  their  destination. 
Where  the  town  of  Indiana  is  now  built  was 
the  spot  that  had  been  selected  for  a  settlement 
by  Fergus  Moorhead,  who  had  made  an  excur- 
sion into  this  section  in  1770.  For  reasons 
which  to  them  were  obvious,  the  party  changed 
their  determination,  and  located  a  few  miles 
further  west.  Though  they  were  now  relieved 
from  the  fatigue  incident  to  their  journey,  our 
pioneers  were  far  from  living  at  their  ease. 

"  The  land  now  owned  by  Isaac  A.  Moor- 
head was  that  which  they  selected  for  their 
future  residence." 

In  July,  1776,  he  took  command  of  the 
frontier  fort  at  Kittanning,  while  his  brother 
Samuel,  the  commandant,  was  recovering  from 
an  attack  of  small-pox.  Upon  Samuel's  recov- 
ery, Fergus  started  for  home,  accompanied  by 
a  soldier  named  Simpson  ;  and  when  they  ar- 
rived at  "  Blanket  Hill,"  on  the  Kittanning 
path,  they  were  waylaid  by  Indians,  who  shot 
both  their  horses  and  killed  Simpson.  Moor- 
head was  taken  prisoner,  dressed  in  Indian 
costume,  and,  after  arriving  at  his  captors' 
camp,  was  compelled  to  run  the  gauntlet.  He 
was  then  taken  to  Quebec,  and  sold  to  the 
British,  who  kept  him  in  close  confinement  and 
on  miserable  food  for  eleven  mouths.  At  the 
end  of  this  time  he  was  exchanged  and  sent  to 
New  York,  from  which  he  set  out  on  foot  for 
his  former  home  in  Franklin  county,  which  he 
reached  after  enduring  great  hardships.  He 
there  found  his  wife  and  three  children,  who 
had  given  him  up  for  dead  and  returned  to 
that  county.  In  1781  he  and  his  family  returned 
to  their  border  home,  and  in  a  few  years  be- 
came comfortably  situated.  Mr.  Moorhead  lived 
to  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-nine  years,  and 
has  left  a  numerous  and  respectable  progeny, 
many  of  whom  are  yet  residents  of  the  county. 
Of  his  sons  one  was  William  Moorhead,  and 
another  was  Fergus  Moorhead,  Jr.,  who  was 
the  first  white  child  born  in  Indiana  county. 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


133 


CAPTAIN  JAMES  S.  NESBIT.  One  who 
has  passed  through  the  perils  incident  to 
early  western  mining  camps,  and  shed  his  blood 
and  risked  his  life  on  southern  battle-fields,  is 
Captain  James  S.  Nesbit,  ex-associate  judge  of 
Indiana  county,  and  a  prominent  merchant  of 
Indiana  borough.  He  is  a  son  of  James  and 
Margaret  (Smith)  Nesbit,  and  was  born  in  Con- 
emaugh  township,  Indiana  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, October  30,  1833.  The  Ne.sbit  family, 
of  which  Captain  Nesbit  is  a  member,  was 
founded  in  Conemaugh  township  in  1805  by 
his  paternal  grandfather,  Nathaniel  Nesbit,  who 
came  in  that  year  from  Ireland  and  settled  in 
the  above-mentioned  township.  Of  his  sous, 
James  Nesbit  (father)  was  born  in  1807,  and 
died  May,  1852.  He  was  a  prosperous  farmer, 
a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  married  Margaret  Smith,  who  w:is  a  native 
of  "  Elder's  Ridge,"  and  united  at  an  early 
age  with  the  U.  P.  Church.  She  was  born  in 
1812  and  passed  away  in  1843,  when  in  the 
early  prime  of  life. 

James  S.  Nesbit  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and 
received  his  education  in  the  early  common 
schools  of  Conemaugh  township  and  Elder's 
Ridge  academy.  Leaving  school,  he  was  engaged 
for  some  time  as  a  clerk  in  a  mercantile  estab- 
lishment, and  in  1854  made  the  then  perilous  trip 
across  the  "  Plains  "  to  the  gold  fields  of  Califor- 
nia, where  he  was  engaged  for  six  years  in  mining. 
In  1860  he  returned  to  this  county,  and  on 
September  19,  1861,  enlisted  in  Co.  F,  55th 
regiment  Pa.  Vols.  He  was  elected  captain 
and  commanded  the  company  in  South  Caro- 
lina and  in  the  armies  of  the  James  and  Poto- 
mac. The)'  fought  bravely  in  some  very  hard 
battles.  On  June  3,  1864,  Capt.  Nesbit  suc- 
ceeded to  the  command  of  the  regiment  at  the 
battle  of  Cold  Harbor.  During  that  terrific 
struggle  he  carried  a  line  of  Confederate  breast- 
works, and,  in  daringly  exposing  himself  to  the 
enemy's  fire,  he  was  struck  in  the  left  thigh  by 
a  musket-ball.     He  was  borne  from  the  field 


and  taken  to  the  hospital  at  Washington  City, 
from  which  he  was  sent  home.  After  a  short 
stay  he  reported  on  crutches  to  the  hospital  at 
Annapolis,  Md.,  where  he  was  discharged  Octo- 
ber 8,  1864,  on  account  of  his  wound.  In 
January,  1865,  he  engaged  in  the  drug  business 
at  Indiana,  which  he  followed  until  1873,  when 
he  went  to  Virginia  and  bought  a  farm  in  the 
Roanoke  Valley.  After  two  years  of  exper- 
ience in  farming  there  he  returned  to  Indiana, 
where  he  engaged  in  general  mercantile  busi- 
ness, in  which  he  continued  for  five  years.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  he  again  embarked  in  the 
drug  business  and  followed  it  successfully 
until  1887,  when  he  removed  to  Walworth 
county.  South  Dakota.  He  there  turned  his 
attention  to  farming,  but  at  the  end  of  two 
years  returned  to  Indiana.  In  November, 
1889,  he  opened  his  present  general  mercantile 
establishment  on  Philadelphia  street.  His 
stock  is  large  and  well  selected,  and  his  patron- 
age is  good  and  rapidly  increasing. 

November  20,  1860,  he  married  Margaret 
Houston,  daughter  of  William  Houston,  of 
Indiana.  They  have  nine  children :  Robert, 
James,  William,  Frank,  Annie,  Joseph, 
Charles,  Samuel  and  Maggie.  The  four  old- 
est sons  are  now  in  South  Dakota. 

Capt.  James  S.  Nesbit  is  a  member  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church,  Indiana  Post,  No. 
28,  G.  A.  R.,  and  Encampment  No.  11,  "U.  V. 
L.  He  is  a  stanch  republican  and  was  elected 
associate  judge  of  Indiana  county  in  1870,  but 
resigned  two  years  later  upon  removing  to  Vir- 
ginia. He  has  served  as  burgess  and  school 
director.  His  life  has  been  one  of  activity  and 
event,  of  adventure  and  travel,  and  of  patriot- 
ism and  usefulness.  He  is  one  of  Indiana 
county's  honored  sons  and  useful  business  men. 


EDWARD  NIXON,  the  second    male  child 
born    at    Indiana  and   a  prominent  mer- 
chant and  influential  citizen  of  tliat  progressive 


134 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


borough  for  over  half  a  century,  was  a  sou  of  i 
Robert  and   Mary   (Sutton)   Nixon,   and   was 
born  at  Indiana,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania, 
February  25,  1807.     His  paternal  grandfather, 
Edward    Nixon,    was    a    life-long    resident   of 
Ireland,  where  he  married  a  Miss  Bracken  and 
reared    a    family.     One    of    his    sons,  Robert 
Nixon  (father),  was  born  in  county  Fermanagh, 
Ireland,  in  1780.     He  came  to  the  vicinity  of 
Carlisle,  Pa.,  in  1794,  but   removed   the   next  . 
year  to  Washington  county,  and  then   in   1798  ! 
came  to  Newport,  on   Black   Lick   creek,  this 
county,  where  he  was  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  ' 
store  for  several  years  with  his    second  cousin, 
Robert  Nixon.     In  1803  he  purchased  some  of 
the  first  lots  sold  at  Indiana,  and  erected  a  story 
and  a   half    hewed   log   house  on  the  corner  of 
Philadelphia  street  and  Carpenter's  alley.     In  ■ 
the  upper  part  of  his  house  he  opened  a  store 
which  was  reached  by  a  pair  of  outside  stairs. 
In  1812  he  removed  his  store  to  a  larger  room 
and   in   1832   he  opened  the  celebrated  Nixon 
hotel,  of  which   he   was  proprietor  for  several 
years.     He  died  in   1850,  aged  seventy  years. 
He   married    Mrs.    Mary   Ayers,   who   was   a 
daughter  of  Peter  Sutton,  Jr.,  and  died  in  1851, 
at  seventy  years  of  age.     Their  children  were  : 
Edward,  George,  Mary,  wife  of  Rev.  Robert 
White;   James  and  Robert. 

Edward  Nixon  was  reared  at  Indiana,  where 
he  obtained  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  that  place.  He  was  an  excellent  mathema- 
tician and  one  of  the  finest  penmen  in  the 
State.  At  an  early  age  he  engaged  with  his 
father  in  the  mercantile  business  and  afterwards 
was  associated  with  him  in  conducting  the 
Nixon  hotel.  He  was  engaged  in  the  mercan- 
tile business  at  Indiana  for  over  half  a  century, 
excepting  four  years,  during  which  he 
operated  Sharp's  mill  and  conducted  a  store  in 
connection  with  it.  His  health  became  impaired 
in  1861,  and  he  was  more  or  less  of  an  invalid 
until  his  death,  in  1889.  He  was  a  relative  of 
Col.  John   Nixon,  who  first  read  the  Declara- 


tion of  Independence  to  the  people  of  Philadel- 
phia on  July  8,  1776.  He  was  a  Democrat  in 
politics  and  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  church.  At  the  end  of  a 
long,  honorable  and  highly  useful  life,  he  passed 
away  on  June  2,  1889,  and  his  remains  were 
interred  in  Oakland  cemetery. 

On  July  3,  1843,  he  married  Phebe  Birg 
Keely,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  Keely,  and 
was  born  at  MiiHin,  Mifflin  Co.,  1818.  They 
were  the  parents  of  five  children  :  Robert,  now 
a  clerk  in  the  post-office,  who  married  Lizzie 
Hawes,  was  a  clerk  for  the  Cambria  Iron  com- 
pany and  lost  his  wife  and  three  children  in 
the  Johnstown  flood;  Fannie  W.;  Emma  T., 
wiio  died  May  31,  1890;  Mary  B.,  wife  of 
Frank  T.  McAvoy,  of  Duke's  Centre,  Pa.;  and 
Virginia  B.,  married  to  John  McCune,  of 
Johnstown,  Pa. 

Fannie  W.  Nixon  received  her  education  in 
the  public  and  select  schools  of  Indiana. 
She  was  a  clerk  in  Judge  Clark's  law  office  for 
eight  years,  and  in  December,  1 888,  was  com- 
missioned, for  four  years,  by  President  Cleve- 
land, as  postmaster  of  Indiana.  She  is  an  in- 
telligent woman  of  unusual  business  ability, 
and  under  her  excellent  management  the  Indiana 
post-office  has  won  its  justly  merited  reputation 
of  being  one  of  the  best  managed  and  most 
systematically  conducted  offices  in  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania.  Miss  Nixon  is  courteous,  amiable 
and  obliging,  yet  insists  upon  everything  in  the 
post-office  being  done  according  to  correct  busi- 
ness principles,  and  has  given  good  satisfaction 
to  all  interested  in  postal  matters  at  Indiana. 


EDWIN  G.  ORR,  one  of  the  successful  mer- 
chants and  popular  young  business  men 
of  Indiana,  was  born  in  Armstrong  township, 
Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  October  16, 
1862,  and  is  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Martha  J. 
(Lowman)   Orr.     The    Orr   family   has    been 


INDIANA  COUNTY. 


135 


resident  of  Ireland  for  several  centuries.  James 
Orr  (grandfather)  was  born  in  the  year  1801 
in  that  country,  and  was  brought  to  Indi- 
ana county  when  but  seven  years  of  age.  He 
was  an  extensive  farmer  of  Armstrong  township, 
where  he  owned  a  large  tract  of  land.  He  was 
a  consistent  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  church,  reared  a  family  of  eight  sons 
and  six  daughters,  lived  a  quiet  but  useful  life 
and  died  in  1881,  when  he  had  reached  his 
four-score  years.  His  son,  Andrew  Orr 
(father),  was  born  in  1830,  in  this  county,  where 
he  resides  in  Armstrong  township,  and  is 
chiefly  engaged  in  farming  and  dealing  in 
horses,  cattle  and  hogs.  He  makes  the  State 
of  Indiana  the  field  of  his  extensive  stock 
purchases.  He  is  a  democrat,  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  church  and  married  Martha  J.  Low- 
man,  who  is  of  the  same  religious  faith  and 
church  membership  as  her  husband.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Abraham  Lowman,  who  was  a 
strict  presbyterian,  a  farmer  of  East  Mahoning 
township  and  lived  to  be  eighty-three  years  of 
age.  Andrew  and  Martha  Orr  have  ten  chil- 
dren: Jas.  Ij.,  Mary  A.,  Lizzie  C,  Agnes  L., 
Maggie  Olive,  Bertha  A.,  Carrie  C,  Paul 
Lafayette,  Grace  Amber  and  Edwin  G. 

Edwin  G.  Orr  was  reared  on  the  home  farm, 
attended  common  and  select  schools  and  com- 
menced life  for  himself  as  a  teacher  in  the 
district  schools.  In  two  years  he  quit  teaching 
and  embarked  (1885)  with  his  brothei",  James 
L.  Orr,  in  the  lumber  business  near  Indiana, 
which  they  still  pursue  and  in  which  they  em- 
ploy nearly  fifty  men.  In  October,  1889,  he 
and  his  brother  purchased  the  store  of  J.  M. 
Guthrie  and  engaged  in  their  present  general 
mercantile  business.  Into  merchandising  Mr. 
Orr  threw  his  whole  energy,  and  his  success  has 
been  commensurate  to  his  well-directed  efforts. 
He  has  continually  added  to  his  stock  of  goods 
in  quantity,  quality  and  variety,  has  branched 
out  in  the  lines  of  articles  which  he  handles 
and  is  constantly  adding  to  the  number  of  his 


patrons.  This  firm  deals  in  dry-goods,  clothing, 
hats  and  caps,  and  boots  and  shoes,  handles 
hardware,  groceries  and  flour  and  makes  a 
specialty  of  ladies'  and  gentlemen's  furnishing 
goods.  Their  establishment,  popularly  known 
as  the  "Farmers' Exchange,"  is  on  the  corner 
of  Church  and  St.  Clair  streets.  It  is  complete 
throughout  its  many  departments,  neat  and 
tasty  in  all  of  its  arrangements  and  has  ample 
floor  space  for  the  large  stock  of  goods  which 
is  constantly  kept  on  hand  to  supply  the  many 
wants  of  numerous  purchasers. 

Edwin  G.  Orr  has  always  believed  in  im- 
proving present  opportunities  and  in  never  being 
idle.  In  whatever  he  does  he  works  with  a 
will  and  for  a  purpose,  and  as  a  natural  conse- 
quence success  has  crowned  his  efforts.  AVith 
but  little  capital  to  coraraeuce  the  battle  of  life, 
he  has  by  good  judgment,  quick  perception, 
honest  dealing  and  earnest  and  persistent  labor 
won  success  and  become  prominent  among  the 
business  men  of  the  county.  He  is  a  republican 
in  politics.  He  is  a  member  of  William 
Penn  Council,  No.  305,  Royal  Arcanum ;  Ira- 
proved  order  of  Heptasophs  Lodge,  No.  280; 
Junior  Order  of  United  American  Mechanics, 
and  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church.  Live, 
active  and  energetic,  the  possibilities  of  the 
future  open  to  him  a  wide  field  for  a  successful 
business  career. 


REV.  WILLIAM  S.  OWENS,  D.D.,  a 
popular  and  eloquent  divine  and  the  effi- 
cient general  superintendent  of  the  Home  Mis- 
sions of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  of  the 
United  States,  is  a  son  of  Robert  and  Sarah 
(Steele)  Owens,  and  was  born  in  county  Down, 
Ireland,  July  25, 1842.  His  parents  were  both 
natives  of  county  Down  and  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  They  came  to  this  State 
in  1844.  The  father,  Robert  Owens,  died  in 
Allegheny,  in  the  fall  of  1848,  when  only  in 
the  twenty-eighth  year  of  his  age.     His  wife 


136 


BIOOEAPHTES  OF 


survived  biin  but  nine  years,  passing  away  in 
1857,  agetl  thirty-eight  years.  Both  were  mem- 
bers of  what  is  now  the  First  United  Presby- 
terian churcli  of  Allegheny.  They  were  the 
parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  two  were: 
Rev.  William  S.  and  Elizabeth,  now  the  wife 
of  W.  K.  Hamilton. 

William  S.  Owens  was  brought  by  his  parents 
to  Allegheny  city,  where  the  death  of  his  father 
and  mother  left  him,  although  but  a  child,  to 
make  his  own  way  in  the  world.  He  received 
his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  and 
from  the  age  of  twelve  to  that  of  nineteen  years 
he  was  engaged  in  making  his  own  living  at 
such  work  as  a  boy  could  procure  at  that  time. 
He  obtained  his  academic  education  in  the 
Western  University  of  Pennsylvania  at  Pitts- 
burg and  in  1861  entered  Westminster  College, 
at  New  Wilmington,  Pa.,  from  which  institution 
of  learning  he  was  graduated  in  June,  1866. 
He  then  prepared  for  the  work  of  the  ministry 
by  taking  the  full  course  of  the  Allegheny  Theo- 
logical seminary  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  the 
spring  of  1869.  Immediately  after  graduation 
he  was  called  and  settled  as  minister  of  the 
North  United  Pre.sbyterian  church  iu  Philadel- 
phia. He  served  that  church  until  August,  1871, 
when  he  resigned  to  become  pastor  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church  at  Indiana.  After  labor- 
ing there  six  years,  he  removed  (in  July,  1877) 
to  Steubenville,  Ohio,  and  assumed  charge  of 
the  United  Presbyterian  church  of  that  place. 
His  pastorate  in  that  field  of  labor  lasted  for 
ten  years  and  was  pleasant  and  useful.  His 
standing  as  a  minister  and  as  a  public-spirited 
citizen  was  very  high  in  that  community.  In 
June,  1886,  he  was  elected  by  the  General  As- 
sembly of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  as 
the  general  secretary  of  its  Board  of  Home  Mis- 
sions. One  year  later  he  was  requested  to  resign 
his  pastoral  charge  and  devote  his  entire  time 
to  superintending  the  home  mission  work.  In 
order  to  discharge  the  duties  of  this  wide  and 


important  field  of  labor  which  was  placed  under 
his  charge,  he  resigned  the  pastorate  of  the 
Steubenville  United  Presbyterian  church  and 
returned  to  his  former  home  at  Indiana,  in  the 
spring  of  1887.  Since  then  he  has  been  actively 
engaged  in  traveling  in  various  parts  of  the 
United  States  in  the  interests  of  home  mission 
work  and  in  the  developenient  of  the  church 
with  which  he  is  connected.  In  1888,  Dr. 
Owens  w'as  elected  chairman  of  the  constitutional 
amendment  county  committee,  and  so  well  or- 
ganized and  directed  the  campaign  that  Indiana 
rolled  up  out  of  a  total  poll  of  seven  thousand 
votes  the  surprising  majority  of  two  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  ninety-nine  in  favor  of  the 
prohibitory  amendment  to  the  State  constitu- 
tion. 

During  the  late  war  he  was  not  lacking  in 
devotion  to  the  cause  of  the  Union,  and  iu  Au- 
gust, 1862,  enlisted  as  a  soldier  in  Co.  E,  123d 
regiment,  Pa.  Vols.  He  was  true  to  every  duty 
of  a  soldier  and  was  present  at  the  hard-fought 
battles  of  Antietam,  Fredericksburg  and  Chan- 
cellorsville.  At  the  expiration  of  his  nine 
months'  term  of  service,  he  was  employed  as  a 
clerk  in  the  ofBce  of  the  paymaster-general  at 
Washington  City,  where  he  remained  until  near 
the  close  of  the  war. 

Augu.st  26,  1869,  he  married  Elmira  Mc- 
Caughey,  who  was  a  classmate  of  his  at  West- 
minster college  and  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
McCaughey,  of  Fredericksburg,  Wayne  county, 
Ohio.  They  have  seven  children,  three  sons 
and  four  daughters:  Sarah,  Robert  E.,  Eliza- 
beth, Charles  Truesdale,  Margaretta,  AVilliam 
Brownlee  and  Helen. 

Rev.  W.  S.  Owens,  D.D.,  possesses  that  rare 
but  happy  faculty  which  so  many  men  of  genius 
and  ability  lack — that  of  throwing  his  whole 
soul  and  energy  into  his  work.  His  has  been  a 
life  of  activity  and  usefulness  in  every  field  in 
which  he  has  been  called  to  labor,  and  they  have 
not  been  few  in  number  nor  easy  in  the  work 
they  presented.     He  is  probably  the  most  widely 


INDIANA  COUNTY. 


137 


known  minister  of  his  church  in  the  United 
States  in  consequence  of  his  extended  mission 
travels,  liis  many  able  sermons  and  numerous 
eloquent  addresses.  Wiiile  pleasing  and  popular 
as  a  speaker,  yet  he  is  not  lacking  in  earnestness  or 
logic.  Genial,  courteous  and  sel f- possessed  upon 
all  occasions,  yet  sufficiently  dignified  and  de- 
cidedly stern  enough  when  necessity  requires  to 
rebuke  severely  and  with  etfect,  vice  or  folly  in 
whatever  place  appearing  or  in  whatever  guise 
presented.  He  is  a  republican  in  politics  and 
has  a  fine  residence  with- beautiful  surroundings 
at  Indiana.  In  personal  appearance  he  is  rather 
below  medium  height  with  an  intelligent  face 
and  winning  manners.  In  the  matured  prime 
of  life  he  is  but  in  the  midst  of  a  career  of  use- 
fulness and  distinction. 


JOHN  L.  PAUL.  Among  the  business 
men  of  Indiana,  none  is  better  known 
than  John  Lochry  Paul,  who  is  prominent  in 
the  fire  insurance  business  of  that  place.  He 
is  well-informed,  courteous  and  obliging.  He 
is  a  son  of  Robert  A.  and  Mary  (Cochran) 
Paul,  and  was  born  at  Apollo,  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania,  June  23,  1865.  The 
Paul  family  came  from  county  Antrim,  Ireland, 
and  located  in  Franklin  county  about  1750,  but 
soon  removed  to  Westmoreland  county.  Sam- 
uel Paul  (great-grandfather)  was  a  native  of 
Westmoreland  county,  was  for  many  years 
justice  of  the  peace  in  Washington  township, 
that  county,  and  lived  to  a  good  old  age.  His 
son,  John  Paul  (grandfather),  was  born  in 
1803.  He  has  been  all  his  life  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  Bell  and  Washington  townships,  in 
Westmoreland  county,  and  has  always  com- 
manded the  respect  of  his  neighbors.  He  was 
one  of  the  commissioners  appointed  to  take  the 
vote  of  the  soldiers  during  the  rebellion.  He 
retired  from  active  life  some  twenty-five  years 
ago  and  has  since  resided  at  Paul  ton  (a  town 
named  after  him),  opposite  Apollo.  He  is  now 
9 


in  his  eighty-eighth  year  and  quite  active.  He 
is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Thompson,  died  January,  1890,  in  tlie  eighty- 
sixth  year  of  her  age.  Her  mother  was  a 
daughter  of  Col.  Archibald  Lochry,  a  famous 
Indian  fighter.  In  July,  1781,  Col.  Lochry, 
then  county  lieutenant  of  Westmoreland 
county,  commanded  au  expedition  against  the 
Indians,  with  a  force  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  men.  He  was  surprised  by  the  In- 
dians some  nine  miles  below  the  Muskingum 
river,  Ohio,  at  the  mouth  of  a  small  stream 
which  has  since  borne  the  name  of  Lochry's 
creek.  Col.  Lochry  and  forty-two  of  his  men 
were  killed  while  the  remainder  of  the  force 
was  captured  and  carried  to  Canada.  Robert 
A.  Paul  (father)  was  born  in  Westmoreland 
county,  and  is  Postmaster  at  Saltsburg, 
of  which  borough  he  has  been  a  citizen  for 
twenty-one  years.  He  is  engaged  in  mercan- 
tile pursuits  and  has  lived  in  the  Kiskiminetas 
Valley  most  of  his  life.  He  is  one  of  the 
trustees  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  is  a  promi- 
nent republican  and  has  been  sent  as  a  delegate 
several  times  to  the  republican  State  convention. 
He  married  Mary  Cochran,  daughter  of  Judge 
M.  Cociiran,  who  was  born  in  Armstrong 
county,  in  1831,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church. 

John  L.  Paul  removed  with  his  parents  to 
Saltsburg,  in  1869,  and  attended  the  public 
schools  there,  and  afterward  the  Saltsburg 
academy.  From  1880  to  1883  he  acted  as 
salesman  for  his  father,  who  was  dealing  in 
farming  implements,  then  opened  a  fire  insur- 
ance office  at  Saltsburg,  but  removed  to  Indi- 
ana in  February,  1884,  as  the  prosjiects  of  suc- 
cess there  seemed  brighter.  He  and  his  fatlier 
have  a  neat  office  at  the  corner  of  Sixth  and 
Philadelphia  streets,  doing  business  under  the 
firm  name  of  R.  A.  Paul  &  Son.  They  have  a 
large  patronage,  and  represent  the  Fire  associa- 
tion, the  American  Fire  and  the  Franklin  Fire 


138 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


insurance  companies  of  Philadelphia  ;  the  Lib- 
erty of  New  York  ;  the  Artisan  of  Pittsburgh  ; 
the  National  and  Teutonia  of  Allegheny  City 
and  the  Commercial,  Union  and  Lancashire 
fire  insurance  companies  of  England. 

In  1888  he  married  Jean  Reynolds,  daugh- 
ter of  C.  C.  McLain  (deceased),  of  Indiana. 
They  have  one  child,  a  son,  Charles  Robert. 

He  is  a  republican  and  a  charter  member  of 
Indiana  Council,  No.  260,  Jr.  O.  U.  A.  M., 
and  William  Penn  Council,  No.  305,  Royal 
Arcanum.  He  attends  and  contributes  to  the 
Presbyterian  church,  and  is  one  of  the  straight- 
forward reliable  men  of  Indiana. 


EDWARD  A.  PENNINGTON.  Among 
the  business  men  of  Indiana,  none  are 
more  highly  respected  by  the  public  than  Ed- 
ward A.  Pennington.  An  honest,  reliable  man 
is  the  general  verdict  of  those  who  know  him. 
He  was  born  in  Brownsville,  Fayette  county, 
Pennsylvania,  April  11,  1855.  He  is  a  son  of 
Allison  Campbell  and  Martha  (Faull)  Penn- 
ington. Allison  C.  Pennington  was  born  at 
Wellsburg,  W.  Va.,  December  19, 1827.  When 
eighteen  years  old  he  went  to  Brownsville,  where 
he  learned  the  trade  of  jeweler,  and  followed  that 
business  all  his  life.  In  1868  he  moved  from 
Brownsville  to  Rice's  Landing,  Pa.,  and  in 
1870  he  removed  to  Greensboro',  Greene  county, 
where  during  the  latter  years  of  his  life  he 
held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace. 
Soon  after  the  beginning  of  the  rebellion  he 
enlisted  (October  30,  1862)  in  Co.  D,  168th 
regiment,  Pa.  Vols.,  and  served  9  months.  He 
was  an  ardent  member  of  the  Democratic  party, 
a  prominent  member  of  the  Baptist  church, 
and  a  strong  temperance  mau.  He  married 
Martha  Faull,  who  was  born  in  Norfolk,  Va., 
August  15,  1830.  She  is  a  member  of  a  Bap- 
tist church  of  Allegheny  city,  in  which  she  has 
made  her  home  since  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band, on  September  6,  1881. 


Edward  A.  Pennington  lived  the  first  eight 
years  of  his  life  in  Brownsville,  then  went 
with  his  parents  to  Rice's  Landing,  Jefferson 
township,  Greene  county,  where  they  remained 
two  years,  and  removed  to  Greensboro',  on  the 
Monongahela  river,  when  Edward  was  fifteen 
years  of  age.  He  attended  the  public  schools, 
but  the  river  jirovod  too  attractive,  and  at  an 
early  age  he  shipped  as  cabin  boy  on  one  of 
the  steamers  plying  up  and  down  the  Monon- 
gahela. He  retained  this  position  some  two 
years,  when  he  went  to  learn  the  tailoring  trade 
at  Greensboro',  with  H.  C.  Horner,  and  after- 
ward, in  1872,  finished  his  trade  with  Samuel 
Harbough,  of  Elizabeth,  Allegheny  coun- 
ty. In  May,  1875,  he  went  into  partnership 
with  T.  P.  IMoffett,  of  Waynesburg,  Greene 
county,  in  the  merchant  tailoring  business  at 
Elizabeth  and  at  West  Elizabeth,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Moifett  &  Pennington,  Mr.  Penn- 
ington taking  charge  of  the  former  house. 
On  June  30,  1877,  they  dissolved  partnership 
and  Mr.  Pennington  established  himself  at 
Elizabeth,  following  his  trade  there  until  No- 
vember, 1878,  when  he  removed  to  Indiana, 
where  he  has  since  carried  on  his  present  busi- 
ness of  merchant  tailoring  most  successfully. 
He  has  fully  illustrated  the  old  adage  that  what 
you  want  well  done  you  must  do  yourself.  He 
is  his  own  cutter,  and  has  so  personally  man- 
aged all  theminutiEe  of  his  busine.ss  that  it  has 
grown  to  be  one  of  the  most  solid  in  that  sec- 
tion of  Pennsylvania. 

On  October  7,  1879,  he  married  Louisa  B. 
Kliue,  daughter  of  George  B.  Kline,  of  Indi- 
ana. To  their  union  have  been  born  four 
children :  Fay  Edward,  Effie  Louis,  Earnest 
Bertolette  and  Clarence  Allison. 

He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  William 
Penn  Council,  No.  305,  Royal  Arcanum.  He 
is  also  one  of  the  managers  of  library  hall. 
By  dint  of  quiet,  steady  energy  and  persever- 
ance, he   has  raised  himself  from  a  poor  cabin 


INDIANA  COUNTY. 


139 


boy  to  the  position  in  which  he  now  stands — an 
honored,  respected  merchant. 


TOHN  H.  PIERCE,  a  member  of  the 
^  Indiana  county  bar,  was  born  in  Cleai-tield 
county,  Pennsylvania,  March  8,  1855,  and  is 
a  son  of  James  and  Sarah  A.  (Harrold)  Pierce. 
The  Pierce  family  is  of  Scotch  descent  and  was 
planted  in  this  country  at  an  early  day  in  its 
Colonial  history.  One  of  its  numerous  descend- 
ants was  William  Pierce,  the  grandfather  of 
John  H.  Pierce.  He  I'emoved  to  Armstrong 
county,  this  State.  His  son,  James  Pierce 
(father),  received  a  good  education,  and  became 
a  successful  teacher  of  his  native  county.  He 
died  in  1864,  at  Rimersburg,  Clarion  county. 
Pa.,  where  he  had  gone  on  a  business  trip.  He 
was  an  active  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church.  His  wife  was"  Sarah  A.  Harrold, 
who  still  survives  him.  She  is  a  native  of 
Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  from  which  her  par- 
ents removed  when  she  was  small,  and  settled 
first  near  Elderton,  Pa.,  but  in  a  few  years 
located  in  Jefferson  county,  near  Punxsutawney, 
where  they  resided  as  long  as  they  lived.  After 
her  husband's  death  Mrs.  Pierce  moved  to  near 
Elderton,  Armstrong  county,  where  she  now 
resides.  She  is  in  the  sixty-third  year  of  her 
age,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  M.  E. 
church  for  many  years. 

John  H.  Pierce  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of 
five  children,  was  reared  principally  near  Elder- 
ton  and  received  his  early  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools.  He  graduated  at  the  Indiana 
State  Normal  school  of  Pennsylvania,  in  the 
class  of  1881.  He  taught  in  the  common 
schools  from  1875  until  the  winter  of  1883. 
He  commenced  the  study  of  law  with  Hon. 
Silas  M.  Clark,  who  was  shortly  afterwards 
elected  to  the  Supreme  Bench  of  the  State.  He 
next  prosecuted  his  legal  studies  with  Col. 
Daniel  S.  Porter,  until  the  death  of  the  latter,  | 
when    he   completed    the    prescribed  course  of 


reading  with  the  law-firm  of  Jack  &  Taylor, 
of  Indiana,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Indiana 
county  bar  in  the  fall  of  1885.  Since  then  he 
has  been  engaged  in  the  practice  ol'  his  profes- 
sion. He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  of  Indiana.  He  is  a  republican 
in  politics,  has  been  serving  for  several  years  as 
secretary  of  the  Indiana  County  Agricultural 
society  and  is  a  safe  and  prudent  lawyer. 

On  September  5th,  1883,  John  H.  Pierce 
united  in  marriage  with  Josie  Moore,  daughter 
of  John  and  Eliza  Moore,  of  Whitesburg, 
Armstrong  county,  Pa.  Their  union  has  been 
blessed  with  two  children,  both  sons :  John  M. 
and  William  E. 


JONATHAN  ROW,  who  ably  edited  at  dif- 
^  ferent  times  during  his  lifetime  three 
English  and  two  German  newspapers  in  West- 
moreland, Somerset  aud  Indiana  counties,  this 
State,  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Republi- 
can party  in  western  Pennsylvania.  His  dis- 
tingfuished  career  as  an  editor  and  his  valuable 
services  as  the  earliest  historian  of  Indiana 
county,  require  that  space  be  allotted  on  these 
pages  for  his  life-i'ecord.  Jonathan  Row  was 
born  four  miles  northofGreeusburg,  Westmore- 
land county,  Pennsylvania,  June  2,  1802,  and 
was  the  fifth  of  six  sons  born  unto  Andrew  and 
Elizabeth  (Heintzelman)  Row.  The  Rows  are 
of  German  extraction  and  were  among  the  early 
settlers  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York  city.  One 
of  their  descendants  was  Andrew  Row  (father), 
who  was  born  in  Northumberland  and  after- 
wards removed  to  Westmoreland  county,  Pa., 
where  he  died.  He  was  thrice  married  and  his 
second  wife  was  Elizabeth  Heintzelman,  a 
daughter  of  George  Heintzelman,  who  was  a 
native  of  Germany  and  settled  in  Northampton 
county.  Pa.,  where  he  reared  a  family  of  four 
sons  and  two  daughters,  and  one  of  these  sons 
was  the  grandfather  of  Major  General  Samuel 
P.      Heintzelman.       Andrew     and    Elizabeth 


140 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


(Heintzelman)  Row  were  the  parents  of  ten 
children  :  six  sons  and  four  dangiiters.  Jonathan 
Row  was  reared  in  a  day  of  limited  educational 
advantages  and  received  only  one  term  of  three 
months  in  a  subscription  school  in  which  he 
learned  to  read.  He  learned  the  trade  of  brick- 
layer, which  he  followed  for  several  years,  was 
then  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at 
Adamsburg,  in  his  native  county,  and  in  1836 
was  appointed  register  and  recorder  of  West- 
moreland county,  Pa.  He  was  reappointed  in 
1839  and  served  a  second  term.  In  1838  he 
entered  upon  his  great  life-work  of  journalism  in 
western  Pennsylvania,  by  establishing  a  Ger- 
man paper  in  Greensburg,  Pa.,  which  was 
known  as  the  Republikaner,  and  then  became 
the  Sentinel.  In  1842  he  disposed  of  the  latter 
paper  and  purchased  the  Herald  (English)  and 
Hcpuhlican  (German)  newspapers  of  Somerset 
county,  Pa.,  which  he  edited  until  1850.  In 
1847  he  was  elected  treasurer  of  Somerset 
county,  and  three  years  later  a  stroke  of  paral- 
ysis prevented  his  appointment,  by  President 
Taylor,  as  consul  to  Hamburg,  Germany.  Four 
years  later,  having  recovered  from  his  paralytic 
stroke  (1852)  he  purchased  the  Indiana  Regis- 
ter-, entered  into  the  whig  cause  with  his  old  time 
vigor,  and  after  the  defeat  of  Winfield  Scott 
had  sounded  the  death-knell  of  the  whig  party, 
Jonathan  Row  continued  earnest  and  zealous  in 
that  opposition  to  democracy  that  eventually 
crystallized  into  republicanism.  In  the  for- 
mation, growth  and  progress  of  the  Republican 
party  in  Indiana  couuty,  he  was  a  potent  factor 
and  an  indefatigable  worker.  A  second  stroke 
of  paralysis  in  1858  finally  incapacitated  him 
from  work,  and  the  next  year  he  retired  from 
business  and  left  the  control  of  his  paper  to  his 
sons,  George,  Amos  and  Augustus  Row. 
While  prominent  and  conspicuous  in  political  af- 
fairs, yet  in  another  field  he  deserves  great 
credit  for  the  large  amount  of  historical  matter, 
covering  a  wide  range  of  adventure  and  experi- 
ence by  the  early  settlers  of  western  Pennsyl- 


vania, and  the  formation  and  development  of 
Indiana  county,-  which  he  secured  and  saved 
from  oblivion  by  publication  in  his  several  news- 
papers. In  1831,  and  again  some  years  later,  he 
was  aflflicted  with  cataract  of  both  eyes  and  had 
two  operations  performed  for  the  relief  of  that 
trouble. 

He  was  marrietl  in  1821  to  Maria  C.  Miniam, 
who  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church  and 
was  born  in  1801.  They  reared  to  manhood 
and  womanhood  a  family  of  eleven  children  : 
Samuel  J.;  Martha,  relict  of  Rev.  W.  S.  Emery, 
late  of  Frenchtown,  N.  J.,  deceased ;  E.  Eliza- 
beth, who  was  intermarried  with  J.  H.  Beuford, 
late  of  Johnstown,  Pa.,  deceased  (Mrs.  Benford 
was  the  proprietress  of  the  ill-foted  "  Hulbert 
House  "  of  Johnstown,  which  was  swept  away  by 
the  terrible  flood  of  May  31,  1889,  and  she  and 
one  son  and  two  daughters  perished  in  the  wreck); 
Catherine,  relict  of  H.  B.  Woods,  a  lawyer  late 
of  Reading,  Pa.,  deceased ;  Simon  B.;  Jane 
Mary,  wife  of  Dr.  W.  H.  McCormick,  of  Cum- 
berland, Md.;  George;  Amos;  Augustus;  Her- 
man, who  died  in  1880;  and  Charles  Henry. 
One  other,  J.  Franklin,  died  in  infancy  in  1838. 
Mrs.  Row  is  a  daughter  of  John  George  Min- 
iam, who  was  born  on  what  was  then  the 
French  side  of  the  Rhine  River.  He  was  a 
tailor  by  trade,  came  to  Westmoreland  county, 
where  he  followed  farming,  and  died  in  1856, 
aged  eighty-nine  years. 

Jonathan  Row  was  a  member  of  the  Luth- 
eran church  and  died  February  22,  1866,  when 
in  the  sixty-fourth  year  of  his  age. 

One  well  acquainted  with  him  in  life  has 
written  of  him  after  death: 

"  In  looking  over  the  files  of  papers  issued 
from  his  press,  the  reader  will  observe,  every- 
where, the  evidences  of  originality,  intelligence, 
thought,  prudence  and  uprightness  as  conspic- 
uous characteristicsof  the  editorial  management. 
When  the  great  southern  rebellion  burst 
upon  the  land,  the  old  man's  enthusiasm  burn- 
ed with  intense  ardor  for  the  salvation  of  his 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


141 


country,  and  at  all  times  and  under  all  circum- 
stances, his  voice  was  for  maintaining  the  unity 
of  the  states,  and  upholding  the  supremacy  of 
the  national  authoritv." 


pEORGE  ROW,  ex-editor  of  the  Indiana 
^  RegMer,  a  prominent  and  one  of  the  old- 
est justices  of  the  peace  in  this  county,  and  the 
senior  member  of  the  real-estate  firm  of  Row 
&  Books,  was  the  well-known  editor  of  the 
Kingwood  Chronicle,  which  was  one  of  the  few 
Union  papers  of  western  Virginia  in  1861. 
He  was  born  near  Adamsburg,  in  Westmore- 
land county,  Pennsylvania,  October  24,  1832, 
and  is  a  son  of  Jonathan  and  Maria  C.  (Min- 
iam)  Row.  [For  ancestral  history,  see  sketch 
of  Jonathan  Row  ] 

George  Row  was  reared  in  AVestmoreland 
county,  where  he  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools.  He  served  a  four  years'  ap- 
prenticeship to  the  tanning  business,  which  he 
did  not  follow  very  long.  In  1852  he  removed 
to  Indiana,  where  he  assisted  his  father  in  the 
printing  business  for  eight  years.  Upon  solicit- 
ation of  prominent  parties  in  Virginia  (now 
W.  Va.),  he  and  his  brother,  Amos  Row,  in 
February,  1861,  went  to  the  beautiful  and 
pleasant  town  of  Kingwood,  the  county-seat  of 
Preston  county,  Va.  (now  W.  Va.),  and  started 
the  Kingirood  Chronide.  They  were  ardent 
and  radi<'al  Unionists,  naturally  encountered 
all  the  hostility  of  the  Secession  element  of  that 
section,  and  were  repeatedly  threatened  with 
personal  violence  and  the  destruction  of  their 
press.  In  May,  1861,  it  was  rumored  that  the 
press  would  be  destroyed,  and  the  Row  brothers, 
with  other  prominent  citizens,  would  be  hanged. 
This  elicited  the  following:  in  the  issue  of  the 
Chronicle  for  June  8th:  "  We  have  endeavored 
to  pursue  a  fair  and  frank  course  throughout, 
both  as  publishers  and  as  citizens,  and,  feeling 
thus,  we  have  no  fears  for  our  persons  or  prop- 
erty through  or  by  process  of  law ;  and  as  for 


I  mobs,  we  hate  and  despise  them."  The  Chron- 
icle was  a  folio  of  seven  columns  to  the  page, 
and  while  ardently  advocating  the  preservation 

j  of  the  Union  and  the  suppression  of  the  Great 
Rebellion,  was  not  lacking  in  literary  merit  or 
deficient  in  county  news.  Copies  of  the  paper, 
still  preserved  at  Kingwood,  bear  evidence  to 
the  patriotism  and  editorial  ability  of  its  "Yan- 
kee" editors,  as  they  were  termed  by  the  Seces- 
sionists. The  governor  of  Virginia,  in  Januarv, 
18(51,  convened  the  Legislature  of  that  State  in 
extra  session.  The  Kingwood  Oironic/e,  soon 
thereafter,  pointed  out  the  fiillacy  of  the  non- 
coercive policy  demanded  by  the  A'irgiuia  legis- 
lature. Referring  to  the  persistent  efforts  of 
leading  secessionists  to  intimidate  the  Union 
settlement,  on  April  6th  the  Chronicle  fearlessly 
condemned  the  fanaticism  of  secession  as  viti- 
ating the  moral  sense  of  society  in  all  classes ; 
and  further  reviewing  the  violent  measures 
threatened  from  Richmond,  the  Chronicle  as- 
sumed that  the  people  of  West  Virginia  would 
not  suffer  themselves,  by  any  means  whatever, 
to  be  coercetl  out  of  the  Union,  or  be  compelled 

,  to  fight  the  battles  of  those  who  were  seeking 

I  to  oppress  her,  without  a  struggle.  Herein 
was  foreshadowed  the  formation  of  a  public 
sentiment  which  bore  its  legitimate  fruits  a  lit- 
tle farther  on  in  time,  in  the  division  of  the 
old  State  of  Virginia.  George  Row  again  ar- 
gued that  in  the  Secession  action  of  the  State 
government  was  the  hope  of  West  Virginia ; 
that  western  Virginia  being  the  only  loyal  part 
of  the  State,  upon  her  devolved  all  the  respon- 
sibility of  the  government  and  the  election  of 
officers  by  the  sovereign. people  in  convention 
assembled,  and  supported  his  position  by  a 
lengthy  and  able  argument.  On  June  29, 1861, 
George  Row  strictly  advanced  and  advocated 
the  importance  of  a  division  of  the  State.  He 
.said  :  "  The  question  is  an  important  one,  and 
the  dissimilarity  of  interests  in  the  eastern  and 
western  sections  demand  for  it  very  grave  con- 
siderations." ..."  For  a  long  while  the  basis 


142 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


of  representation  and  the  discrimination  in  the 
rates  of  taxation  in  favor  of  property  in  slaves 
which  are  in  favor  of  east  Virginia  have  been 
just  causes  of  complaint  on  the  part  of  the  peo- 
ple of  western  Virginia.  The  east,  having  the 
power,  lost  no  opportunity  of  securing  her  own 
aggrandizement  by  liberal  appropriations,  while 
the  interests  of  the  west  have  suffered  detriment 
from  neglect."  ..."  The  State  debt  has  accu- 
mulated, and  the  legislature  has  attempted  to 
force  a  new  and  weightier  wrong  upon  us :  we 
are  ordered  to  aid  with  our  lives  and  our  for- 
tunes to  destroy  the  government  of  our  fathers, 
by  setting  up  treason  and  rebellion  in  our 
midst.  Forbearance  has  ceased  to  be  a  virtue, 
and  the  people  of  the  west,  not  willing  to  be 
made  tools  in  this  new  infamy,  are  urging  a 
division  of  .the  State." 

The  editors  of  The  Kingioood  Chronicle  ac- 
tively bore  their  part,  and  by  their  independent 
course  and  decided  utterance,  exercised  a  wide 
and  positive  influence  in  keeping  the  western 
counties  of  western  Virginia  in  the  Union  line, 
and  establishing  the  new  State  of  West  Vir- 
ginia. The  perils  of  the  times,  the  unsettled 
condition  of  business  and  threatened  Confeder- 
ate raids  into  Preston  county  were  fatal  to  all 
newspaper  enterprises  there  during  the  first  two 
years  of  the  late  war,  and  in  1862  the  Row 
Brothers  were  compelled  to  stop  the  publication 
of  their  paper  for  the  want  of  pecuniary  sup- 
port. While  at  Kiugwood,  George  Kow  was 
instrumental  in  securing  for  the  Unionists  of 
Preston  county  a  large  stock  of  arms  and  am- 
munition, which  had  been  stored  in  the  court- 
house at  King  wood  by  order  of  Gov.  Henry 
A.  Wise,  of  Virginia,  soon  after  the  John 
Brown  raid.  George  Row  first  suggested  the 
seizure  of  these  arms  to  the  Union  men  of 
Kingwood,  and  none  too  soon  ;  for,  as  was  af- 
terwards learned,  a  Confederate  force  had  been 
sent  on  the  preceding  Friday  from  Phillippi, 
with  wagons  to  carry  away  these  military  stores. 
Their  instructions  were  to  be  at  Kingwood  on 


Sunday  night,  May  12,  1861.  But  heavy  rains 
and  storm  impeded  their  progress,  so  that  they 
did  not  arrive  on  time  (intending,  however,  to 
fulfill  their  mission  on  the  succeeding  night), 
and  thus  failed  to  secure  the  much  coveted  and 
highly  valuable  prize.  Upon  learning  the  facts, 
Gov.  Letcher,  as  commander-in-chief  of  the 
Virginia  military,  issued  an  order  for  the  arrest 
of  George  and  Amos  Row,  and  some  half-dozen 
others  who  had  participated  in  taking  the  arms  ; 
but  the  order  was  never  executed. 

In  1862  Mr.  Row  returned  to  Indiana,  where 
he  assumed  charge  of  the  Register,  which  had 
lost  prestige  and  influence  with  the  republicans 
on  account  of  criticising  some  of  the  influential 
leaders  of  that  party.  He  soon  won  the  entire 
confidence  and  full  support  of  the  Indiana  re- 
publicans, and  successfully  conducted  the  paper 
until  1870.  Three  years  later  he  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  has  served  as  such 
ever  since.  In  1888  he  formefl  a  partnership 
with  John  W.  Books  in  the  real  estate  and  col- 
lection business,  under  the  firm-name  of  Row 
&  Books.  They  occupy  rooms  in  the  Stadt- 
miller  building,  and  buy,  sell  and  lease  real 
estate,  besides  giving  prompt  attention  to  the 
collecHon  of  rents  and  accounts. 

On  April  20,  1866,  George  Row  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Phebe  E.  Brooks,  daughter 
of  John  J.  Brooks,  of  New  York,  and  sister  to 
the  distinguished  and  courteous  Edward  Brooks, 
A.M.,  author  of  Brooks'  arithmetics,  algebras, 
geometry  and  mental  science.  Mrs.  Row  passed 
away  January  30,  1878,  and  left  one  child, — 
Rose  Miniam,  who  married  F.  J.  Neeson,  of 
William-sport,  Pa.,  and  died  December  20, 1889, 
leaving  two  children, — Phebe  A.  and  Thomas 
F.  Neeson. 

He  is  a  republican,  but  is  liberal  in  his  po- 
litical views.  As  an  editor,  he  followed  in  the 
footsteps  of  his  father,  and  was  unswerving  in 
his  fealty  to  the  principles  and  interests  of  the 
Republican  party.  As  a  magistrate,  his  effi- 
ciency has  been  endorsed  by  his  successive  re- 


INDIANA  COUNTY. 


143 


elections,  and  as  a  business  man,  his  success  is 
attested  by  his  large  patronage. 


"PRANKLIN  SANSOM.  A  vigorous  and 
J-  enterprising  weekly  journal  of  Indiana  is 
the  Indiana  Democrat,  whose  motto  is,  "  Tiie 
Union  and  equality  of  States."  It  is  the  only 
democratic  paper  published  in  Indiana  county, 
and  its  energetic  editor,  Franklin  Sansom,  has 
lal)ored  faithfully  in  making  it  a  first-class 
newspaper  of  power  and  influence.  He  was 
born  at  McConnellsburg,  Fulton  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, August  8,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of  James 
B.  and  Sarah  (Leander)  Sansom,  both  natives 
of  Bedford  county,  this  State.  His  paternal 
great-grandfatlier,  William  Sansom,  was  born 
in  England,  and  came  to  Pennsylvania  psior  to 
the  commencement  of  the  present  century.  Two 
of  his  sons  were  Rev.  James  G.  and  John 
Philip  Sansom,  the  grandfather  of  Franklin 
Sansom.  Rev.  James  G.  Sansom,  a  native  of 
Philadelphia,  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Meth- 
oflisra  in  Indiana  county,  organized  the  first 
M.  E.  class  at  Indiana,  in  1831,  was  a  popular 
and  highly  respected  minister  throughout  the 
county,  and  served  for  many  years  as  presiding 
elder  of  the  Indiana  circuit,  which  embraced  a 
large  area  of  territory.  John  Sansom  (grand- 
father) was  reared  in  eastern  Pennsylvania  and 
died  in  Bedford  county  in  1859.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Pizel,  daughter  of  Philip  Pizel,  who 
came  from  Germany,  and  after  residing  some 
time  ill  Bedford  county  removed  to  York,  Pa., 
where  he  died.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Pizel)  Sansom 
was  born  in  Bedford  county,  April  1 7, 1800,  and 
altliough  now  in  the  ninety-first  year  of  her  age 
is  in  good  health,  with  all  her  faculties  unim- 
paired. She  is  the  mother  of  fen  children,  of 
whom  five  are  living  :  Andrew,  Philip,  Joseph, 
Amanda  and  Martha,  the  wife  of  W.  S. 
Daugherty.  James  B.  Sansom  (father)  was 
born  in  1825  and  died  September  1,  1885,  when 
in  the  sixtieth  year  of  his  age.     In  1852  he 


founded  the  Fulton  Oounty  Democrat,  and  four 
years  later  was  appointed  postmaster  at  McCon- 
nellsburg, by  President  Buchanan.  He  was 
elected  treasurer  of  Fulton  county  ;  afterwards 
served  as  sergeant-at-arms  of  the  Pennsylvania 
legislature,  and  was,  during  his  entire  life,  an 
influential  and  unswerving  democrat.  He  was 
a  prominent  Free  Maison  and  Odd  Fellow.  In 
1862  he  came  to  Indiana,  where,  on  the  4th  of 
May  of  that  year,  he  issued  the  first  number  of 
the  present  Indiana  Democrat.  The  fii-st  press 
and  type  used  in  the  office  came  from  the  Moun- 
tain Echo  office,  of  Johnstown,  Pa.  On  May 
1,  1871,  he  associated  with  him  his  son,  Frank- 
lin, and  the  firm  of  J.  B.  Sansom  &  Son  con- 
tinued until  Mr.  Sansom's  death,  since  which 
time  the  paper  has  been  owned  by  his  widow 
and  son,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Mr. 
Sansom  at  his  death  left  a  widow,  five  sous 
and  one  daughter.  His  widow  is  a  daughter 
of  William  Leander,  who  was  a  prosperous 
German  farmer  of  Bedford  county. 

Franklin  Sansom  was  chiefly  reared  at  In- 
diana, and  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  place  and  Indiana  academy. 
Leaving  school,  he  became  a  partner  with  his 
father  in  the  newspaper  business,  and  since  the 
death  of  the  latter,  in  1885,  he  has  been  editor 
and  publisher  of  the  Indiana  Democrat. 

On  July  2,  1876,  he  married  Catharine  Metz, 
who  was  a  daughter  of  Peter  A.  Metz,  of 
Indiana,  and  died  July  14,  1879,  leaving 
two  children  :  James  B.  and  Mary  Edna. 

The  Iruliana  Democrat  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful under  Mr.  Sansom's  charge ;  has  nearly 
thirteen  hundred  subscribei-s  and  circulates  over 
a  wide  area  of  territory.  It  is  a  folio  in  form, 
with  eight  columns  to  the  page,  and  filled  with 
brief  but  forcible  editorials,  current  news,  both 
local  and  general,  and  carefully  selected  miscel- 
lany. It  is  published  every  Thursday  on 
Church  street  near  the  railroad  depot,  and  its 
subscription  price  is  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents 
per  year.     The  Indiana  Democrat  is  continu- 


144 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


ally  increasing  in  influence  and  power,  both  in 
and  outside  of  the  Democratic  party,  whose 
principles  it  always  earnestly  advocates,  and 
ever  resolutely  defends. 


JOHN  A.  SCOTT.  The  bar  of  Indiana  has 
^  many  successful  young  lawyers  who  are 
destined  to  make  the  future  legal  reputation  of 
the  place  equal  to  its  present  well-earned  fame 
in  the  field  of  the  law,  and  one  of  these 
promising  young  attorneys  is  John  A.  Scott,  the 
present  well-known  and  able  prothonotary  of 
Indiana  county.  He  is  a  son  of  Thomas  J.  and 
Sarah  A.  (Anderson)  Scott,  and  was  born  at 
Clarksburg,  Indiana  county,  Peunsylvania, 
September  2,  1858.  The  Scotts  are  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent.  John  Scott  (paternal  grand- 
father) was  a  native  of  Huntingdon  county,  Pa., 
from  which  he  removed  about  1830  to  Burrell 
township,  where  he  followed  farming  for  many 
years  and  died  in  1859,  aged  sixty-five  years. 
Of  his  children,  one  was  Thomas  J.  Scott 
(father),  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Burrell 
township.  He  was  in  the  general  mercantile 
business  for  many  years  at  Clarksburg  and  is 
now  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  the  prothonotary's 
office.  He  married  Sarah  A.  Anderson,  who 
was  born  and  reared  in  Young  township.  They 
are  both  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Anderson,  who 
was  a  native  of  Mercer  county,  this  State,  and 
came  to  Young  township  about  1824.  He  ran 
a  pottery  in  connection  with  his  farm.  After 
some  years'  residence  in  this  county  he  purchased 
a  grist-mill  at  Clarksburg,  which  he  operated 
sucessfully  for  many  years.  He  was  a  strong 
presbyterian,  a  pronounced  republican  and  died  , 
in  1879,  aged  eighty  years.  The  Andersons  , 
are  of  Scotch-Irish  descent. 

John  A.  Scott  was  reared  principally  at 
Clarksburg,  in  Conemaugh  township.  His 
rudimentary  education  was  received  in  the  com- 
mon  schools.     He  fitted   for  college  at  Elder's 


Ridge  academy  and  entered  Washington  and 
Jefferson  college,  from  which  well-known  edu- 
cational institution  he  was  graduated  July  1, 
1879.  After  graduating  he  taught  for  one  year 
at  Elder's  Ridge  academy,  then  became  a 
teacher  in  the  Johnstown  grammar  school,  and 
after  serving  for  one  year  in  that  capacity  he 
was  electal  principal  of  the  Johnstown  high 
school,  which  position  he  left  in  one  ye&v  in 
order  to  give  his  undivided  attention  to  the 
study  of  law.  He  commenced  reading  with 
Hon.  Silas  M.  Clark  and  upon  the  election  of 
the  latter  to  the  Supreme  Bench  of  the  State  he 
completed  the  required  course  with  Hon.  George 
W.  Hood  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
Indiana  county,  December  19, 1884.  For  three 
years  after  his  admission  he  practiced  his  pro- 
fession, at  Indiana.  He  was  then  elected  pro- 
thonotary and  clerk  of  quarter  sessions  and 
oyer  and  terminer,  took  charge  of  that  office  on 
January  2,  1888,  and  has  faithfully  discharged 
all  of  its  duties  ever  since.  In  1890  he  was  re- 
nominated by  the  republicans  of  Indiana  county 
for  prothonotary,  which  is  equivalent  to  election, 
as  the  county  is  republican,  and  Mr.  Scott  has 
conducted  the  business  of  his  office  in  a  very 
.satisfactory  and  commendable  manner  to  the 
public. 

In  politics  John  A.  Scott  has  always  been  a 
republican  and  one  who  ever  worked  vigorously 
in  behalf  of  the  political  principles  which  he 
advocated.  In  1886  he  served  as  chairman  of 
the  county  republican  committee  and  did  his 
work  so  well  that  his  party  rewarded  his  many 
efficient  services  with  an  election  as  prothonotary. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Improved  Order  of 
Heptasophs,  and  takes  an  interest  in  whatever 
tends  to  the  advancement  of  Indiana  borough 
and  county. 


DAVID   W.  SIMPSON,  the  present  favor- 
ably known  deputy  sheriff  of  Indiana  county 
and  a  man  of  considerable  business  experience, 


INDUNA   COUNTY. 


14-5 


was  born  in  Kittanning  township,  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylania,  November  24,  1858,  and 
is  a  son  of  Tliomas  and  Ann  (Gray)  Simpson. 
His  grandfatiier,  Rev.  John  Simpson,  came  in 
1829  from  England  to  Armstrong  county,  where 
he  purcha.sed  a  farm  and  was  for  many  years 
an  active  minister  of  the  M.  E.  church.  Thomas 
Simpson  (father)  was  born  in  England,  and 
when  twelve  years  of  age  (1830)  came  with  his 
brother  William  (but  fourteen  years  of  age)  to 
New  York.  He  soon  went  to  reside  with  an 
uncle  in  the  interior  of  the  State.  He  learned 
the  trade  of  butchering  and  in  a  few  years  re- 
moved to  Armstrong  county,  this  State,  where 
he  followed  farming  until  1873.  In  that  year 
he  came  to  White  township  where  he  purchased 
a  farm,  which  he  tilled  until  1884,  when  he  re- 
tired from  active  life.  He  then  removed  to 
Indiana,  where  he  has  resided  ever  since.  He 
is  a  republican,  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church 
and  a  man  who  enjoys  the  respect  and  good-will 
of  his  neighbors.  He  was  born  in  1818,  and 
in  1843  married  Ann  Gray,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  William  Gray,  of  Armstrong  county,  and  died 
April  12,  1865,  when  in  the  fortieth  year  of  her 
age. 

D.  W.  Simpson  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Armstrong  county  until  he  was  fourteen 
years  of  age.  He  then  came  with  his  father  to 
this  county.  He  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  was  continuously  engaged  in 
farming  until  1880,  when  he  left  the  farm  to  ac- 
cept the  position  of  a  clerk  in  the  Indiana  county 
co-operative  store.  He  remained  with  that  com- 
pany for  one  year  and  then  embarked  in  the  gen- 
eral mercantile  business  which  he  followed  with 
good  success  for  four  years.  He  then  disposed 
of  his  store  and  was  employed  for  six  months  as 
a  clerk  in  a  liardware  store  at  Kittanning,  Arm- 
strong county.  For  the  next  two  years  he  was 
engaged  in  various  lines  of  business.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  (fall  of  1887)  he  became  deputy 
.sheriff  of  Indiana  county  under  James  ^IcGregor, 
who  was  then  sheriff,  and  served  as  such  until 


January  1,  1888,  when  David  C.  Mack  assumed 
charge  of  the  sheriff"'s  office.  He  then  qualified 
as  deputy  sheriff  under  Mr.  Mack  and  haseon- 
tinuetl  to  serve  in  that  capacity  ever  since.  He 
is  active,  attentive  and  diligent  in  the  discharge 
of  his  duties  as  deputy  sheriff  and  allows  noth- 
ing at  any  time  to  di"aw  his  attention  from  his 
business.  During  the  past  three  years  his  posi- 
tion has  been  one  in  which  a  man  would  have 
required  prudence,  judgment  and  no  small 
amount  of  patience  to  be  as  successful  as  Mr. 
Simpson  has  been.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  Palladium  Lodge, 
No.  346,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
Lodge  No.  28,  Knights  of  Honor,  and  Indiana 
Council,  No  260,  Jr.  Order  of  United  American 
Mechanics.  Although  an  active  and  energetic 
republican,  yet  he  is  not  an  obtrusive  politician. 
November  10,  1882,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Zenia  Kingliorn,  daughter  of  Alexander 
Kinghorn,  of  White  township.  They  have 
two  children :  Viola  H.  and  Jennet  G. 


HON.  HANNIBAL  K.  SLOAN.  An  emi- 
nent American  author  justly  observes 
that  "  it  is  the  peculiar  felicity  of  our  republi- 
can institutions  that  they  throw  no  impediment 
in  the  career  of  merit  but  the  competition  of 
rival  abilities."  Among  the  many  men  of  note 
in  Indiana  county,  who  illustrate  the  truth  of 
this  sentiment,  is  State  Senator  Hannibal  K. 
Sloan,  an  able  lawyer  and  a  man  of  fine  mili- 
tarv  record  and  extended  political  influence. 
He  is  a  son  of  James  M.  and  Margaret  (Kelly) 
Sloan,  and  was  born  in  the  borough  of  Indiana, 
Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  September  4, 
1838.  The  Sloans  in  the  United  States  trace 
their  ancestry  to  England,  when  Charles  I.  .sat 
upon  the  throne  of  Great  Britain.  After  the 
execution  of  that  unhappy  monarch,  and  some 
time  during  the  period  that  Oliver  Cromwell 
held  within  his  grasp  the  supreme  power  of 
Europe's  mighty   island-empire,  several  mem- 


146 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


bers  of  the  Sloau  family  sought  for  a  home  in 
Ireland.  In  the  course  of  time  two  of  their 
descendants — brothers — came  to  the  new  world, 
and  one  settled  in  the  royal  province  of  New 
Jersey,  while  the  other,  the  great-great-grand- 
father of  Hannibal  K.  Sloan,  located  in  the 
land  of  Penn.  From  these  two  brothers,  whose 
names  live  not  in  history  nor  survive  in  tradi- 
tion, have  descended  the  numerous  and  thrifty 
Sloan  families  of  the  United  States.  The 
grandson  of  the  founder  of  the  Pennsylvania 
branch  of  the  Sloan  family  was  Lieutenant 
Walter  Sloan  (grandfather),  who  was  born  in 
Cumberland  county,  this  State,  in  1780.  He 
came,  in  1794,  to  Armstrong  county,  where  he 
enlisted,  in  1812,  in  Capt.  James  Alexander's 
company  of  infantry  as  first  lieutenant.  After 
the  war  of  1812  he  kept  a  hotel  at  Kittanning 
for  some  length  of  time,  and  then  engaged  ex- 
tensively, for  that  day,  in  farming  and  in  op- 
erating a  flouring  and  saw-mill.  After  a  long 
life  of  activity,  purpose  and  usefulness,  he  died 
July  1,  1867,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-six 
years.  In  1811  he  married  Margaret  Mateer, 
who  was  born  in  Cumberland  county,  and  passed 
away  October  3,  1820.  They  had  four  childran, 
one  of  whom  was  James  M.  Sloan  (father).  He 
was  born  at  Kittanning,  in  1813,  and  in  1835 
he  came  to  Indiana,  where  he  kept  a  hotel, 
operated  a  flouring-mill  and  managed  a  large 
farm.  He  died  May  26,  1878,  when  he  was 
in  the  sixty-fifth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  an  un- 
swerving democrat,  and  filled  nearly  all  of  the 
borough  offices  of  Indiana.  He  was  a  useful 
and  well-informed  man,  and  possessed  many 
virtues  which  were  worthy  of  emulation.  On 
August  31,  1837,  he  married  Margaret  Kelly, 
who  was  born  in  White  township,  in  1815, 
and  died  in  1884,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two 
years.  Mrs.  Margaret  Sloan  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Major  Meek  Kelly  (born  in  Frank- 
lin county,  in  1770),  a  son  of  James  Kelly, 
a    pioneer  settler    of    this  county  and   a  sol- 


'  dier  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Major  Meek 
i  Kelly  died  in  1843,  aged  sixty  years.  He  was 
a  very  prominent  and  influential  man  during 
his  day,  held  many  public  offices,  and  served  as 
a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  State  Senate 
from  1834  to  1838.  His  wife  was  Jane  Moor- 
head,  daughter  of  Fergus  Moorhead,  the  well- 
known  old  pioneer  of  Indian  fame,  who  set- 
tled on  the  site  of  Indiana,  in  1772. 

Hannibal  K.  Sloan  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Indiana  and  Indiana  acad- 
emy. He  learned  the  trade  of  machinist,  which 
he  followed  until  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age, 
when  he  commenced  the  study  of  law  with 
Hon.  H.  W.  Wier,  wdio  was  chief  justice  of 
Idaho  under  Cleveland's  administration.  In 
1861  he  left  his  legal  studies  and  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  a  company  which  afterwards  became 
Co.  B,  of  the  famous  11th  Pennsylvania  Re- 
serves. He  was  made  second  lieutenant,  then 
promoted  to  first  lieutenant,  and  commissioned 
captain  on  December  13,  1862.  He  command- 
ed the  company  from  that  date  until  it  was 
discharged  at  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  June  13,  1864. 
Captain  Sloan  participated  and  led  his  company 
in  all  the  battles  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
from  Gaines'  Mill  to  the  Wilderness  battles. 
Returning  home,  he  resumed  his  legal  studies 
and  was  admitted  to  the  Indiana  bar  in  Septem- 
ber, 1867.  He  opened  an  office  and  has  continued 
in  the  successful  practice  of  his  profession  ever 
since.  In  1870  he  was  elected,  as  a  democrat, 
to  the  House  of  Representatives  of  Pennsylva- 
nia from  the  republican  county  of  Indiana.  In 
1888  his  ability  to  overcome  party  lines  and 
rally  voters  of  all  shades  of  political  opinion  to 
his  support,  was  again  demonstrated  by  his 
election  to  the  State  Senate  from  the  Thirty- 
seventh  Senatorial  District,  which  is  composed 
of  the  counties  of  Indiana  and  Jefferson,  and  is 
strongly  republican.  He  has  held  all  of  the 
offices  of  his  borough,  to  which  he  has  always 
been  elected  independent  of  political  considera- 
tion.    He  is  a  member  of  Indiana  Lodge,  No. 


IXDIAXA   COUNTY. 


147 


313,  F.  and  A.  M.,  Indiana  Post,  No.  28,  G. 
A.  R.,  Eucarapraeut  No.  11,  U.  V.  L.,  and 
the  I.  O.  H.  In  1869,  he  married  Loretta 
F.  Bonner,  daughter  of  Manassas  Bonner,  of 
Westmoreland  county,  this  State.  They  have 
six  children  :  Bert,  Maggie  R.,  Kate,  James  B., 
Geneva  and  Hope  I. 

Hannibal  K.  Sloan  is  a  man  of  fine  personal 
appearance,  over  six  feet  in  height,  straight  as 
an  arrow  and  martial-looking.  He  is  promi- 
nent in  Grand  Army  circles  and  is  recognized  as 
one  of  the  strong  land  lawyers  of  the  State,  and 
a  power  in  the  politics  of  western  Pennsylvania. 
A  prominent  paper  of  southwestern  Pennsyl- 
vania thus  records  the  expressed  opinion  of  him 
in  that  section  as  follows:  "Senator  Sloan  is  a 
gentleman  of  solid  sense,  broad  intelligence  and 
much  experience  in  parliamentary  bodies.  Both 
his  public  and  private  life  are  without  stain, 
and  he  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  truest  friends 
of  the  agricultural  and  laboring  classes.  He  is 
aifable  and  unassuming,  and  meets  men  of  high 
degree  or  humble  station  with  equal  cordiality 
and  respect.  No  other  name  than  his  could  be 
placed  on  the  democratic  standard  of  the  State 
from  western  Pennsylvania  that  would  draw  to 
it  a  stronger  independent  republican  and  soldier 
support." 


ROBERT  M.SMITH, a  skilled  photographer 
and  one  of  the  enterprising  citizens  of 
Indiana,  is  a  son  of  Samuel  T.  and  Mary  (Mc- 
Gough)  Smith,  and  was  born  in  Young  town- 
ship, Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  August  27, 
1858.  His  great-grandfather.  Judge  James 
Smith,  was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  came  to  this 
country  with  his  wife  and  children  in  1772. 
He  settled  in  what  is  now  Armstrong  township, 
at  a  time  when  wolves  and  bears  still  abounded 
in  that  section.  Here  .Tudge  Smith  engaged  in 
farming  until  1806,  when  he  was  elected  one  of 
the   first  two  associate  judges  of    the   county. 


Judge  Smith  was  also  a  member  of  the  first 
board  of  trusteesof  Indianaacademy  when  it  was 
incorporated.  He  died  in  1849,  aged  ninety- 
three  years.  His  son,  William  Smith  (grand- 
father), was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  followed 
farming  in  Armstrong  township.  He  filled  the 
office  of  county  commissioner  during  1840  and 
1841.  He  was  an  old-line  whig  and  married 
Mary  Miller,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children. 
William  Smith  was  a  leading  elder  in  tiie  West 
Uniou  United  Presbyterian  church.  His  son, 
Samuel  T.  Smith  (father),  was  a  native  of 
Young  township,  Indiana  county,  and  was  an 
enterprising  farmer.  He  was  an  elder  in  the 
West  Union  United  Presbyterian  church.  He 
was  an  energetic  man,  and  much  respected  in  the 
township.  He  died  in  1879,  in  the  fifty-first 
year  of  his  age.  He  married  Mary  McGough, 
who  was  born  at  Indiana,  in  1836,  and  is 
a  member  of  the  U.  P.  church.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  McGough,  a  native  of 
Scotland,  who  taught  school  for  many  years  at 
Saltsburg,  where  he  died. 

Robert  M.  Smith  was  born  on  his  father's 
farm  and  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  and  the  State  Normal  school  at  Indiana. 
Leaving  school,  he  learned  the  art  of  photog- 
raphy with  T.  B.  Clark  and  in  1888  opened 
his  present  gallery  on  the  corner  of  First  and 
Philadelphia  streets.  Strictly  honorable  in  all 
his  business  dealings  and  desirous  of  pleasing 
his  customers,  he  has  met  with  good  success. 
He  deals  in  picture  frames,  albums,  easels  and 
many  other  needed  articles.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  and  stands 
well  with  all  who  know  him. 


ZX.  SNYDER,  M.S.,  Ph.D.  Of  the  leading 
•  educators  of  this  State,  none  have  secured, 
so  speedily  and  so  universally,  such  esteemed 
recognition  in  the  wide  field  of  their  profession 
asDr.  Z.  X.  Snyder.      He  is  a  sound,  practical 


148 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


and  advancetl  educator  of  to-day  and  president  of 
Indiana  State  Normal  school,  at  Indiana,  Penn- 
sylvania. He  was  born  at  Reagantown,  East 
Huntingdon  township,  AYestmorelaud  county, 
Pa.,  August  31, 1850,  and  is  a  son  of  Daniel  and 
Catherine  (Reagan)  Snyder.  His  paternal 
great-grandfather,  Snyder,  was  a  native  of 
Prussia,  who  settled  in  New  Jersey  and  served  as 
a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Some  time 
after  the  Independence  of  the  thirteen  colonies 
had  been  acknowledged  by  Great  Britain,  he  re- 
moved to  Westmoreland  county,  where  he  pur- 
chased a  flouring  mill  which  stood  on  the  site 
of  the  present  borough  of  Scottdale.  His  chil- 
dren were:  John,  Nicholas,  Peter,  Gasper  and 
Elizabeth.  Peter  Snyder  (grandfather)  was 
born  in  1792,  married  Catherine  Bothers  and 
removed  to  Franklin  township,  Fayette  county, 
whei'e  he  died  December  25,  1857.  Eight  sons 
and  two  daughters  were  born  to  Peter  and 
Catherine  Snyder,  and  the  fifth  son,  Daniel  Sny- 
der (father),  was  born  in  September,  1824.  In 
1848  Daniel  Snyder  removed  to  East  Hunting- 
don township,  Westmoreland  county,  where  he 
purchased  a  farm  and  has  been  engaged  in  farm- 
ing ever  since.  He  married  Catherine  Reagan, 
daughter  of  Alexander  Reagan,  whose  father 
was  Philip  Reagan  (name  originally  written 
MacReagan),  a  native  of  Westmoreland  county 
who  lived  to  be  one  hundred  and  six  years  of 
age.  Philip  Reagan  (maternal  great-grand- 
father) was  a  man  of  prominence  and  great  cour- 
age. He  was  a  conspicuous  character  in  the 
Whiskey  Insurrection — the  first  rebelliou 
against  the  government  of  the  United  States. 
In  June,  1794,  he  was  appointed  as  a  revenue 
collector  and  was  threatened  with  violence  by 
the  "Whiskey  Boys."  He  converted  his  house 
into  a  block-house  and  withstood  several  night 
attacks.  Finally  one  hundred  and  fifty  insur- 
gents attacked  his  house  and  he  was  compelled, 
after  a  gallant  defence,  to  surrender,  but  made 
his  escape  from  them  during  the  ensuing  night. 
Z.  X.  Snyder  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm 


and  attended  the  common  schools  until  he  was 
nineteen  years  of  age,  when  he  entered  Mt. 
Pleasant  institute,  where  he  spent  two  years  in 
fitting  for  college.  In  1872  he  entered  Waynes- 
burg  college,  from  which  institution  of  learning 
he  was  graduated  with  the  honors  of  his  class 
in  July,  1876.  In  a  few  months  after  gradua- 
tion he  became  principal  of  the  Wicomisco 
graded  school  in  Dauphin  county.  At  the  end 
of  five  years'  faithful  and  succressful  labor  there 
he  was  called  to  the  chair  of  higher  mathematics 
and  natural  history  in  his  alma  mater.  After 
one  year  of  pleasant  and  profitable  labor  in 
Waynesburg  college.  Prof.  Snyder  resigned  in 
order  to  go  to  Scottdale,  Pa.,  where  his  interests 
in  a  hardware  eslablishraent  demanded  his  per- 
sonal attention,  and  while  a  citizen  of  that  place 
he  was  elected  and  served  as  a  member  of  the 
borough  school  board.  In  1883  he  was  elected 
principal  of  the  Greensburg  public  schools.  For 
four  years  he  labored  earnestly  and  arduously 
in  building  up  the  Greensburg  schools,  and  left 
them  when  in  a  very  prosperous  condition,  in 
1887,  to  accept  the  superintendency  of  the  schools 
of  the  city  of  Reading.  He  there  succeeded  the 
celebrated  Dr.  Thomas  Balliett.  He  instituted 
valuable  reforms  in  the  Reading  .schools,  which 
made  him  known  all  over  the  country  and  in- 
ti'oduced  into  them  those  methods  of  culture  and 
instruction  which  have  made  his  name  prominent 
in  connection  with  graded  school  work  in  every 
State  of  the  Union.  In  1889  he  resigned  as 
superintendent  of  the  Reading  schools  to  accept 
the  presidency  of  the  Indiana  State  Normal 
school,  and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  that  im- 
portant and  responsible  position  on  September  1, 
1889.  Under  his  administration  the  school  has 
gained  both  in  prestige  and  numerical  strength. 
The  school  now  requires  a  corps  of  seventeen 
teachers  in  winter  and  nineteen  in  summer,  while 
the  enrollment  of  students  last  year  ran  up  to 
seven  hundred  and  fifty-six.  Calm,  deliberate 
and  methodical.  Dr.  Snyder  has  bronglit  to  the 
management   of   the    Indiana     Normal   school 


JL 

c 

s 

# 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


151 


goveruiug  qualities  of  a  higii  order  and  a  quiet 
firmness  that  is  felt  in  every  department;  whilst 
his  close  personal  supervision  is  keeping  it  true 
to  both  the  letter  and  the  spirit  of  Normal  edu- 
cation. Besides  educational  work,  he  has  de- 
voted much  time  to  the  sciences:  1,  a  collec- 
tion of  the  birds  of  Pennsylvania ;  2,  a  collection 
of  the  insects,  plants,  minerals  and  many  mam- 
mals, etc. 

"To  fitly  describe  this  model  institution  as 
we  see  it  and  as  its  hi.story  has  been  given  us 
would  far  exceed  the  limits  of  this  article,  and 
therefore  but  the  merest  outline  must  suffice. 
The  school  building  is  one  of  the  most  striking 
and  attractive  features  of  the  town.  It  is  situ- 
ated close  to  the  town  on  a  beautiful  elevation 
which  commands  a  most  extensive  and  pictur- 
esque view.  The  building  is  constructed  of 
brick,  is  four  stories  high  above  the  basement, 
which  is  of  stone,  is  250  feet  front  and  180  feet 
back  in  three  sections.  The  campus,  or  sur- 
rounding grounds,  comprise  twelve  acres  and 
contain  a  beautiful  natural  grove  of  stately  oaks, 
maples  and  elms,  while  the  ornamental  trees  and 
shrubbery  are  scattered  over  the  lands  in  profu- 
sion, and  flowers  of  every  hue  and  tint,  of  count- 
less varieties,  arranged  in  the  most  tasteful  and 
artistic  manner,  adorn  the  terrace  on  which  the 
building  stands.  The  interior  of  the  building 
is  peculiarly  adapted  to  its  requirements.  From 
the  laboratory  and  highest  class-room  down  to  the 
kitchen  everything  is  perfect.  The  various 
departments  are  all  supplied  with  everything 
necessary  to  comfort  or  to  the  iutellet^tual,  moral 
and  physical  development  of  the  students — at 
least,  everything  that  such  an  institution  ran  pos- 
sibly supply.  The  rooms  are  all  high,  spacious 
and  well  lighted,  the  walls  and  ceilings  frescoed, 
the  furniture  new  and  elegant,  the  dormitories 
neat  and  clean,  and  their  floors  carpeted;  baths, 
lavatories  and  closets  are  located  on  all  the 
floors  and  on  both  sides  of  the  building,  the 
class-rooms  and  laboratory  supplied  with  every 
known  accessory  to  the  teacher's  profession,  and 


the  whole  is  subjected  to  the  most  careful  ar- 
rangement and  supervision.  As  might  be  ex- 
pected from  the  location  of  the  building,  its 
sunny  exposures,  pure  air  and  perfect  sanitary 
arrangements,  the  health  record  of  the  school  is 
remarkable.  But  every  facility  and  inducement 
to  ample  physical  exercise  is  afforded;  indeed, 
the  rules  of  the  school  require  it.  The  building 
is  furnished  with  a  fine  gymnasium  and  several 
ball  alleys,  while  out  under  the  trees  and  on  the 
open  lawns  there  are  four  or  five  lawn  tennis 
courts,  several  croquet,  foot-ball  and  base-ball 
grounds,  with  other  forms  of  amusement  and 
recreation. 

"The  school  was  first  opened  on  the  17th  day 
of  May,  1875,  and  from  that  time  to  this  has 
steadily  increased  in  numbers  and  influence  until 
it  stands  to-day  in  the  very  front  rank  of  the 
normal  schools  of  the  State.  Every  year  of  the 
fifteen  of  its  existence  has  witnessed  a  larger 
enrollment  of  students  than  the  one  preceding 
it.  The  last  annual  catalogue  shows  an  enroll- 
ment of  756.  The  total  attendance  during  the 
history  of  the  school  was  7,327,  of  whom  461 
took  the  full  course  and  graduated.  Of  these,  137 
were  male  and  324  female  students.  Of  these 
graduates,  all  but  twenty-five  became  teachers, 
many  of  them  for  several  years,  while  a  majority 
of  them  are  still  so  engaged.  Sixteen  of  them 
became  professors  in  normal  schools  and  colleges, 
sixty-one  principals  of  graded  and  high  schools 
and  three  of  them  county  superintendents.  In 
other  professions  seven  became  ministers,  eight 
went  out  as  missionaries,  five  entered' editorial 
sanctums,  eleven  studied  medicine  and  thirty- 
two  became  lawyers.  Several  of  the  last  are 
among  the  rising  young  attorneys  of  Pittsburgh. 

"  That  Indiana  is  becoming  a  centre  of  educa- 
tional influence  and  normal-school  training  is 
not  an  accident.  From  its  very  inception  and 
through  all  sacrifices  the  best  citizens  of  the 
town  and  county  have  freely  devoted  their  time 
and  money  to  the  institution.  Among  its  best 
friends  were  John  Sutton  and  Joseph  R.  Smith, 


152 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


widely-known  and  public-spirited  men,  who 
were  part  of  its  board  of  trustees  from  its  first 
organization  until  their  deaths.  Hon.  Silas  M. 
Clark,  of  the  Supreme  Bench  of  the  State,  was 
also  an  original  trustee,  and  is  now  president  of 
the  board." 

In  1874,  Dr.  Snyder  united  in  marriage 
with  Maggie  Estella  Smith,  daughter  of 
James  B.  Smith,  of  Westmoreland  county.  To 
their  union  have  been  born  three  children : 
Laura  Calloway,  Tyndal  E.,  and  Clay  D.,  who 
died  Januaiy  8,  1890,  aged  fifteen  years. 

Dr.  Snyder  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  has  ever  well  performed 
every  duty  of  good  citizenship.  His  present 
field  of  labor  is  one  for  which  he  is  eminently 
fitted.  It  is  a  field  adapted  to  his  genius,  his 
varied  learning,  his  skill  as  an  educator  and  his 
long  experience  as  a  successful  disciplinarian ; 
butitisalsoafieldof  labor  which  leaves  but  little 
repose  for  his  well-prepared  and  vigorous  mind. 
His  ideal  of  education  is  lofty  but  not  impracti- 
cable; he  would  impart  to  a  school  the  character 
of  a  family  and  would  educate  so  as  to  fit  pupils  for 
intelligent  citizenship  and  usefulness  in  life  as 
well  as  for  business  and  professional  success. 
He  has  studied  closely  the  principles  which 
underlie  all  true  processes  of  education  and  has 
made  all  his  educational  methods  follow  the 
order  of  nature.  He  believes  in  the  natural, 
progressive  and  symmetrical  development  of  all 
the  powers  and  the  faculties  of  the  pupil,  and 
bends  all  his  energies  to  the  accomplishment  of 
that  result.  His  success  has  been  highly  grati- 
fying, and  while  a  leader  in  the  new  education, 
the  object  of  which  is  to  give  culture  and  de- 
velop the  power  of  thought,  yet  he  is  never  car- 
ried away  by  enthusiasm  to  the  introduction  or 
use  of  any  new  method  that  has  not  been  care- 
fully tested  and  found  to  be  promotive  of  true 
development.  Dr.  Snyder  as  a  teacher  in  the 
common  schools,  as  a  college  professor,  as  a 
principal  of  graded  schools,  as  superintendent 
of  city  schools  and  as  president  for  the  last  year 


of  one  of  the  largest  and  most  advanced  Normal 
schools  in  the  United  States,  has  had  wide  and 
successful  experience  in  studying  the  needs  of 
our  common  school  system  and  especially  the 
lack  of  properly  qualified  teachers.  By  correct 
normal  training  of  teachers,  he  would  seek  to 
inaugurate  the  reforms  so  much  needed  in  so 
many  of  the  publ  ic  schools.  While  seeking  for 
reforms  in  the  common  schools  he  is  also  active 
in  introducing  needed  and  valuable  improve- 
ments in  normal  school  work.  He  is  a  clo.se 
student,  a  clear  thinker  and  a  forcible  writer  and 
highly  appreciated  are  his  labors  in  behalf  of 
the  normal  school  system,  which  is  a  powerful 
agent  in  the  upbuilding  of  our  national  life. 


D' 


,ANIEL  STANARD  was  the  first  resident 
lawyer  who  located  permanently  at  Indi- 
ana. He  was  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  came 
here,  a  young  lawyer,  in  1807.  He  was  over 
six  feet  in  height,  erect  and  of  commanding 
presence.  His  fine  appearance  would  arrest 
attention  anywhere.  Although  his  early  educa- 
tion was  limited,  by  study  and  application  he 
became  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence 
on  most  subjects. 

"  He  was  a  .successful  practitioner  of  the  law 
up  till  1836,  when  he  retired  from  active  prac- 
tice, and  died  March  4,  1867,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-five  years." 


HON.  THOMAS  ST.  CLAIR,  M.D.  Among 
the  many  sons  of  Indiana  county  whose 
talents,  opinions  and  public  services  have 
made  them  eminent  in  civil  affairs,  none  are 
better  or  more  favorably  known  for  ability  and 
integrity  than  Ex-Senator  Thomas  St.  Clair, 
one  of  the  public  men  and  leading  physicians 
of  western  Pennsylvania.  He  is  a  son  of 
James  and  Jennie  (Slemmons)  St.  Clair,  and 
was  born  in  what  is  now  White  township.  In- 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


155 


diana  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  5, 1824.  Sen- 
ator St.  Clair  is  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  and  is 
a  descendant  of  the  St.  Clair  family  of  Scot- 
land, which  was  founded  in  the  middle  ages  by 
Sir  Walderne  de  St.  Clair,  a  Norman  knight, 
who  married  Margaret,  daughter  of  Richard, 
Duke  of  Normandy.  Their  second  sou,  Wil- 
liam, settled  in  Scotland,  and  one  of  his  de- 
scendants, William  St.  Clair,  became  prince  of 
the  Orkneys,  under  the  King  of  Norway,  and 
High  Chancellor  of  Scotland  under  the  Royal 
house  of  Bruce.  In  1741  the  St.  Claii-s  ex- 
changed their  lofty  title  and  island  domains  for 
the  earldom  of  Caithness,  which  they  still  hold 
under  the  Anglicized  name  of  Sinclair.  Two 
of  the  descendants  of  one  of  these  earls,  through 
a  younger  son,  were  Gen.  Arthur  St.  Clair, 
president  of  the  Continental  Congress  in  1787, 
and  commander-in-chief  of  the  armies  of  the 
United  States  in  1791,  and  his  cousin,  James 
St.  Clair,  Sr.,  a  Revolutionary  soldier  and 
grandfather  of  Ex-Senator  Thomas  St.  Clair. 
James  St.  Clair,  Sr.,  whose  parents  were  natives 
of  the  north  of  Ireland,  was  born  in  1741,  in 
eastern  Pennsylvania,  where  he  owned  a  valu- 
able farm  and  mill,  nine  miles  from  York.  He 
served  throughout  the  Revolutionary  war,  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Miller  and  died  in  York  county  in 
1806,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  One  of 
his  sous  was  James  St.  Clair  (father),  who  was 
born  in  York  (now  Adams)  county.  May  1, 
1774,  and  died  in  Centre  township,  this  county, 
April  8,  1855,  aged  eighty-one  years.  He 
came  to  Brush  Valley  township  in  1809,  and 
subsequently  removed  to  what  is  now  the  north- 
ern part  of  White  township,  where  he  followed 
farming  for  many  years.  He  was  an  old-line 
whig  in  politics,  and  married  Jennie  Slemmons, 
of  Irish  descent.  They  were  the  parents  of 
ten  children.  Mrs.  Jennie  St.  Clair  was  born 
in  Lancaster,  but  reared  in  Washington  county, 
was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and 
passed  away  October  15,  1855,  at  seventy-one 
years  of  age.     She  was  a  daughter  of  William 


Slemmons  (maternal  grandfather),  who  re- 
moved, in  1790,  from  Lancaster  to  Washington 
county,  where  he  fallowed  farming  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1820,  wiien  he  was  in 
the  sixtieth  3'ear  of  his  age.  He  had  received 
appointments  from  the  governor  of  justice  of 
the  peace  continuing  for  thirty  years.  His 
wife  was  a  Miss  Boggs,  by  whom  he  had  seve- 
ral children.  He  was  noted  for  Jiis  great  gen- 
erosity, open-handed  liberality,  scrupulous  hon- 
esty and  warm-hearted  hospitality. 

Thomas  St.  Clair  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  until  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age.  He  re- 
ceived his  literary  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  Indiana  academy.  In  1843,  at 
nineteen  years  of  age,  he  commenced  the  study 
of  medicine  with  the  late  Dr.  John  W.  Jenks, 
of  Punxsutawney,  but  at  the  expiration  of  one 
year  removed  to  Indiana,  where  he  completed 
the  required  course  of  reading  with  Dr.  James 
M.  Stewart.  In  1845  he  entered  Jefferson 
Medical  college,  and  was  graduated  from  that 
well-known  institution  in  1847.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Indiana,  where  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Dr.  Stewart,  which  lasted  for  two  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  (1849)  he  opened  an  office 
for  himself,  and  has  practiced  there  as  a  physi- 
cian and  surgeon  continuously  and  successfully 
ever  since.  He  was  the  first  surgeon  west  of 
the  Allegheny  mountains,  in  Penn.sylvania,  who 
ever  successfully  i-emoved  an  ovarian  tumor. 
The  first  tumor  of  this  kind  which  he  removed 
weighed  forty  pounds,  and  since  then  he  has 
performed  this  operation  fourteen  times,  and  in 
every  case  successfully.  He  has  been  a  mem- 
ber and  steward  of  the  M.  E.  church  for  the 
last  five  years.  He  has  served  his  borough  as 
a  member  of  its  council,  and  was  president  of 
the  Indiana  County  Agricultural  society  for 
three  years.  His  political  career  commenced 
in  1864,  when  he  was  elected  by  the  Republi- 
can party  as  State  Senator  from  the  Thirty- 
seventh  Senatorial  District  of  Pennsylvania, 
composed  of  the  counties  of  Indiana  and  Arm- 


156 


BIOOBAPHIES  OF 


strong.  In  1876  he  was  re-elected  from 
the  Thirty-seventh  district,  then  composed  of 
the  counties  of  Indiana  and  Jefferson,  and 
again  served  as  a  member  of  tlie  State  Senate 
from  1877  to  1880.  During  his  entire  service 
in  that  distinguished  body  he  carefully  guarded 
and  faithfully  advocated  the  interests  of  his 
constituents  of  all  parties,  and  upon  questions 
of  State  and  national  character  always  favored 
a  conservative  but  yet  firm  and  honorable 
course  of  action. 

Senator  St.  Clair  was  married  on  February 
24,  1848,  to.  Charlotte  D.  Patton,  who  was  a 
daughter  of  John  Patton,  and  who  died  in  June, 
1868.  On  March  30,  1869,  he  married  for  his 
second  wife,  Sarah,  daughter  of  Moses  Walker, 
of  Washington  county.  By  his  first  marriage 
he  had  seven  children  :  John  P.,  who  married 
Martha  Daugherty,  and  is  proprietor  of  a  flour- 
ing-mill,  at  Homer  City  ;  James  H.,  of  Indiana ; 
Dr.  Charles  M.,  who  graduated  at  Jefferson 
Medical  college  in  1878,  practiced  with  his 
father  for  ten  years,  married  Sarah  D.,  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  James.  M.  Taylor,  and  is  now  exten- 
sively engaged  in  the  flouring-mill  business,  at 
Latrobe,  Pa. ;  Charlotte  D.,  married  to  J.  Les- 
lie Hazlett;  Jennie  S.,  who  died  when  young, 
in  1862;  Mary  L.',  wife  of  Griffith  Ellis;  and 
Josephine. 

During  the  war  he  was  connected  with  the 
surgeon-general's  volunteer  surgical  corps,  and 
attended  the  wounded  after  the  Seven  Days' 
fight  and  the  battle  of  Gettysburg.  He  is  a 
reform  republican  in  politics,  and,  with  the' 
proverbial  independence  of  his  Scotch- Irish 
blood,  always  has  the  courage  of  his  convic- 
tions in  voting  for  or  against  the  nominees 
of  the  Republican  party.  In  the  gubernator- 
ial contest  of  1890  he  believed  that  the  true 
interests  of  Pennsylvania  demanded  the  de- 
feat of  the  "  ring  rule  "  and  "  bossism  "  of  the 
Republican  party,  and  took  the  stump  in 
favor  of  "  Pattisou  and  Reform,"  the  same  as 
he  did  so  successfully  in  1882.     As  the  sworn 


and  unrelenting  enemy  of  all  "cliques"  and 
"  rings,"  whose  unscrupulous  methods  so  often 
defeat  the  will  of  the  people,  Senator  St.  Clair 
commands  a  large  political  following  in  all  par- 
ties, and  wields  a  great  influence  over  the  agri- 
cultural and  industrial  classes.  As  a  public 
speaker  he  is  logical,  earnest,  eloquent  and 
truthful.  Thomas  St.  Clair  has  lived  a  consci- 
entious and  blameless  life,  and  is  lacking  in  none 
of  those  generous  and  nobler  traits  which  bind 
man  to  man  by  the  golden  ties  of  esteem  and 
friendship. 


JAMES  ST.  CLAIR,  one  of  the  progressive 
men  of  Indiana,  who  by  his  assiduity, 
honesty  and  frugality  has  gained  a  good  repu- 
tation in  mercantile  circles,  is  a  son  of  Isaac 
and  Sarah  (Miller)  St.  Clair,  and  was  born  in 
White  township,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania, 
October  14,  1844.  He  is  of  Scotch  descent, 
and  is  the  great-grandson  of  the  old  Revolu- 
tionary soldier,  James  St.  Clair,  Sr.  James  St. 
Clair  (grandfather)  was  born  in  what  is  now 
Adams  (then  York)  county,  May  4,  1774,  and 
died  in  the  spring  of  1855.  He  was  a  hale, 
hearty  man,  and  full  of  energy  when  he  moved, 
in  1816,  into  White  township,  where  he  took 
up  a  quarter  section  of  government  land.  His 
wife  was  Jennie  Slemmons,a  native  of  Lancaster 
county.  She  died  in  the  same  year  as  her  hus- 
band and  when  in  the  seventy-second  year  of 
her  age.  They  left  nine  children.  Their  son, 
Isaac  St.  Clair  (father),  was  born  in  "  Little 
York,"  York  county,  in  1816,  and  came  with 
his  father  into  Indiana  county  when  a  child. 
He  was  a  farmer  in  White  township,  and  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He  was 
a  life-long  republican,  casting  his  first  presi- 
dential vote  for  Gen.  W.  H.  Harrison  and  his 
last  vote  for  Benjamin  Harrison.  He  married 
Sarah  Miller,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  was 
brought  to  this  country  by  her  parents  while  an 
infant.     She  lives  in  Indiana,  is  a  member  of 


INDIANA  COUNTY. 


157 


the  Presbyterian  churcli  and  is  in  the  seventy- 
fourth  year  of  her  age. 

James  St.  Clair,  named  in  memory  of  his 
grandfather,  was  reared  on  his  father's  fiirra, 
and  received  his  education  in  tlie  schools  of  his 
neighborhood.  He  remained  on  the  farm  until 
the  oil  fever  of  1870,  when  he  went  out  as  an 
oil  prospector.  He  returned  in  one  year  and 
served  as  a  clerk  for  the  Adams  Express  com- 
pany for  three  years.  He  has  been  a  dealer  in 
agricultural  implements  ever  since  1875,  and 
has  prospered  in  that  line  of  business.  His 
well-stocked  establishment  is  situated  in  a  busi- 
ness part  of  the  town. 

He  married  Amanda  Jane,  daughter  of  John 
and  Eliza  Anthony,  of  Indiana,  in  1872,  and 
has  three  children  :   Vernie,  Helen  and  James  E. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
and  is  a  republican  in  politics.  The  St.  Clairs 
are  a  long-lived  race  and  the  descendants  of 
those  who  emigrated  from  Scotland  to  this 
country  have  all  evinced  their  Scotch  origin  by 
their  industry  and  thrift. 


WILLIAM  M.  STEWART,  formerly  a 
leading  member  of  the  Indiana  county 
bar  and  now  a  well-known  citizen  and  promi- 
nent business  man  of  Philadelphia,  is  a  son  of 
Dr.  James  M.  and  Matilda  E.  (Elliott)  Stewart, 
and  was  born  at  Frankstown,  Huntington 
county,  Pennsylvania,  January  15,  1817.  Dr. 
James  M.  Stewart  was  born  in  Huntingdon, 
where  he  was  well  educated  and  read  medicine 
with  Dr.  Henderson.  He  attended  the  medical 
department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
from  which  he  graduated.  He  came,  in  1814, 
to  Indiana,  where  he  practiced  medicine  and 
surgery  for  one  year,  when  his  house  and 
library  burnal  and  he  returned  to  his  native 
county.  After  one  year's  practice  in  Hunting- 
don county,  he  came  back  to  Indiana,  where  he 
was  professionally  engaged  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  March  27,  18(39,  when  he  was 
10 


in  the  seventy-eighth  year  of  his  age.  His 
practice  extended  into  all  the  surrounding  coun- 
ties of  Indiana  and  he  was  a  man  who  utterly 
despised  every  form  of  irregular  practice  that 
had  any  tendency  to  imposition.  He  represent- 
ed this  county  in  the  I^egislature  in  1831,  but 
refused  a  re-election  in  order  to  give  his  entire 
time  and  attention  to  his  profession.  In  1849, 
Gov.  Johnston  appointed  him  asscwiate  judge  of 
Indiana  county,  which  position  he  held  for  five 
years.  Dr.  Stewart  was  appointed,  by  Gov. 
Curtin,  during  the  late  war,  as  one  of  the  board 
of  surgeons  for  examining  surgeons,  and  set  with 
his  associates,  Dr.  Trail  Green,  of  Easton,  Pa., 
and  Dr.  Smitii,  of  Philadelphia,  for  that  pur- 
pose. He  was  highly  complimented  by  his 
medical  brethren  for  the  efficient  manner  in 
which  he  discharged  his  duties.  He  was  in 
favor  of  only  passing  young  men  who  were 
fully  competent.  It  is  said  that  his  examina- 
tions were  the  most  exhaustive  and  caused  great 
trepidation  among  the  applicants  for  positions. 
His  services  were  demanded  by  eminent  persons 
at  a  great  distance,  one  of  whom  was  Judge 
Jeremiah  Black.  Dr.  James  M.  Stewart  was  a 
son  of  Judge  David  Stewart,  of  Huntingdon 
county.  Dr.  Stewart  was  a  republican  in  poli- 
tics and  married  Matilda  Elliott,  daughter  of 
Judge  Benjamin  Elliott,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Huntingdon  county.  Mrs.  Stewart  passed 
away  in  1862. 

William  M.  Stewart  was  reared  at  Indiana 
and  received  his  education  at  Jefferson  college, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  September, 
1837.  After  graduation,  he  read  law  with 
Judge  Reed,  of  Carlisle,  Pa.,  who  was  the  prin- 
cipal of  a  law  school  in  that  place,  was 
examined  by  Judges  (jallagher  and  Watts  and 
Charles  B.  Penrose  and  was  admitted  to  the 
Indiana  county  bar  in  1839.  He  then  opened 
an  office,  was  very  careful  and  successful  in  the 
management  of  his  cases  and  soon  rose  to  the 
front  rank  in  his  profession.  In  1854,  Judge 
Clark  entcre<l  his  office  as  a  law  student  and 


158 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


four  yeai-s  later  became  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Stewart  &  Clark,  which  continued  in  exist- 
ence until  1875.  In  1873,  Mr.  Stewart  re- 
moved to  Philadelphia  where  he  had  engaged,  in 
1869,  in  the  banking  business  with  B.  K. 
Jamison,  succeeding  partner  of  P.  F.  Kelly  & 
Co.,  under  the  firm-name  of  Jamison  &  Co.  It 
is  a  private  bank  and  is  located  on  the  corner 
of  Fifth  and  Chestnut  streets,  Philadelphia. 

On  July  13,  1847,  he  was  married  to  Eliza- 
beth Clopper,  daughter  of  Edward  Clopper,  of 
Greensburg,  and  a  very  kind  and  estimable 
woman  and  granddaughter  of  Hon.  John 
Young,  president  judge  of  the  Tenth  Judicial 
District  of  Pennsylvania  (see  his  sketch).  They 
have  four  sons,  of  whom  William  M.,  Jr.,  the 
youngest,  is  an  active  member  of  the  Philadel- 
phia bar.  The  eldest,  James  M.,  is  civil  engineer 
for  the  Oregon  Pacific  railroad,  Oregon. 

During  his  legal  career  of  over  thirty  years 
at  the  Indiana  bar  Mr.  Stewart  had  a  more  ex- 
tensive practice  than  any  other  lawyer  in  the 
county.  He  is  a  republican  in  politics,  was  a 
candidate  in  1862  for  Congress  against  John  L. 
Dawson,  of  Fayette  county,  and  was  defeated 
by  a  very  small  majority  in  his  district,  then 
democratic  by  a  large  majority.  In  that  con- 
test Indiana  county  honored  him  with  the 
largest  majority  which  she  ever  gave  a  repub- 
lican candidate  for  any  office.  Mr.  Stewart 
was  a  member  of  the  whig  convention  which 
nominated  Henry  Clay  in  1844  and  was  one  of 
the  delegates  from  Pennsylvania  to  the  Chicago 
National  republican  convention  of  1860,  who 
voted  for  Abraham  Lincoln  when  Cameron's 
name  was  withdrawn.  He  now  gives  his  at- 
tention maiidy  to  financial  matters.  He  was 
for  a  number  of  years  president  of  the  First 
National  bank  of  Indiana,  and  is  now  president 
of  Saltsburg  bank,  besides  being  a  member  of 
the  banking  firm  of  Jamison  &  Co.,  of  Phila- 
delphia. He  resides  at  No.  2008  Walnut 
street,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  consistent  mem- 
bers   of    St.    Stephen's    Protestant   Episcopal 


church,  of  Philadelphia,  of  which  he  has  been 
a  vestryman  for  ten  years.  He  is  a  man  of 
good  judgment,  enterprising,  although  conserva- 
tive and  cautious,  and  his  counsels  in  financial 
matters,  when  fully  followed,  always  lead  to  a 
successful  and  honorable  disposition  of  any 
problem  under  consideration. 


JOHN  T.  STUCHUL,  an  active,  progress. 
"  ive  and  successful  member  of  the  Indiana 
county  bar,  is  a  son  of  Robert  H.  and  Hannah 
D.  (Thompson)  Stuchul,  and  was  born  in  South 
Mahoning  township,  Indiana  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, May  12,  1855.  The  Stuchul  family  is 
of  German  extraction  and  the  American  branch 
is  descended  from  ancestors  who  emigrated  from 
Holland  to  this  country  in  an  early  day.  John 
T.  Stuchul's  paternal  great-grandfather  was 
Christopher  Stuchul  (the  name  is  written 
Stuchit/,  al  and  ell  by  different  families  of  the 
name).  He  was  a  farmer  in  Washington  town- 
ship, where  he  settled  when  it  was  principally  a 
wilderness.  He  was  a  sou  of  John  Stuchul, 
who  came  to  what  is  now  White  township  about 
1785.  Christopher  Stuchul  was  a  farmer.  One 
of  his  sons  was  John  Stuchul  (grandfather), 
who  was  born  in  Washington  township  in  1796 
and  died  in  1852.  He  was  a  farmer,  a  member 
of  the  Associate  Presbyterian  or  Seceder  church 
and  married  Rebecca  Mahan,  who  bore  him 
seven  sons  and  one  daughter.  Three  of  these 
sons — John,  Christopher  and  William — served 
during  the  late  war,  in  which  Christopher  died. 
Another  son,  Robert  H.  Stuchul  (father),  was 
born  August  28, 1826,  in  Washington  township, 
and  moved  with  his  father  to  Mahoning  town- 
ship when  about  six  years  of  age.  He  is  a 
prosperous  farmer  and  stock-raiser  of  South 
Mahoning  township.  He  is  a  hard-working 
and  thorough-going  man,  an  earnest  member 
of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  and  a  republi- 
can who  has  always  worked  faithfully  in  the 
interest  of  his  party.     He  married  Hannah  D. 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


159 


Thompson,  who  was  boru  in  South  Mahoning 
township,  August  7,  1835,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  United  Presbyterian  cimrch.  Her  father, 
James  Thompson,  marrieil  to  Eliza  Wilson,  was 
a  native  of  this  county  and  died  in  1842.  He 
was  a  farmer  by  oecupatiou  and  was  a  son  of 
Robert  Thompson,  married  to  Hannah  Simpson, 
who  was  a  son  of  James  Thompson,  Sr.,  mar- 
ried to  Mary  Parks,  who  was  of  Scotch  descent. 
They  were  all  members  of  the  Seceder  church. 
James  Thompson  was  a  native  of  eastern  Penn- 
sylvania and  iu  company  with  the  Moorheads 
and  other  early  settlers  came  into  this  county, 
where  they  located  near  the  present  county- 
seat. 

John  T.  Stuchul  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  in  South  Mahoning  township,  where  he 
received  his  early  education  in  the  common 
schools.  He  pursued  his  academic  studies  in 
Dayton  academy  and  Piumville  select  school, 
and  studied  the  languages  under  Rev.  D.  H. 
Blair,  a  private  tutor  who  was  a  classical  scholar 
and  a  successful  teacher.  At  eighteen  years  of 
age  he  commenced  life  for  himself  by  engaging 
in  school  work,  which  he  followed  for  seven 
years.  He  then  (1880)  left  the  profession  of 
teaching,  entered  the  office  of  Hon.  A.  W. 
Taylor,  of  Indiana,  as  a  law  student,  and  after 
completing  the  required  course  of  reading  was 
admitteil,  in  June,  1882,  to  the  Indiana  county 
bar.  Immediately  atler  admission  he  opened  a 
law-office  and  has  been  steadily  engaged  since 
in  building  up  the  present  lucrative  practice 
which  he  enjoys. 

October  28, 1886,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
May  Tucker,  daughter  of  George  Tucker,  of 
South  Mahoning  towuship.  To  their  union  has 
been  born  one  cliild,  a  daughter,  named  Martha 
Thompson  Stuchul,  born  Nov.  30,  1887. 

In  politics  Mr.  Stuchul  is  a  republican.     He 
has  always  bi^n   interested  iu  the  material  ad-  - 
vancement  of  the  county   as  well  as  the  pros- 
perity of  his  borough  and  served  for  five  years 
as  secretary  of  the  Indiana  couuty  Agricultural 


society,  which  was  organized  Jauuary  3,  1855. 
i  He  is  a  member  and  elder  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church  and  gives  his  attention 
principally  to  the  practice  of  his  profession. 
He  is  diligent  and  unceasing  in  working  up  his 
cases,  careful  in  their  presentation  and  leaves 
nothing  undone  to  carry  them  to  a  successful 


rrilOMAS   SUTTON.     Although  young  iu 
J-      years  and  unassuming  in  manner,  Thomas 
Sutton  lias  attained  to  honorable  standing  and 
successful  practice  at  the  Indiana  bar  and  is 
identified  with  several  of  the  most  important 
business  enterprises  of  the  county.     He  is  a  son 
of  John  and  Mary  Agnes  ( Walker)  Sutton  and  was 
born  at  Indiana,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania, 
May  3,  1854.     One  hundred  years  ago  Peter 
and   Phebe  Sutton,   the  great-grandparents  of 
Thomas    Sutton,    left    the  strong    Presbyterian 
settlement  of  Baskiu  Ridge,  New  Jersey,  and 
came  to  the  vicinity  of  Newport  on  Black-Lick, 
this  county.    Some  time  between  1790  and  1806 
Peter  Sutton  became  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers 
of'  Indiana  borough,  and   in  the  latter  named 
year    had  a    log  hotel   on   the  site  of  Wilson's 
mei'cantile  house,  on  Philadelphia  street.      His 
son,  Thomas  Sutton  (grandfather),  married  Re- 
becca Loughry  and  was  engaged  for  many  years 
in  the  mercantile  business  at  Indiana.     He  was 
a  prominent   man   iu   the   early  history  of  the 
county.     He  was  twice  appointed  as  sheriff  and 
served  as   such   from    1809   to  1812  and  from 
1815  to  1818.    He  died  in  1833,  aged  forty-nine. 
One  of  his  sons  was  John  Sutton  (fathei),  who 
was  born  May  20,  1814,  at  Indiana,  where  he 
died  June  9,  1877,  aged  sixty-three  years.     Iu 
1847  he  married  Mary  Agnes  Walker,  a  native 
of  Cannonsburg,  Pa.     She  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  resides  at  Indiana  and  is 
now  in  the  sixty-fourth  year  of  her  age.     John 
Sutton  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  suc- 
cesssful  business  men  and  earnest  and  faithful 


160 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Christian  workers  that  ever  lived  in  Indiana 
county.  For  over  forty  years  he  was  successful- 
ly engaged  in  the  general  mercantile  business  and 
in  dealing  in  real  estate.  He  was  president,  for 
several  years  before  his  death,  of  the  First 
National  Bank  and  was  a  partner  in  the  firm  of 
McCartney  &  Sutton,  whicii  operated  the  straw- 
board-mill  dui-ing  his  life-time.  He  and  Judge 
Harry  White  were  prominent  among  the 
founders  of  the  State  Normal  school  at  Indiana, 
as  well  as  being  the  largest  contributors  towards 
its  establishment  and  support.  He  was  also 
president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  that  school 
from  its  organization  until  his  death.  He  was 
a  democrat  in  politics,  but  during  the  war  he 
voted  the  National  republican  ticket  and  the 
State  democratic  ticket.  He  was  a  member  and 
elder  of  the  Indiana  Presbyterian  church,  in 
which  he  was  an  active  and  zealous  worker. 
For  over  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  was  the  es- 
teemed and  honored  superintendent  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Sunday-school,  in  whose  interests  he 
labored  faithfully.  Tlie  part  of  his  life  most 
satisfactory  to  himself  was  that  which  was  pass- 
ed in  the  service  of  the  cluirch  and  the  Sunday- 
school.  He  was  a  man  of  unbounded  charity, 
and  his  memory  will  be  long  held  in  grateful 
remembrance  by  the  many  poor  whom  he  kindly 
and  cheerfully  assisted.  His  neighbors  knew 
him  to  be  a  man  who  lived  to  serve  the  cause 
of  religion,  advance  the  educational  interests  of 
his  town  and  to  be  useful  to  his  fellow-mdu.  In 
his  life  he  demonstrated  how  a  man  may  grow 
in  business  and  yet  keep  his  heart  pure  and  his 
life  unspotted  from  the  world. 

Thomas  Sutton  was  reared  at  Indiana,  where 
he  received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  place.  In  1870  he  entered 
Princeton  college,  took  the  full  three  years' 
course  and  was  graduated  from  that  well-knowu 
institution  of  learning  in  the  class  of  1873. 
After  graduation  he  returned  home,  read  law 
with  Judge  John  P.  Blair  and  was  admitted  to 
the  Indiana  county  bar  atthespring  term  of  1876. 


In  the  fall  of  the  centennial  year  he  entered  Col- 
umbia Law  school,  of  New  York  city,  to  pursue 
a  special  coui-se  of  studies,  but  after  remaining 
one  year  was  called  home  on  account  of  his 
father's  last  sickness.  Sliortly  after  his  father's 
death  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, which  he  has  followed  ever  since.  He 
makes  a  specialty  of  land  titles,  collections  and 
settling  estates,  in  which  line  of  practice  he  has 
been  very  successful.  He  takes  a  deep  interest 
iu  the  material  development  and  progress  of  the 
county.  In  1878  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Chill  Car  Wheel  Manufacturing  company,  which 
changed  its  firm-name  in  1885  to  the  present 
one  of  Sutton  Bros.  &  Bell  (see  sketch  of  Hugh 
M.Bell).  He  and  his  brother,  John  W.,  own  the 
strawboard-mill  under  the  firm-name  of  John  W. 
Sutton  &  Bro.  In  addition  to  his  manufactur- 
ing interests  he  is  owner  ofone  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful residences  of  Indiana,  has  a  large,  well- 
improved  farm  in  White  township  and  possesses 
some  very  valuable  property  wiiich  is  centrally 
located  in  the  city  of  St.  Paul,  Minnesota.  He 
is  a  member  and  secretary  of  the  Indiana 
Chemical  company,  organized  in  1887.  Their 
works  are  on  the  Indiana  Branch  R.  R.,  where 
they  employ  fifteen  men  and  manufacture  wood 
alcohol,  acetate  of  lime  and  charcoal  in  large 
quantities.  He  is  a  stock-holder  in  the  First 
National  bank,  of  which  he  was  president  from 
1886  to  1887,  director  from  1881  to  1887,  and 
served  as  attorney  from  1884  to  1888.  He  is  a 
republican  in  politics,  has  served  as  a  member 
of  the  town  council  and  was  borough  auditor. 

On  October  22,  1878,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Ella  P.  Hildebrand,  the  handsome  and  ac- 
complished daughter  of  Edward  P.  Hildebrand, 
of  Indiana.  Their  union  has  been  blest  with 
two  children :  Edward  H.  and  John  S. 

In  religious  matters  Thomas  Sutton  follows 
in  the  footsteps  of  his  father  and  is  a  member 
and  active  worker  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
and  Sunday-school.  He  served  as  ruling  elder 
in  the  church  from  1879  to  1890.     From  1878 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


161 


to  1882  he  was  treasurer  of  the  Indiana  Normal 
school,  and  since  then  has  served  as  secretary  of 
its  board  of  trustees.  He  is  a  warm  supporter 
of  that  institution  and  labors  earnestly  for  its 
advancement.  He  is  a  well-read  and  successful 
lawyer.  As  a  speaker  he  is  concise  and  clear, 
and  is  distinguished  for  precision  in  statement 
and  close  connection  in  argument. 


REV.  DANIEL  W.  SWIGART,  the  faith- 
ful pastor  of  the  Indiana  Baptist  church, 
has  served  efficiently  for  twenty  years  in  the 
ministry,  and  during  that  time  has  had  charge 
of  nine  churches  in  his  different  fields  of  labor. 
He  was  born  three  miles  west  of  Kittanning, 
Armstrong  county,  Penn.sylvania",  June  28, 
1838,  aud  is  a  .son  of  Johu  and  Sarah  (Bowser) 
Swigart.  His  paternal  grandfather  was  of 
German  extraction  and  a  native  of  eastern 
Pennsylvania.  He  afterwards  became  a  well- 
to-do  farmer  of  Bedford  county,  in  which  he 
dietl.  His  son,  John  Swigart  (father),  removed 
in  1812  to  near  Kittanning,  where  he  followed 
his  trade  of  stone  mason  and  brick-layer  and 
helped  to  build  the  Eagle  hotel  and  other  of 
the  first  brick  houses  at  Kittanning.  He  after- 
wards engaged  in  farming.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Dunkard  church  and  a  life-loug  demo- 
crat, having  voted  the  Democratic  ticket  for 
fifty-four  years.  He  died  in  1878,  aged  seven- 
ty-six years.  He  married  Sarah  Bowser,  who 
was  born  in  1800  and  died  in  1877.  She  was 
also  a  member  of  the  Dunkard  church  and 
sleeps  beside  her  husband  in  a  cemetery  five 
miles  northwest  of  Kittanning. 

Daniel  W.  Swigart  received  his  education  in 
the  common  .schools  of  Armstrong  county  and 
Reidsburg  academy  of  Clarion  county,  Pa., 
from  which  in.stitution  he  was  graduate<l  in 
1872.  Sub.sequent  to  his  graduation  and  also 
after  his  ordination,  he  took  a  three  years'  course 
in  theology  with  a  well  qualified  private  tutor, 
the  venerable  Rev.  William  Shadrach,   D.D., 


who  made  his  home  with  him  for  three  years. 
In  1870  he  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  Mt. 
Plea.sant  Baptist  church  in  Clarion  county,  Pa., 
of  which  he  had  been  a  licentiate  for  one  year 
previous  to  his  ordination.  He  remained  as 
pastor  of  that  churcii  for  seven  years,  also  had 
charge  of  the  Strattonville  church  and  organ- 
ized, in  1876,  the  Clarion  church,  of  which  he 
^was  pastor  for  two  years.  In  1879  he  went  to 
Greenville,  Mercer  county,  this  State,  where  he 
assumed  charge  of  the  West  Salem  church, 
whlcli  he  served  acceptably  for  two  years.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  he  removed  to  Saltsburg, 
Indiana  county,  and  served  Saltsburg,  Loyal- 
hanna  and  Keiley's  station  Baptist  churches  for 
four  years.  In  1885  he  came  to  Indiana,  where 
he  became  pastor  of  the  Indiana  ciiurch  and 
retained  charge  of  Loyalhanna  and  Keiley's 
station  churches  until  1886,  when  he  assumed 
charge  of  the  Blairsville  church,  whicli  lie  had 
organized  in  that  year  (1886).  During  1887 
and  1888  he  was  assisted  in  his  ministerial 
labors  by  Rev.  Wm.  Shadrach,  D.D.  By  this 
valuable  assistance  they  conjointly  gave  one- 
half  time  to  the  tiiree  churches :  Indiana, 
Blairsville  and  Saltsburg.  Under  his  pastoral 
care  the  membership  of  the  Indiana  ciiurch  has 
increased  to  one  hundred  and  tliirty-five,  and 
Blairsville,  with  only  twelve  members  in  1886, 
now  numbers  fifty-five. 

On  July  4,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  D,  62d 
regiment  Pa.  Vols.,  was  successively  promoted 
to  corporal,  sergeant  and  first  sergeant,  partici- 
pated in  twenty  battles  and  skirmishes  and  was 
honorably  disciiarged  July  13th,  1864.  He  is 
a  member  and  chaplain  of  both  Indiana  Post, 
No.  28,  G.  A.  R.,  and  encampment  No.  11, 
U.  V.  L. 

In  1860  he  married  Margaret  J.  Starr,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Starr,  of  Armstrong 
county,  and  died  in  1868,  leaving  five  children  : 
Ella  J.,  John  J.,  Emma  M.,  Frank  H.  and 
ISIaggie  I.  On  April  7th,  1870,  Rev.  Swigart 
united    in   marriage     with     Emily   Stoughtou, 


162 


BIOOBAPHIES  OF 


daughter  of  Rev.  Samuel  Stoughton,  of  Butler 
county,  this  State.  To  this  second  union  have 
been  born  five  children :  Eva  M.,  Samuel  S., 
Elvira,  Emerson  0.,  and  an  unnamed  son  which 
died  in  infancy. 

He  is  an  earnest,  able  and  fearless  minister  in 
denouncing  whaf  is  wrong  both  in  public  and 
private  life,  and  in  his  circular-letter,  written 
for  the  Indiana  Baptist  Association,  in  1889, 
on  the  church  and  her  relation  to  the  world, 
he  eloquently  summed  up  his  views  on  that 
subject  in  the  following  beautiful  pei-oration  : 

"  We  must  have  more  of  the  Christ-like 
spirit  in  our  homes,  and  true  friendship  in  the 
common  walks  of  life.  As  the  church  contin- 
ues to  rise  upon  the  plain  of  spiritual  develop- 
ment and  moral  purity,  in  the  same  ratio  the 
world  will  become  Christianized  and  the  sanc- 
tified knowledge  of  God  will  run  to  and  fro  and 
cover  the  earth  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea." 


DAVID  BLAIR  TAYLOR,  one  of  the 
prominent,  able  and  progressive  members 
of  the  Indiana  bar,  and  a  man  who  commands 
the  confidence  of  the  people  and  the  respect  of 
the  legal  fraternity,  is  a  son  of  Dr.  James  M. 
and  Margaret  (Blair)  Taylor,  and  was  born  at 
Indiana,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  Sep- 
tember 14,  1853.  The  Taylors  are  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent  and  the  American  branch  of  the 
family  was  founded  by  John  Taylor,  whose 
ancestors  emigrated  from  England  to  Scotland 
during  the  protectorate  of  Oliver  Cromwell. 
John  Taylor  came  from  Scotland  to  near  Phila- 
delphia, where  he  lived  to  see  his  hundredth 
birthday.  He  was  a  strict  presbyterian,  and 
his  son,  Alexander  Taylor  (great-grandfather), 
was  born  in  1756  and  removed  to  Bedford 
county.  Pa.,  where  he  remained  some  time  and 
then  (prior  to  1790)  purchased  a  farm  four 
miles  south  of  Indiana,  on  which  he  died 
March  8,  1815.  He  served  in  the  Revolution- 
ary war,  in  which  struggle  one  of  his  brothers 


was  killed  at  the  massacre  of  Paoli,  and  an- 
other, Lieut.  Matthew  Taylor,  fell  in  the  battle 
of  Long  Island.  He  was  married  twice.  His 
first  wife  was  Mary  McKesson  and  the  second 
Margaret  McFadden.  He  had  five  children  : 
Robt.,  Hon.  John,  William,  Alexander,  Jr., 
who  founded  the  first  democratic  paper  in  the 
county,  and  Hon.  James,  who  was  sheriff  of 
the  county  and  served  as  a  member  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly.  Hon.  John  Taylor  (grand- 
father) was  born  in  Indiana  county  in  1790  and 
died  in  October,  1846,  aged  fifty-six  years.  He 
was  a  man  of  fine  personal  appearance.  He 
served  as  county  treasurer,  deputy-surveyor, 
prothonotary,  member  of  the  legislature,  associ- 
ate judge  and  surveyor-general  of  Pennsylvania. 
He  was  a  democrat  until  the  formation  of  the 
Anti-masonic  party,  when  he  united  with  the 
whigs.  He  was  a  man  of  ability  and  great 
usefulness.  In  1813  he  married  Mar}'  Wilson, 
by  whom  he  had  four  children  :  Hon.  A.  Wil- 
son, who  was  born  March  22,  1815,  graduated 
at  Jefferson  college,  became  a  republican,  served 
in  the  legislature  in  1859  and  1860  and  in  1872 
represented  Indiana,  Westmoreland  and 
Fayette  counties  in  the  forty-third  Congress  ; 
Caroline  (deceased);  Dr.  James  M.  and  Wash- 
ington (dead).  Dr.  James  Madison  Taylor 
(father)  was  born  and  roared  at  Indiana.  Leav- 
ing school,  he  read  medicine  and  attended 
Jefferson  Medical  college  of  Philadelphia, 
from  which  celebrated  institution  he  was 
graduated.  A  tier  graduation  he  returned  to 
Indiana,  where  he  practiced  for  several  years 
and  then  removed  to  Kittanning,  Armstrong 
county,  this  State,  where  he  was  in  active  and 
successfid  practice  for  about  eighteen  years. 
He  returned  to  Indiana  in  1875,  has  retired 
from  active  practice  and  is  now  in  the  seventy- 
second  year  of  his  age.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  United  Presbyterian  church,  a  republican 
in  politics  and  has  served  his  borough  as 
.school  director.  Prominent  as  a  physician  and 
u.seful  as   a   citizen,  he  commands  the  respect 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


163 


of  all  who  know  him.  He  married  Margaret 
Blair,  who  is  a  member  of  the  U.  P.  church. 

David  Blair  Taylor  was  reared  for  several 
years  at  Indiana.  He  attended  Washington 
and  Jefferson  college,  from  which  institution  of 
learning  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1875. 
He  then  read  law  with  his  uncle,  Hon.  A.  W. 
Taylor,  of  Indiana,,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
Indiana  county  in  1878  and  ever  since  then, 
excepting  two  years,  has  been  in  the  active 
practice  of  his  profession.  In  the  spring  of 
1890  he  formed  a  law  partnership  with  S.  M. 
Jack,  under  the  firra-name  of  Jack  &  Taylor. 
This  firm  is  rapidly  becoming  one  of  the  lead- 
ing and  best  known  in  the  county  aud  is  mak- 
ing a  successful  record  in  the  civil  and  criminal 
courts. 

D.  B.  Taylor  married  Annie  M.,  daughter  of 
ex -Sheriff  J.  Daugherty.  She  died  on  Decem- 
ber 16,  1882,  leaving  one  child,  a  son,  named 
James.  In  1887,  Mr.  Taylor  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Annie  McFadden,  daughter  of  Dr. 
James  McFadden,  who  was  formerly  of  Alle- 
gheny county,  Pa.  To  this  second  union  has 
been  born  one  child,  which  is  a  son  and  named 
Blair. 

In  politics  David  Blair  Taylor  is  a  republi- 
can and  at  present  is  serving  his  borough  as 
school  director.  From  1882  till  1884  he  was 
a  resident  of  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  where  he 
was  assistant  attorney  of  the  C,  St.  P.  &  M.  & 
O.  R.  R.,  whose  chief  attorney  was  John  C. 
Spoouer,  now  United  States  Senator  from  Wis- 
consin. Since  his  admission  to  the  bar  Mr. 
Taylor  has  conducted  the  practice  of  the  law 
with  assiduity,  faithfulness  and  constantly  in- 
creasing success.  In  the  study  of  his  cases  he 
examines  closely  every  fact  that  can  possibly  af- 
fect his  client  either  favorably  or  unfavorably, 
and  before  a  jury  he  carefully  lays  down  the 
law  and  the  evidence  upon  which  he  makes  his 
plea.  In  addition  to  being  an  excellent  crimi- 
nal lawyer  he  is  well-known  as  an  able  and 
safe  counselor. 


STEPHEN  J.  TELFORD,  a  member  of  the 
well-known  and  prominent  law  firm  of 
Watson  &  Telford  and  an  able  lawyer  in  suc- 
cessful practice  for  the  last  ten  years  at  the  Indiana 
county  bar,  was  born  in  South  Mahoning  town- 
ship, Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  December 
24,  1853,  and  is  a  son  of  Rev.  John  C  and 
Martha  (Oram)  Telford.  Rev.  John  C.  Telford, 
D.D.,  was  born  at  East  Greenwich,  Washington 
county,  New  York,  August  7,  1821,  and  is  a 
son  of  Stephen  and  Mary  (Cree)  Telford.  He 
was  graduated  from  Cambridge  academy,  in  his 
native  county,  in  1843,  and  then  entered  the 
junior  class  of  Jefferson  college  at  Cannonsburg, 
Pa.,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in 
the  class  of  1844.  He  then  pursued  his  minis- 
terial studies  at  the  Associate  Theological  school 
of  Cannonsburg,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1848.  He  came  to  South  Mahoning  town.ship 
in  1846,  was  licensed  to  preach  on  June  20, 1848, 
and  was  ordained  as  minister  of  Mahoning 
United  Presbyterian  church  January  1,  1850. 
In  the  same  year  he  was  installed  as  pa.stor  of 
Beracha  and  Lumber  City  churches,  the  former 
at  Plumville  and  the  latter  forty  miles  distant 
in  Clearfield  county,  which  in  a  few  years  he 
resigned.  From  1850  to  1867  he  remained  in 
charge  of  Mahoning  and  Beracha  churches.  In 
1867  he  removed  to  West  Lebanon  and  his 
charge  embraced  Olivet  and  West  Union 
churches,  which  he  served  for  ten  years.  Since 
then  he  has  devoted  his  entire  time  to  West  Un- 
ion church.  For  forty  years  he  has  been  one  of 
the  most  effective  ministers  as  well  as  hardest 
workers  in  the  U.  P.  church  and  had  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Divinity  conferred  on  him  in  1888 
for  valued  .services,  by  Westminster  college.  In 
1850  he  married  Martha  Oram,  who  is  a  native  of 
Cannon.sburg^and  was  born  in  1828.  They  roared 
a  family  of  two  .sons  and  three  daugliters. 
Doctor  Telford  is  one  of  the  prominent  and 
foremost  divines  of  his  church  in  this  State, 
which  contains  many  men  eminent  for  piety, 
learning  and  ability. 


164 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Stephen  J.  Telford  was  reared  in  his  native 
township,  where  he  received  his  early  education 
in  the  common  schools.  He  completed  his  ed- 
ucation at  Westminster  college  and  then  spent 
one  year  at  Allegheny  Theological  seminary. 
Leaving  school,  he  engaged  in  teaching,  which 
he  followed  for  three  years  in  the  common 
schools  and  then  was  principal  for  two  years  of 
Purchase  Line  academy.  From  the  field  of 
teaching  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  science  of 
jurisprudence.  He  passed  the  preliminary  ex- 
amination in  1878,  pursued  his  legal  studies 
with  Hon.  George  W.  Hood  and  was  admitted 
to  the  Indiana  county  bar  on  March  15,  1880. 
He  then  located  at  Blairsville,  where  he  practiced 
law  until  1885.  In  that  year  he  removed  to 
Indiana  and  formed  a  law  partnership  with  M. 
C.  Watson  (see  his  sketch),  under  the  present 
firm-name  of  Watson  &  Telford.  This  firm  is 
one  of  the  leading  and  influential  ones  at  the 
Indiana  bar.  In  1882,  Mr.  Telford  united  in 
marriage  with  Mabel  White,  daughter  of  Col. 
Richard  White,  of  Indiana. 

Stephen  J.  Telford  is  a  republican  in  politics 
and  a  member  of  the  Indiana  United  Presbyter- 
ian church.  As  a  lawyer  he  acquaints  himself 
witl)  every  detail  of  his  case  and  makes  due 
preparation  to  defend  its  weak  points  as  well  as 
to  advance  its  strong  ones.  He  is  faithful  to 
everj'  interest  intrusted  to  his  care,  is  straight- 
forward in  business  and  true  to  all  of  his 
engagements. 


SYLVESTER  C.  THOMPSON,  ex-deputy 
revenue  collector  of  the  Twenty-third  dis- 
trict of  Pennsylvania  and  a  member  of  the  relia- 
ble and  successful  firm  of  McGaughey  &  Thomp- 
son, real  estate  brokers  of  Indiana,  is  a  son  of 
Robert  and  Mary  (Leasure)  Thompson  and  was 
born  in  Rayne  township,  Indiana  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, Oct.  14,  1840.  One  hundred  years 
ago  his  paternal  grandfather,  Hugh  Thompson, 
left  county  Londonderry,  Ireland,  and  came  to 


Westmoreland  county,  but  subsequently  re- 
moved in  1793  to  Rayne  township,  where  he 
followed  farming  till  his  death,  in  1829,  at  sixty- 
five  years  of  age.  His  wife  was  Martha 
Thomson,  of  Scotch  descent.  Of  his  sons, 
one  was  Robert  Thompson  ( father ),  who  was 
born  on  the  homestead  farm  December  13, 
1801,  and  departed  this  life  on  the  same  farm, 
January  10,  1879.  He  was  an  extensive 
farmer  and  stock-raiser,  a  stirring  and  energetic 
man  and  a  member  and  elder  of  Gilgal  church, 
which  is  the  oldest  Presbyterian  church  in  the 
county.  He  was  an  old  time  Democrat,  filled 
several  township  offices  and  married  Mary  Lea- 
sure,  who  was  born  February  29,  1804,  and 
passed  away  January  23,  1870,  at  sixty-six 
years  of  age.  She  was  a  Presbyterian  and  a 
daughter  of  John  Leasure,  who  was  a  sou  of 
John  Leasure,  Sr.,  an  early  settler  of  Sewickly 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.  John 
Leasure  was  an  Indian  scout  along  Crooked  run 
to  protect  the  white  settlers,  and  served  as  a  sol- 
dier in  the  war  of  1812.  In  1796  he  married 
Jane  Culbertson,  came  to  Armstrong  township 
and  in  1 809  removed  to  East  Mahoning  township, 
where  he  purchased  several  farms  with  the  pro- 
ceeds of  wolf  scalps,  for  which  he  received  as 
high  as  twenty-four  dollars  each.  He  was  a 
great  hunter,  made  his  own  traps  and  was 
known  as  the  "  Old  Wolf  Trapper."  His  wife 
died  in  1838,  at  sixty-five  years  of  age,  and  he 
followed  to  the  tomb  in  1844,  when  in  the 
eighty-second  year  of  his  age.  A  part  of  his 
pine  lands  are  selling  to-day  at  from  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  to  two  hundred  dollars  per  acre. 
Sylvester  C.  Thompson  received  his  education 
in  the  common  schools  and  graduated  from  the 
Quaker  City  commercial  school  in  1866.  After 
the  late  war  broke  out  he  left  the  farm,  and  in 
August,  1862,  enlisted  for  nine  months  in  Co.  I, 
135th  regiment.  Pa.  Vols.  At  the  expiration  of 
his  time  he  returned  home  and  in  February,  1864, 
he  re-enlisted  in  the  Union  Army.  He  became 
a  member  of  Co.  E,  4th  Pa.  Cavalry,  partici- 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


165 


pated  in  all  the  battles  of  his  regiment,  and  was 
honorably  discharged  at  I^ynchburg,  Va., 
August  1, 1865.  While  in  the  service  he  was  pro- 
moted to  second  sergeant.  From  1865  to  1885 
he  was  engaged  in  farming,  except  six  winters 
which  he  spent  in  teaching  school.  In  1885  Pre- 
sident Cleveland  appointed  him  as  surveyor  of 
Western  Pennsylvania  and  revenue  collector  for 
the  Twenty-third  District,  com postil  of  the  coun- 
ties of  Armstrong,  Beaver,  Butler  and  Indiana, 
whicii  positions  he  held  until  November  1, 
1889.  In  February,  1890,  he  Ijecarae  a  real 
estate  broker.  His  office  is  in  the  Cunningham 
building,  and  he  is  among  the  leading  real  estate 
dealers  of  the  county.  He  possesses  good  ad- 
vantages and  can  offer  the  best  inducements  to 
investors  in  town  or  country  property.  In  ad- 
dition to  the  flourishing  business  which  he  is 
engaged  in  at  Indiana,  he  lias  to  give  a  portion 
of  his  time  to  the  personal  management  and 
supervision  of  the  Thompson  homestead  farm 
of  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres  of  choice 
land  in  Rayne  township,  whicii  he  owns. 
Some  fifty  acres  of  this  land  is  heavily  timbered. 
He  is  a  pronounced  democrat,  was  census  enum- 
erator of  Rayne  township  in  1880,  and  as 
deputy  revenue  collector  was  highly  spoken  of 
for  both  business  ability  and  efficiency.  He  is 
a  member  of  tlie  Presbyterian  church,  Indiana 
Post,  No.  28,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and 
the  Patrons  of  Husbandry. 

October  14,  1867,  he  married  Mrs.  Eva 
G.  Allison,  daughter  of  Abner  Griffith,  of  East 
Mahoning  township.  Tiiey  are  the  parents  of 
two  children :  Guy  C.  and  Ruecetta.  Mrs. 
Thompson  edits  the  Indiana  News.  She  is  a 
graduate  of  Steubenvilie  seminary.  In  1880 
she  filled  the  position  of  assistant  county  superin- 
tendent of  common  schools  and  as  a  teacher  was 
higliiy  spoken  of  for  both  ability  and  efficiency, 
and  is  the  leader  of  the  Woman's  Christian 
Temperance  Union  of  her  county. 


"DOBERT  THOMPSON.  Amongst  the 
-^*'  early  settlers  in  the  northern  part  of 
Indiana  county  was  Robert  Thompson,  who 
was  born  in  Londonderry,  Ireland,  in  1737, 
and  came  to  America  in  1778,  with  his  wife, 
Mary,  nee  Cannon,  and  six  children  :  Hugh, 
Martha,  James,  John,  Margaretta  and  Eliza- 
beth. After  a  few  years'  residence  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  'Old  Salem'  Presbyterian  church, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  tiiey,  in  1795,  re- 
moved to  what  is  now  Rayne  township,  Indiana 
county,  on  Thompson's  run,  nearly  two  miles 
above  where  Kellysburg  now  is.  Their  son 
Hugh  and  his  young  wife,  Martha,  nee  Thomp- 
son, had  attempted  to  settle  there  alone  in  1793, 
but  Indian  hostilities  compelled  them  to  return 
to  their  former  abode  south  of  the  Conemaugh 
river.  Their  permanent  settlement  in  1795 
was  made  comparatively  safe  after  General 
Wayne's  defeat  of  tiie  Indians  in  August, 
1794.  Robert  Thompson  was  known  as  a  man 
of  noble  character  and  sterling  worth,  and  his 
wife  as  a  most  estimable  woman.  We  learn 
from  an  interesting  book  entitled,  '  History  of 
the  Presbytery  of  Kittanuing,'  that  they,  with 
their  son  Hugh,  and  sou-in-law,  Hugh  Cannon, 
were  amongst  the  founders  of  Gilgal  Presby- 
terian Congregation,  about  four  miles  from 
their  home.  We  quote  from  page  196  of  that 
book  as  follows  : 

"  '  Gilgal,  a  mother  of  churches,  traces  her  origin 
to  an  improvement  in  1797  by  Robert  Thompson, 
Hugh  Thompson  and  Hugh  Cannon,  from  West- 
moreland county,  who  were  soon  followed  by  other 
Presbyterians,  etc' 

"  To  Mrs.  Thompson  belongs  the  honor  of 
giving  to  that  organization  its  name,  Gilgal. 
In  physical,  mental  and  moral  qualities,  and  by 
their  wholesome  influence,  these  people  were  of 
those  living  at  that  early  period,  who  builded 
well  and  better  than  they  knew  in  the  great 
structures  of  state,  church  and  social  life  that 
we  now  enjoy  nearly  one  hundred  years  later. 
It  is   related   of    this   old    patriarch,   Robert 


166 


BIOGRAPBIES  OF 


Thompson,  and  his  family,  that  on  the  evening 
of  the  day  in  which  they  arrived  upon  tlieir 
land  in  Rayne  township,  he,  without  even  a 
cabin  for  shelter,  conducted  family  worship, 
seated  with  older  members  of  the  family 
upon  fallen  timber  in  the  woods,  and  the 
younger  children  in  their  arras.  His  farm  was 
selected  from  the  northern  portion  of  this  tract 
of  land,  and  after  his  death,  Oct.  13,  1809,  and 
the  death  of  his  wife,  Jan.  25,  1815,  it  was  oc- 
cupied by  his  son,  James,  and  his  daughter, 
Margaretta,  neither  of  whom  ever  married. 
James  died  Feb.  13,  1849,  and  Margaretta  was 
burned  to  death  Feb.  23,  1864.  Of  his  other 
children,  Elizabeth,  the  youngest  daughter,  who 
married  Henry  Van  Horn  in  1815,  resided  in 
East  Mahoning  township,  where  she  died  Feb. 
13,  1858.  Her  children  were  Mary  C,  Dorcas 
L.,  James  T.,  Tabitha  L.,  Robert  T.,  Isaiah  V. 
and  Harry  A.  John,  the  youngest  son,  who 
married  Mary  McCluskey  in  1810,  settled  and 
lived  upon  a  farm  west  of  his  father  until  his 
death,  Mar.  27,  1859.  His  family  were  Mary 
Jane,  Matilda,  Eliza  A.,  Robert  and  Marga- 
retta. Martha,  the  eldest  daughter,  resided 
with  her  husband,  Hugh  Cannon,  upon  a  farm 
which  was  the  southern  portion  of  the  original 
tract  settled  upon  in  1795.  She  died  Sept.  5, 
1848,  and  was  the  mother  of  seven  sons  aud 
one  daughter  :  William,  Robert,  John,  Fergus, 
James,  Joseph,  Hugh  M.  and  Mary  T.  Hugh, 
the  eldest  son,  continued  his  residence  ou  the 
middle  portion  of  the  same  tract  (where  he  per- 
manently settled  in  1795),  until  his  death, 
June  13,  1829.  Robert  Thompson,  his  wife 
and  above-named  six  sous  and  daughters,  lived 
beyond  'three-score  and  ten,'  except  Hugh, 
who  died  in  his  63d  year,  and  their  last  resting- 
place  is  in  the  cemetery  near  Gilgal  church, 
where  they  all  worshiped.  Hugh  Thompson 
was  an  intelligent,  large-hearted  citizen,  whose 
life  was  that  of  exemplary  manhood.  His  wife 
was  of  Scotch  descent,  although  born  in  Ire- 
land— the  fifth  child  of  James  and  Mary  Thom- 


son, who,  in  1793,  emigrated  from  Westmore- 
land county.  Pa.,  to  Nicholas  county,  Kentucky. 
She  was  a  '  born  lady,'  gentle,  wise  aud  practi- 
cal; in  personal  bearing  attractive  and  im- 
pressive. 

"  The  family  of  Hugh  aud  Martha  Thomp- 
son were  two  daughtei's  and  seven  sons:  Mary, 
born  Oct.  10,  1792,  married  John  Fenton,  died 
Oct.  5,  1829;  Jane  C,  born  July  26,  1794, 
married  John  B.  Henderson,  and  died  Ma)'  1, 
1837;  Joseph,  born  Jan.  12,  1797,  married 
Euphemia  Moorhead,  was  at  one  time  associ- 

,  ate  judge  of  this   connty,  and   died   Oct.    27, 

I  1882;  James,  born  July  24,  1799,  married 
Ann  Ayers,  died  May  9,  1837,  whilst  in  Phil- 
adelphia buying  a  stock  of  merchandise  ;  Rob- 
ert, born  Dec.  13,  1801,  married  Mary  Lea- 
sure,  died  Jan.  10,  1879;  John,  born  June  1, 

'  1804,  married  Ellen  J.  Patton,  was  a  well- 
known  and  prominent  citizen  of  Ebensburg, 
Pa.,  where  he  died  Dec.  5,  1879  ;  William  C, 
born  April  2,  1807,  married  Harriet  Furgeson, 
near  Mansfield,  Ohio,  and  afterwards  moved  to 
Steuben  county,  Indiana,  where  he  died  May 
31,  1890;  Hugh  A.,  born  April  1,  1810,  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Munholland,  was  for  two  terms 
prothonotary  of  Clarion  county.  Pa.,  afterwards 

I  clerk  in  State  department  under  ex-Governor 
Curtin,  more  recently  cashier  of  First  National 
bank,  Indiana,  Pa.,  and  died  April  23,  1886  ; 
Samuel  H.,  born  March  5, 1814,  married  Flora 
A.  Stewart,  April  12,  1838. 

"  Major  Samuel  H.  Thompson,  the  young- 
est in  the  above  family,  began  business  life  as  a 
merchant,  but  on  account  of  the  great  financial 
crisis  of  that  period  he  afterwards  engaged  in 
farming.  The  farm  on  which  he  first  lived 
nearly  twenty-four  years  was  bought  by  John- 
ston Lightcap  in  1861,  and  in  1862  he  moved 
upon    a    larger    farm    above    Kellysburg,    on 

I  Thompson's  run,  which  he  had  purchased  from 
Daniel  Stanard,  Esq.  His  death  occurred 
there  August  15,  1865,  and  the  death  of  his 
wife  May  11,  1869.     His  sons,  T.  St.  Clair  and 


mnUNA   COUNTY. 


167 


Wm.  Laird,  now  own  and  occupy  the  southern  | 
portion  of  this  farm.  Major  Thompson  was  a  ; 
man  of  clear  conception,  strong  moral  courage, 
sound  judgment  and  generous  disposition.  So- 
cially, he  was  agreeable,  humorous  and  witty; 
firm  in  his  opinions,  yet  tolerant  and  liberal ; 
always  found  on  the  moral  and  progressi%'e  side 
of  public  issues,  as  well  as  fearless  and  consist- 
ent in  the  expression  and  practice  of  his  con- 
victions. These  characteristics,  with  his  mental 
ability  and  readiness,  enabled  him  to  be  equal 
to  any  occasi(>n  in  the  discussion  of  all  public 
questions,  in  which  he  was  always  well  and 
thoroughly  informed.  In  determining  upon 
public  men  and  measures  he  'hewed  close  to 
the  line,'  and  when  quite  a  young  man  became 
an  intense  hater  of  the  institution  of  human 
chattel  slavery,  despised  the  position  of  the 
North  as  errand-boy  and  lick-spittle  for  the 
South  in  that  agitation,  cut  loose  from  the  polit- 
ical associations  of  family  and  friends  and  took 
a  forward  part  in  the  Anti-Slavery  movement 
of  that  period,  when  the  principal  arguments 
used  against  such  men  by  the  dominant  political 
parties  were  social  ostracism,  epithets,  slander, 
rotten  eggs,  mob  law,  the  destruction  of  their 
printing-presses  and  the  occasional  killing  of 
an  editor  to  make  proceedings  more  effective. 
He  was  secretary  of  about  the  first  Indiana 
county  anti-slavery  organization  ;  afterward  its 
nominee  for  prothonotary  when  their  strength 
was  less  than  one  hundred  votes  in  the  county,  ' 
and  was  also  connected  with  the  underground 
railroad  system.  To  use  one  of  iiis  own  ex- 
pressions on  the  subject,  he  'denied  the  right  of 
any  man  to  own,  hold  in  bondage  or  dispose  of 
human  beings  as  chattels  unless  a  bill  of  sale 
was  first  produced  from  Almighty  God,  properly 
executed  and  signed.'  His  son,  Hugii  S.,  re- 
members that  when  quite  a  small  lad  a  squad 
of  escaping  slaves,  two  of  them  raotiiers  with 
babes  in  their  arms,  called  at  his  father's  one 
morning  for  food  and  directions  about  the  roads; 
some  days  later  two  grim-looking  strangers  on 


horseback,  with  large  whips  in  their  hands, 
passed  where  he  was  at  play  on  the  road-side 
and  inquired  'if  any  black  people  had  gone 
along  there  lately.'  Not  understanding  the 
matter,  and  not  knowing  that  the  men  were 
slave  hunters,  he  very  innocently  told  them  all 
about  it,  right  along.  But  it  was  the  only  and 
last  'pointer'  he  ever  gave  men  and  women- 
stealers,  for  upon  telling  his  father  of  the  affair 
at  dinner  that  day  he  received  some  instructive 
reproof  and  an  ex])lauatory  admonition  tliat  en- 
lightened him  considerably. 

"The  subject  of  this  part  of  our  sketch  was 
also  qiute  active  in  educational  affairs,  serving 
as  director  when  the  school  system  had  its  early 
trials,  and  was  one  of  the  original  board  of 
managers  of  the  Marion  select  .school,  which 
has  been  a  successful  institution  during  the  last 
one-third  of  a  century.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  he  was  one  of  this  county's  auditors, 
elected  on  the  republican  ticket.  He  will  be 
remembered,  too,  as  one  of  the  founders  of 
Smyrna  United  Presbyterian  Congregation, 
near  Georgeville,  and  one  of  its  ruling  elders 
for  over  twenty  years.  His  family  were  eight 
sons  and  one  daughter:  Hugh  S.,  J.  Stewart, 
Archie  S.,  J.  Wilson,  F.  St.  Clair,  Reynolds  E., 
Robt.  Alexander,  Elizabeth  H.,  now  living 
with  her  husband.  Dr.  G.  W.  Simpson  in  Santa 
Barbara,  Cal.,  and  Wra.  Laird  Reynolds  died 
March  29,  1877.  Four  of  these  sons — all  of 
the  family  old  enough  and  physically  able — 
were  volunteer  soldiers  during  the  late  war, 
Stewart,  Archie,  Wilson  and  St.  Clair,  the  last- 
named  being  one  of  the  youngest  from  this 
county,  and  with  his  regiment  amougst  the 
first  to  enter  Richmond.  Archie  and  WiKSON 
were  in  important  and  perilous  positions  in  U. 
S.  Signal  Service,  where  they  occasionally  met 
with  Gen.  Grant  and  other  army  officers;  and 
after  being  discharged  in  .\ugust,  1865,  they  ar- 
rived home  only  a  few  hours  before  their  father's 
death,  when  the  dying  ]jatriot  was  only  able 
to  give  utterance  to  one  of  his  last  expressions, 


168 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


in  clear  accents  of  thankfulness,  'My  country 
has  been  saved.     My  boys  are  home.' 

"His  wife  was  the  daughter  of  John  Stewart, 
an  old  time  merchant.  Many  are  yet  living 
who  remember  this  excellent  woman's  wisdom 
and  kindness,  the  richness  of  her  womanly 
worth,  her  remarkable  correctness  in  judgment 
of  human  nature  and  the  practical  affairs  of  life, 
and  the  unsurpassed  degree  of  her  faith  in  God 
and  His  promises.  She,  with  her  husband  and 
son  Reynolds,  lie  in  Oakland  cemetery,  Indiana, 
Pennsylvania." 


HON.  JAMES  TODD.  Every  county  de- 
pends for  much  of  its  progress,  as  well  as 
prosperity,  upon  its  intelligent,  patriotic  and- 
energetic  business  men.  Indiana  county,  ever 
since  its  organization  in  1803,  has  had  able  and 
experienced  business  men  to  fill  her  offices  of 
trust  and  responsibility.  Among  those  of  this 
class  who  was  faithful  to  every  trust  reposed  in 
him  was  Hon.  James  Todd,  an  honored  citizen 
of  Indiana  and  a  prominent  man  in  the  political 
history  of  Indiana  county.  He  was  born  in 
Belfast,  Ireland,  in  1788,  and  died  at  Indiana, 
this  county,  in  1872,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of 
eighty -four  years.  In  1789  he  came  to  this 
country  with  his  parents,  and  they  made  their 
home  in  Chambersburg,  Franklin  county, 
for  some  years.  They  afterwards  removed  to 
Westmoreland  county,  where  he  was  reared  on 
a  farm,  endured  all  the  privations  of  frontier 
life  and  received  the  limited  education  of  that 
day. 

In  1815  James  Todd  removed  to  this  county, 
and  was  engaged  in  farming  until  1844,  when 
he  came  to  Indiana,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business,  which  he  followed  success- 
fully as  long  as  he  lived.  He  was  a  whig  and 
afterwards  a  republican,  and  took  an  active  part 
in  political  matters.  He  served  as  county  com- 
missioner in  1828,  and  as  county  treasurer  in 
1833  and  in  1834.    In  1837  he  was  elected  as  a 


member  of  the  Pennsylvania  Constitutional  con- 
vention of  1838,  and  served  very  creditably  in 
that  distinguished  body. 

He  married  Elizabeth  MahalTey,  1808,  who 
died  in  1842,  aged  fifty-five  years,  and  two 
years  later  he  married  for  his  second  wife  Mrs. 
Lavina  (Woodward)  Johnson,  who  died  in  1857, 
aged  fifty-one  years.  He  had  ten  children,  four 
sons  and  six  daughters,  nine  of  whom  grew  to 
man  and  womanhood,  and  their  descendants  are 
widely  scattered  over  different  parts  of  the 
country. 

Hon.  James  Todd  was  a  self-made  man.  He 
was  kind  to  the  poor  and  liberal  to  the  churches 
and  all  worthy  objects.  He  was  a  member  and 
ruling  elder  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  as 
were  both  of  his  wives,  and  he  now  sleeps  by 
their  side  in  Oakland  cemetery.  One  of  his 
children  is  Mrs.  M.  T.  Landis,  widow  of  Dr.  S. 
S.  Landis,  and  now  resident  of  Indiana. 


D  HARRISON  TOMB,  one  of  the  young 
•  and  successful  members  of  the  Indian* 
bar,  and  one  of  the  present  auditors  of  the 
county,  is  a  son  of  David  and  Angeline  (Kil- 
len)  Tomb,  and  was  born  in  East  Wheatfield 
township,  Indiana  county,  Pa.,  May  23,  1857. 
The  Tomb  family  is  of  Scotch-Irish  descent, 
and  the  founder  of  the  American  branch  of  the 
family  was  David  Tomb,  the  grandfather  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  was  born  and 
reared  in  county  Antrim,  Ireland,  which  he 
left  in  1792  to  settle  on  Black  Lick  creek,  where 
he  and  his  brother  John  patented  a  tract  of  over 
two  thousand  acres  of  land.  He  was  a  fiirmer 
and  resided  near  Armagh,  the  oldest  town  now 
in  the  county,  and  which  was  named  for  Ar- 
magh in  Ireland.  Indians  were  still  plenty  at 
that  time,  and  one  of  their  grave-yards  was  on 
Mr.  Tomb's  farm.  He  was  an  exemplary 
member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  and 
died  in  1837,  aged  seventy-four  years.  One  of 
his  sons  was  David  Tomb  (father),  who  was 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


169 


boi'ii  in  East  Wheatfield  township,  in  1809,  and 
dietl  October  2i,  1889.  He  was  au  extensive 
farmer  and  live-stock  dealer,  was  a  stanch 
democrat,  and  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  ftir 
four  terms.  He  had  held  various  other  of  his 
township  ofBcas,  was  an  acknowledged  leader  of 
his  party  and  stood  high  in  the  estimation  of  all 
who  knew  him.  He  was  a  good  scholar,  a  man 
of  sound  judgment  and  well  informed  on  the 
current  events  of  his  day.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  he  ownetl  four  hundred  acres  of  land,  of 
which  two  hundred  was  well-improved  and  the 
other  half  well-timbered  and  heavily  underlaid 
with  coal.  He  married  Angeline  Killen,  a  na- 
tive of  East  Wheatfield  township,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  James  Killen,  of  Scotch-Irish  descent, 
and  whose  parents  came,  about  1790,  from  the 
north  of  Ireland.  Mrs.  Tomb  was  born  in  1 825, 
is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and 
resides  on  the  home-farm  with   her  son,  D.  V. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tomb  were  born  three  sons 
and  one  daughter. 

D.  H.  Tomb  was  the  eldest  sou  and  was  reared 
on  the  home  farm.  He  received  his  elementary 
and  academic  education  in  the  common  schools 
and  the  State  Normal  school  at  Indiana,  Pa., 
from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  the 
class  of  1878.  He  then  entered  the  sophomore 
class  of  Washington  and  Jefferson  college  and 
attended  that  well-known  educational  institution 
for  two  years.  Leaving  college,  he  engaged  in 
teaching,  and  was  principal  for  some  time  of 
the  Woodvale  public  schools,  of  Johnstown,  Pa. 
In  1885  he  commenced  reading  law  with  W.  L. 
Stewart,  Esq.,  was  admitted  to  the  Indiana 
county  bar  in  October,  1887,  and  since  then  has 
been  actively  and  successfully  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  chosen  profession.  In  1888  he 
was  elected,  on  the  democratic  ticket,  an  auditor 
of  Indiana  county,  which  gave  a  large  republican 
majority  at  that  election.  In  1889  he  ran  for 
district  attorney;  but,  while  leading  his  ticket, 
«yas  unable  to  overcome  the  increased  republi- 
can majority  of  that  year. 


November  5, 1888,  Mr.  Tomb  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Maggie  B.  Rankin,  daughter  of 
William  and  Nancy  Rankin,  of  Montgomery 
township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tomb  have  one  child, 
a  son — David  Rankin. 

D.  H.  Tomb  has  always  labored  earnestly  and 
effectively  in  the  interests  of  the  democratic 
party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Indiana  Presby- 
terian church.  Mr.  Tomb  is  a  courteous  and 
honorable  gentleman,  well-read  in  his  profes- 
sion and  active  in  its  practice.  He  always  gives 
the  closest  attention  to  the  business  of  his  clients 
and  is  meeting  with  good  success. 


REV.  ADAM  F.  TONER,  a  polished,  cour- 
teous and  cultured  gentleman  of  fine  edu- 
cation and  good  taste,  and  the  present  earnest, 
progressive  and  successful  pastor  of  St.  Ber- 
nard's Catholic  church  of  Indiana,  was  born  in 
Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  Octol)er  24, 1856,  and 
is  a  son  of  Clement  and  Barbara  (Orth)  Toner. 
His  parents  were  natives  of  Prussia,  where  they 
were  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Catholic  church, 
with  which  they  united  at  an  early  age.  In 
1845  they  came  to  the  United  States  and  located 
in  Pittsburgh,  this  State,  where  they  resided  for 
many  years.  Clement  Toner  is  a  roller  by 
trade,  and  after  some  years  of  economical  and 
honest  labor  in  Pittsburgh  secured  means  suffi- 
cient to  purchase  the  well-improved  farm  which 
he  owns  in  Hampton  township,  Allegheny 
county,  Pa.  He  was  one  of  the  originators  ot 
St.  Mary's  Catholic  church  at  Sharpsburg, 
Allegheny  county,  of  which  he  was  an  influen- 
tial and  liberally  contributing  member  for 
many  years.  He  is  now  in  the  seventieth  year 
of  his  age,  and  has  retired  from  the  pursuits  of 
active  life.  For  the  last  two  years  he  has 
resided  with  his  son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
His  wife,  Barbara  (Orth)  Toner,  pa.ssed  away 
from  this  earth  on  August  31,  1888,  when  in 
the  sixty-sixth  year  of  her  age,  and  her  remains 


170 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


are  entombed  in  the  cemetery  of  St.  Mary's 
Catholic  church,  of  which  she  was  an  active 
and  devout  member  for  many  years. 

Adam  F.  Toner  was  reared  in  Pittsburgh, 
where  he  received  his  elementary  and  academic 
education.  In  1873  he  went  to  St.  Vincent's 
abbey  and  college,  near  Latrobe,  Westmoreland 
county,  where  he  took  a  seven  years'  classical 
course.  He  then  took  a  full  philosophica,l  and 
theological  course  at  St.  Vincent's  and  the 
Grand  seminary  of  Montreal,  Canada.  On 
August  21,  1885,  he  was  ordained  to  the  priest- 
hood by  Rt.  Rev.  Richard  Phelan,  D.D.,  being 
the  first  to  be  ordained  by  the  newly  consecrated 
bishop,  at  St.  Vincent's  abbey,  and  was  ap- 
pointed as  assistant  pastor  of  St.  Peter's  church 
at  McKeesport,  Allegheny  county.  After  two 
years'  faithful  and  successful  service  there  he 
was  assigned  to  his  present  field  of  labor  at 
Indiana.  On  August  31,  1887,  he  assumed 
charge  of  St.  Bernard's  Catholic  church  of 
Indiana  and  has  remained  its  pastor  ever  since. 
The  first  Catholic  families  at  Indiana  came 
about  1814,  and  in  1845  the  first  Catholic 
church  of  that  place  was  erected.  It  was  a 
frame  structure,  costing  about  six  hundred 
dollars  and  the  congregation  was  served  by 
priests  from  St.  Vincent's,  in  Westmoreland 
county.  Among  the  ministers  who  acted  as 
missionary  laborers  to  Indiana,  was  the  sainted 
Rt.  Rev.  Boniface  Wimmer,  the  founder  of  St. 
Vincent's  abbey  and  the  order  of  St.  Benedict 
in  North  America.  The  present  brick  church 
of  St.  Bernard's  was  begun  in  1869,  and  was 
dedicated  on  May  26,  1871.  It  is  of  the  order 
of  Gothic  architecture  and  is  in  the  form  of  a 
cross.  It  is  57x94  feet  in  dimensions,  will  seat 
six  hundred  people  and  cost  twenty-two  thousand 
dollars.  When  Rev.  Toner  came  to  the  charge 
it  included  about  sixty  families,  but  under  his 
labors  it  has  increased  to  eighty-five  families. 

The  church  was  badly  out  of  repair,  but  with 
his  characteristic  energy  and  perseverance  he 
began   a   series   of  much-needed  and  valuable 


improvements  which  has  placed  St.  Bernard's 
among  the  most  beautiful,  attractive  and  finely- 
furnished  churches  of  western  Pennsylvania. 
He  has  heated  the  church,  the  parsonage  and  all 
other  buildings  on  the  premises  with  steam,  and 
secured  natural  gas  for  fuel  in  the  heating 
boilers  of  the  buildings ;  he  has  had  water  put  in 
every  room  of  each  building,  and  has  had  water- 
plugs  placed  at  all  necessary  points.  He  has 
drained  the  grounds,  put  in  sewerage  and  contrib- 
uted in  many  other  ways  to  the  healthfulness, 
the  beauty  and  conveniences  of  St.  Bernard's. 
All  these  improvements  have  been  paid  for  and 
the  charge  is  in  a  flourishing  condition.  He  has 
been  largely  instrumental  in  organizing  a 
literary  society  and  in  founding  an  extensive 
library,  which  has  a  reading-room  attached  for 
the  young  folks.  A  room  is  also  provided 
where  they  can  indulge  in  healthful  and  inno- 
cent games.  A  very  fine  orchestra  has  been 
organized  from  the  congregation,  and  is  known 
as  St.  Bernard's  orchestra. 

Rev.  Toner  is  laboring  earnestly  and  success- 
fully for  the  intellectual  education  and  culture, 
the  moral  growth  and  the  spiritual  welfare  of 
his  people,  and  commands  the  respect  of  all 
who  know  him. 


TAMES  M.  TORRENCE,  M.D.,  a  veterwu 
^  soldier  of  the  105th  Pa.  Vols,  and  a  phy- 
sician in  active  practice  at  Indiana,  was  born  at 
Punxsutawney,  Jefferson  county,  Pennsylvania, 
December  6,  1845,  and  is  a  son  of  Judge  James 
and  Mary  (Caldwell)  Torrence.  Hugh  Tor- 
rence  (paternal  grandfather)  was  a  native  of  Ire- 
land and  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  He 
came  from  Ireland  to  Pennsylvania  and  was  one 
of  the  early  settlers  near  Manor  Station,  West- 
moreland county,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death.  He  was  a  presbyterian  in  religious 
belief.  William  Caldwell  (maternal  grandfa- 
ther) was  of  Irish  descent  and  resided  at  Indiana, 
where  he  reared  a  large  family  and  where  he 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


171 


died.  Judge  James  Torrence  (father)  was  bora 
in  Westmoreland  county,  learned  the  trade  of 
tanning  in  Allegiieny  city,  and  followed  that 
business  for  twenty  years.  He  came  to  Punxsu- 
tawney  when  a  young  man,  and  successfully 
operated  a  large  tannery  in  the  centre  of  the 
town  until  1866,  when  he  retired  from  active 
business  except  dealing  in  real  estate.  In  1859 
he  was  elected  associate  judge  of  that  county, 
on  the  republican  ticket  and  served  for  three 
years.  He  began  life  without  any  capital,  and 
by  close  attention  to  business  is  now  worth  sixty 
or  seventy  thousand  dollars,  besides  owning 
some  real  estate  in  his  town.  He  is  an  active 
republican  and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  He  married  Mary  Caldwell,  who  was 
a  native  of  Indiana  and  a  member  of  the  Cum- 
berland Presbyterian  church.  She  died  in  1858, 
aged  thirty-nine  years. 

James  M.  Torrence  was  reared  principally  in 
his  native  town  until  he  was  twelve  years  of  age, 
when  he  entered  the  Messenger  printing-office  at 
Indiana  and  served  au  apprenticeship  of  two 
and  one-half  years.  Before  he  was  sixteen 
years  of  age  he  enlisted  in  Co.  K,  105th  reg.. 
Pa.  Vols.,  served  as  a  company  clerk  for  eight 
months  and  then  entered  the  ranks.  In  1863 
he  re-enlisted  and  served  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  was  in  all  the  battles  of  his  regiment, 
was  present  at  Lee's  surrender  and  was  wound- 
ed at  Chancellorsville  in  the  left  hand  and  in 
the  side  of  the  head  (June  17, 1864)  in  front  of 
Petersburg.  After  the  war  he  attended  the 
Iron  City  Business  college  and  fitted  for  college 
at  Glade  Run  and  Dayton  academies.  He 
entered  Mt.  Union  college,  which  he  left  (1869), 
when  in  the  senior  class,  to  read  medicine  with 
his  brother-in-law.  Dr.  J.  W.  Hughes,  of  Blairs- 
ville.  Completing  his  course  of  reading,  he 
entered  Jefferson  Medical  college,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1873.  In  the 
same  year  he  located  at  Indiaua,  where  he  has 
continued  in  the  successful  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession ever  since. 


In  1880  he  married  Ida,  daughter  of  E.  P. 
Hildebrand,  a  native  of  Berlin,  Pa.,  and  a  man 
of  high  standing,  who  was  twice  prothonotary 
of  the  county  and  died  while  serving  as  justice 
of  the  peace,  July  29,  1889,  aged  sixty-seven 
years.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Torrence  have  three  chil- 
dren ;  Helen,  James  Monroe  and  Arthur 
Hildebrand. 

In  politics  Dr.  Torrence  is  a  republican. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and 
the  Indiana  County  Medical  society,  and  well 
sustains  the  reputation  which  he  has  earned  as 
a  courteous  gentleman  and  a  skillful  physician. 


EDWARD  G.  VOGEL.  In  modern  progress 
the  trade  of  the  tailor  has  advanced  to  the 
plane  of  a  fine  art.  Among  the  leading  mer- 
chant tailors  in  this  section  of  the  State  is 
Edward  G.  Vogel,  who  is  a  graduated  fashion- 
able and  artistic  cutter  and  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Vogel  Bros.,  which  was  established  in 
1839.  He  is  a  son  of  Paul  and  Helen  (Laurent) 
Vogel,  and  was  born  at  Indiana,  Indiana  county, 
Pennsylvania,  December  20, 1863.  Paul  Vogel 
is  a  native  of  the  kingdom  of  Bavaria,  now  a 
powerful  State  of  the  great  German  empire. 
He  came  in  1847  to  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  where  he 
remained  for  two  years  and  then  removed  to 
Indiana,  which  he  has  made  his  home  ever 
since.  He  learned  the  trade  of  tailor  in  the 
"  Fatherland,"  and  was  engaged  in  the  merchant 
tailoring  busine.ss  until  within  the  last  two  years. 
He  was  born  in  1827  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Maria  Vogel,  of  Bavaria.  In  1849  he  founded 
the  present  merchant  tailoring  establishment  of 
Vogel  Brothers.  His  partners  were  his  brothers 
George  and  Wolfgang.  George  Vogel  died 
February  8,  1876,  and  Wolfgang  Vogel  retired 
from  the  firm  in  1884.  Their  places  in  the 
firm  were  occupied  by  his  sons.  Paul  Vogel  is 
a  strict  Catholic,  a  stanch  democrat  and  married 
Helen  Laurent,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Barbara 


172 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


Laurent,  of  Butler  county,  this  State.  They 
have  nine  children,  eight  of  whom  are  living: 
Frances,  Ed.  G.,  Celia  M.,  Theo.  A.,  Joseph  A., 
John  W.,  Laurent  J.  and  Stella  A.  Mrs.  Vogel 
is  a  devoted  member  of  the  Catholic  church. 

Edward  G.    Vogel   was  reared   at  Indiana, 
where  he  received  his  education  in  the  public  and 
catholic  schools  of  that  place.     Leaving  school, 
he  learned  the  trade  of  tailor  with  his  father, 
after   which   he   went  to  Pittsburgh,  where  he 
worked  with  some  of  the  best  tailors  of  that 
city;  and  in  order  to  perfect  himself  in  his  chosen 
trade,    he   then  attended   a   celebrated    cutting 
school  in  New  York  city,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated.    After  perfecting  merchant  tailoring  in 
its  higher    and  fiuer    branches  he   returned  and 
assumed   charge  of  his  father's  establishment. 
Under  his  management  it  soon  acquired  an  en- 
viable reputation  and  a  large  increase  of  custom. 
Vogel  Bros,  are  located  on  North  6  th  street,  oppo- 
site the  court-house,  employ  the  best  workmen  in 
the   county  and    carry    a    large    assortment  of 
cloths,  suitings,  vestings  and  piece  goods  which 
are  from  English,  French,  German  and  domes- 
tic looms.     Their  goods  are  in  the  latest  designs 
and  patterns  and  are  of  the  choicest  products  to 
be  secured  in  either  foreign  or  domestic  mar- 
kets.     The  perfect  accuracy  with  which  gar- 
ments are  cut  and  fitted  and  the  artistic  skill  of 
finish  are  features  of  the  establishment,  which 
is  noted  for  fitting  clothes,  stylish  goods  and  ex- 
cellent workmanship.     Mr.  Vogel  is  a  perfect 
genius  in  the  art  of  cutting,  a  man  of  sound  \ 
judgment,  good  taste  and  unquestionable  skill 
and   personally   supervises  every  detail  of  the  j 
several  departments  of  his  flourishing  business. 
He  is  a  democrat  and  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
church,    in  whose  faith  he  was  reared  and  by 
whose  teachings  he  has  been  guided  in  life. 

Edward  G.  Vogel  was  married,  on  October 
16,  1888,  to  Kate  D.  Doberneck,  daughter  of 
Frank  and  Mary  Doberneck,  of  Indiana.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Vogel  have  one  child,  a  son,  named 
Paul  Vogel,  Jr.,  who  was  born  July  14,  1889. 


MC.  WATSON.     One  of  the  most  active 
•     public  men    of  Indiana    county,  and  at 
pre-sent  a  successful  leading  lawyer  of  western 
Pennsylvania,  and  now,  though  engrossed  with 
the  cares  and  business  of  a  large  law  practice, 
having  as  deep  an  interest  as  any  ludianian  in 
the  material  development  of  the  county,  is  M. 
C.  Watson.     Honored  with  some  and  refusing 
other   offices    within  the  gift    of    the    people, 
he  has  been  assiduously   devoting  himself  for 
the  past  five  years  to  his  profession  and  indi- 
vidual business  interests.    He  is  a  son  of  James 
and  Mary  (Pattison)  Watson,  and  was  born  on 
Watson's  ridge,  in  the  southern  part  of  Indiana 
county,    Penn.sylvania,     September    28,     1846. 
Matthew    Watson    (grandfather)    was    born  in 
county  Tyrone,    in  1763,  came  to  the  United 
States  about  1793  and  located  in  what  is  now 
the  northern  part  of  Westmoreland  county,  Pa. 
In  1800  he  located  on  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Dr.    Thomas  Mnrry  in    Conemaugh   township 
and  the  ridge  upon   which  this  farm  is  located 
was  called  "  Watson's  Ridge  "  ill  honor  of  him. 
He  was  a  fitting  representative  of  the  hardy, 
moral    and  liberty-loving  race  from  which  he 
was  descended,  and  was  one  of  the  honored  and 
worthy  pioneer  settlers  of  western  Pennsylvania, 
who  have  given  character  for  all  time  to  come 
to  the  great  region  which  they  reclaimed  from 
the  savages  and  wild  bea.sts  of  the  forest.     In 
1855,  when  venerable   with   the  snows  of  age, 
but     remarkably    active     for    one     who    had 
passed    the    ninety- second    milestone    on    life's 
rugged  pathway,  he  w;is  unfortunate  enough  to 
have  his  hip  dislocated,  and  failing  to  rally  from 
the  shock  he    passed  away  into  the  unknown 
world.     Ere   he   left  the   green  shores  of  his 
native    country    he   married    an  Irish  maiden, 
who    died    in    this    country    shortly    after    his 
arrival.     For  his  second  wife  he  wedded  Mar- 
garet  McClelland,    who    was    of    Scotch-Irish 
descent,  and  a  daughter  of  James  McClelland, 
I  who   came  about  1783,  with    his  young  wife, 
'  from  Scotland  to  Conemaugh  township,  where 


1 


^/ 


z^^;^^^^^^ 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


175 


his  children  were  born  and  where  he  frequently 
fled  to  a  neighboring  block-house  on  account  of 
Indian  invasions.  To  Matthew  and  Margaret 
Watson  were  born  twelve  children:  John, 
Thomas,  Matthew,  Jr.,  Mary,  William,  Alex- 
ander, Robert,  James,  Jane,  Isabella,  Ann  and 
Margaret.  Of  the  sons,  James  Watson  (father) 
was  born  December  16,  1816,  and  died  January 
10,  1886,  when  in  the  sixty-ninth  year  of  his 
age.  He  was  an  extensive  farmer  and  active 
business  man.  He  ran  a  dairy,  dealt  in  stock 
and  operated  the  Ridge  flouring-mill,  which 
was  one  of  the  first  steam  flouriug-mills  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  county.  When  Morgan 
and  his  bold  raiders,  in  1863,  threatened  the 
western  part  of  the  State,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  H, 
54th  regiment.  Pa.  Militia,  was  promoted  to 
commissary  sergeant  and  was  present  at  Mor- 
gan's capture.  He  was  a  member  of  the  U.  P. 
church,  a  prominent  citizen  of  his  community 
and  a  man  of  keen  discernment  and  scrupulous 
honesty.  His  wife  was  Mary  Pattison,  by 
whom  he  had  two  sons  and  one  daughter : 
Alexander  P.,  of  Callinsburg,  Clarion  county, 
Pa.,  who  enlisted  in  Co.  I,  67th  regiment,  Pa. 
Vols.,  and  served  three  years,  of  which  time 
four  months  was  spent  as  a  prisoner  of  war  in 
southern  prisons ;  Belle  J.,  wife  of  Rev.  Hugh 
Boyd  ;  and  M.  C.  Mrs.  Mary  Watson  was  born 
in  Armstrong  township,  united  with  the  U.  P. 
church  at  an  early  age,  and  died  February  9. 
1886,  aged  seventy  years.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  Gen.  Alexander  Pattison,  who  was  born  in 
this  county  and  married  Martha  Scott,  a 
native  of  Scotland.  General  Pattison  was  a 
son  of  John  Pattison,  who  emigrated  from  the 
north  of  Ireland  to  this  county  soon  after  the 
termination  of  the  Revolutionary  war. 

M.  C.  Watson  was  reared  in  the  rural  dis- 
tricts, where  his  father  resided,  and  received  his 
education  in  the  famous  old  Elder's  Ridge 
academy,  from  which  institution  he  was  grad- 
uated in  the  class  of  1872.  Having  made 
choice  of  law  as  a  profession,  he  went  to  the 
H 


University  of  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan,  where  he 
entered  the  law  department  and  spent  one  year. 
He  then  (1873)  came  back  to  Indiana,  where  he 
read  law  for  one  year  with  Judge  Harry  White 
and  was  admitted  to  the  Indiana  county  bar  on 
March  7,  1874.  Upon  his  admission  he  became 
a  partner  of  Judge  White  and  remained  as  such 
until  1885.  In  1877  he  was  elected  district 
attorney  ;  his  services  were  such  in  that  office  as  to 
.secure  his  re-nomination  and  re-election  in  1880. 
During  nearly  three-quartere  of  a  century  Mr. 
Watson  has  been  the  .second  iracumbent  who 
has  served,  and  the  first  who  has  ever  been 
elected  for  a  second  term  as  district  attorney  of 
Indiana  county.  In  1886  the  Republican  party 
of  the  county,  unasked  and  unsought  for  on  his 
part,  gave  him  the  nomination  for  Congress, 
which  he  courteously  but  firmly  declined  in 
order  to  give  his  time  fully  to  his  law  practice. 
Two  years  later  he  was  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the 
National  Republican  Convention  of  Chicago, 
which  nominated  Harrison.  In  1885  he  formed 
his  present  law  partnership  with  S.  J.  Telford, 
and  they  have  a  large  practice  in  both  the  civil 
and  criminal  courts  of  this  and  adjoining  coun- 
ties. He  is  interested  in  the  material  develop- 
ment of  the  county,  in  the  northeastern  part  of 
which  he  has  large  interests  in  coal  and  lumber. 
He  is  also  a  stockholder  and  president  of  the 
Indiana  county  Telephone  company,  and  the 
Indiana  county  Gas  company.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church,  Indiana ;  Lodge 
No.  313,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  a  Royal  Arch 
Mason  of  Zerubbabel  Chapter,  No.  162. 

On  December  13,  1877,  he  married  Juliet 
White,  daughter  of  Colonel  Richard  White, 
grand-daughter  of  Judge  Tlioraas  White,  and 
niece  to  General  Harry  White.  Their 
union  has  been  blessed  with  tliree  sons  and 
three  daughters :  Richard  W.,  jNIark  H.,  C. 
Helen,  Mary  G.,  J.  Herman  and  Anna  M. 
Mrs.  Watson's  father.  Col.  Ricliard  White, 
served  as  major  in  a  three  months'  regiment  in 
1861,  and  then  became  colonel  of  the  55th  Pa. 


176 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


Vols.,  which  he  commanded  until  the  close  of 
the  war.  He  died  in  fourteen  days  after  arriv- 
ing home  in  April,  1865,  from  exposure  during 
the  war. 

M.  C.  Watson  is  suave  of  manner  and  cour- 
teous in  bearing.  He  is  persuasive  and  eloquent 
in  addressing  a  jury,  and  generally  successful  in 
winning  his  cases.  His  speeches  made  in  im- 
portant cases  are  marked  by  great  strength  of 
argument  and  force  of  reasoning,  as  well  as 
distinguished  by  eloquent  flights  and  beauty  of 
language. 


JAMES  M.  WATT,  the  capable  cashier  of 
the  Indiana  county  Deposit  Bank  and  the 
reliable  treasurer  of  the  Indiana  Normal  school, 
is  a  son  of  Judge  Isaac  M.  and  Jane  (McKin- 
nan)  Watt  and  was  born  at  Indiana,  Indiana 
county,  Pennsylvania,  December  30,  1847. 
The  Watt  and  McKinnan  families  are  both  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent  and  were  settled  at  an 
early  day  respectively  in  Allegheny  and  Hun- 
tingdon counties.  Hon.  Isaac  M.  Watt  was 
born  and  reared  in  Allegheny  county,  where  he 
learned  the  trade  of  saddler.  In  early  life  he 
removed  to  Indiana,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
the  saddlery  and  harness-making  business  until 
1865,  wlien  he  removed  to  Homer  City  and  fol- 
lowed the  mercantile  business  till  his  death,  in 
1874,  when  in  the  sixty-sixth  year  of  his  age. 
Judge  Watt  was  a  man  of  prominence  and  use- 
fulness in  the  county  and  was  honored  with 
many  offices  of  honor  and  trust  by  his  fellow- 
citizens  of  Indiana  county.  He  was  justice  of 
the  peace  for  many  years,  served  as  county 
treasurer  from  1836  to  1838,  was  register  and 
recorder  from  1839  to  1842  and  during  1847, 
and  was  elected  jury  commissioner  in  1861. 
In  1851  he  was  elected  associate  judge  of 
Indiana  county,  which  position  he  ably  filled  for 
ten  years.  He  was  a  stanch  republican  and  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  In  1834 
he  married  Jane  Watt,  who  was  born  in  Hun- 


tingdon county  in  1815  and  is  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Mary  (McCahan)  McKinnan,  who 
both  died  when  she  was  five  years  of  age.  She 
is  now  in  the  seventy-sixth  year  of  her  age  and 
resides  at  Homer  City. 

James  M.  Watt  wa-s  reared  at  Indiana,  where 
he  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  that 
town.  In  1865,  to  fully  qualify  himself  for 
some  business  pursuit  in  life,  he  entered  Duff's 
Commercial  college  of  Pittsburgh,  trora  which  he 
graduated  during  that  year.  From  1865  to 
1867  he  was  a  clerk  in  the  drug  house  of  Nes- 
bit  &  Lewis,  of  Indiana.  In  1867  he  went  to 
Pittsburgh,  where  he  served  for  three  years  as  a 
prescription  clerk  in  a  wholesale  and  retail  drug 
house.  He  then  removed  to  Homer  City  and 
was  engaged  in  the  drug  business  for  seven  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  became  (1877)  to  Indiana, 
was  a  clerk  for  the  drug  firm  of  Hetrick  Bros,  for 
one  year  and  then  entered  the  Indiana  County 
Deposit  bank  as  teller,  which  position  he  held 
until  1883,  when  he  was  made  assistant  cashiei*. 
One  year  later  he  was  elected  cashier  and  has 
served  efficiently  as  such  until  the  present  time. 
This  bank  was  organized  December  4,  1869, 
with  a  capital  stock  of  $100,000,  which  was  in- 
creased in  1873  to  $200,000,  but  was  afterward 
reduce  to  the  original  amount.  Its  deposits  av- 
erage $150,000  with  a  surplus  of  $50,000,  and 
its  present  officers  are:  W.  M.  Stewart,  Presi- 
dent; Judge  Harry  White,  Vice-President;  J. 
M.  Watt,  cashier  and  T.  E.  Hiklebrand,  assist- 
ant cashier.  Mr.  Watt  is  a  republican,  served 
one  year  as  burgess  of  Homer  City  and  is  a 
member  and  treasurer  of  the  board  of  trade 
of  Indiana.  He  is  a  member  of  Indiana 
Lodge,  No.  313,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Indiana  Post, 
No.  28,  G.  A.  R.  He  has  been  for  .seven  years 
treasurer  of  the  Indiana  Normal  school. 

April  9,  1874,  he  married  Nettie  E.Jamison, 
a  daughter  of  John  A.  Jamison,  of  Indiana. 
James  M.  Watt  was  one  of  the  youthful  soldiers 
of  the  late  war.  He  enlisted  when  only  four- 
teen years  of  age  as  a  musician  in  Co.  I,  135th 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


177 


regiment,  Pa.  Vols.,  and  served  nine  months. 
He  re-enlisted  February  18,  1864,  for  three 
years  and  served  in  Co.  F,  55th  regiment,  Pa. 
Vols.,  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  was 
honorably  discharged  at  Fortress  Monroe  on 
June  8,  1866.  In  the  many  business  positions 
of  trust  and  responsibility  which  he  has  held 
Mr.  Watt  lias  always  discharged  his  duties  in 
such  an  efficient  manner  as  to  give  entire  satisfac- 
tion. He  is  an  excellent  financier  and  a  man  of 
good  judgment  and  fine  business  ability. 


HON.  THOMAS  WHITE.  Among  the 
prominent  public  men  and  jurists  of  this 
State,  no  one  has  ever  been  more  deservedly 
honored  for  intellectual  power  and  a  pure  record 
of  public  and  private  life,  than  Thomas  White, 
who  was  an  eminent  lawyer,  an  upright  judge 
and  a  just  man.  He  was  a  sou  of  Richard  and 
Mary  White,  and  was  born  in  1799  in  Sussex 
county,  in  the  south  of  England,  and  within 
sight  of  the  hill  of  Senlac,  where  the  last  king 
of  English  blood  fell  dead  at  the  foot  of  the 
royal  standard — the  consecrated  gift  of  Rome 
and  Hildebrand,  and  where  the  Norman  con- 
queror William  reared  Battle  Abbey  with  its 
massive  walls  to  fulfill  a  vow  and  in  honor  of 
his  great  victory  (called  in  history  the  battle  of 
Hastings).  Sussex  county,  whose  coast  is  the 
resort  of  rank,  fashion  and  opulence  and  whose 
hills  and  downs  present  a  variety  of  pleasing 
and  picturesque  situations,  is  historic  ground. 
On  its  soil  Caesar  first  planted  the  imperial  ban- 
ners of  Rome  when  he  invaded  Britain ;  subse- 
quently the  Saxon  invasion  of  England  was 
made  through  its  territory  and  there  is  no  more 
classic  ground  in  all  England  than  Senlac  hill, 
the  last  spur  of  the  Sussex  downs,  once  covered 
by  the  great  Andrede  weald,  or  wonderful  native 
forests.  After  Norman  William  had  won  the 
kingdom  there  were  several  immigrations  from 
Normandy,  and   in   the   mixed   population  of 


Saxon  and  Norman,  elements  which  came  to  be 
occupants  of  the  Seulac  district  there  is  no  clue 
to  the  ancestry  of  Judge  White,  other  than  is 
afforded  by  the  name  (White),  which  is  undoubt- 
edly Saxon,  and  some  of  his  ancestors  may  have 
fought  under  King  Harold  when  he  fell  in 
1066,  in  defense  of  his  kingdom. 

Thomas  White  was  brought,  by  his  mother, 
Mrs.  Mary  White,  in  1804,  to  Philadelphia, 
where  he  obtained  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  city  and  became  well  versed  in 
the  French  and  Spanish  languages.  He  read 
law  with  William  Rawle,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  and  in  1821  opened  an  office  at  Indiana.  On 
December  13,  1836,  he  was  appointed,  by  Gov. 
Joseph  Ritner,  as  president  judge  of  the  Tenth 
Judicial  District,  composed  of  the  counties  of 
Armstrong,  Cambria,  Indiana  and  Westmore- 
land. After  he  left  the  bench,  in  1847,  he  re- 
sumed the  practice  of  law  and  was  engaged  in 
many  important  cases  in  different  county  courts 
and  the  supreme  court  of  Pennsylvania. 

Judge  White  took  great  interest  in  agriculture, 
raised  some  very  fine  sheep  and  blooded  cattle 
and  was  president  of  the  Indiana  Agricultural 
Association  from  its  origin  until  his  death,  in 
1866. 


ANDREW  W.  WILSON.  One  of  Penn- 
sylvania's self-made  and  leading  business 
men,  and  an  intelligent,  honored  and  respected 
citizen  of  Indiana,  is  the  gentleman  whose  name 
appears  at  the  head  of  this  sketch.  For  strict 
integrity,  business  ability  and  personal  worth, 
Andrew  W.  Wilson  stands  as  high  as  any  man 
in  this  section  of  the  State.  He  was  born  in 
Brush  Valley  township,  Indiana  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, July  12,  1826,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel 
and  Elizabeth  (Wilkins)  Wilson.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Joseph  Wilson,  was  a  native  of 
county  Antrim,  Ireland,  where  he  first  saw  the 
light  in  1757.  He  left  the  land  of  his  birth  in 
1795  and  came  to  this  county,  where  he  patent- 


178 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


ed  and  improved  a  tract  of  land  in  Brush  Val- 
ley township.  He  was  one  of  the  first  settlers 
of  Dills  Valley  (now  Brush  Valley),  a  weaver 
by  trade  and  a  very  intelligent  representative 
Scotch-Irishman.  He  lived  far  beyond  the  al- 
lotted span  of  life,  saw  three  birthdays  beyond 
the  century  mark  and  breathed  his  last  when  in 
the  one  hundred  and  third  year  of  his  ripe  old 
age.  Of  the  four  sons  who  were  born  to  him 
in  the  New  World,  one  was  Samuel  Wilson, 
(father),  who  was  engaged  in  farming  and  school- 
teaching  till  his  death,  in  1865,  aged  sixty-five 
years.  He  was  a  consistent  member  and  useful 
elder  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church.  His 
first  wife  was  Elizabeth  Wilkins,  who  was  born 
in  the  initial  year  of  the  present  century ;  was 
a  member  of  the  U.  P.  church  and  passed  away 
at  the  early  age  of  thirty-five  years.  She  was 
a  daughter  of  Andrew  Wilkins,  one  of  the  first 
white  children  who  was  born  on  the  territory  of 
Indiana  county.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  during 
the  construction  of  the  old  Portage  R.  E..  he  fed 
a  large  number  of  hands  who  were  working  on 
it,  besides  supplying  many  others  with  meat. 
He  died  near  Portage,  but  his  remains  are  in- 
terred at  Johnstown,  Cambria  county,  Pa. 

Andrew  W.  Wilson  was  reared  on  a  farm 
until  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  during  the  summer  months  at 
five  dollars  per  month  and  his  board.  He  ob- 
tained his  education  by  working  for  his  board 
while  he  attended  school.  From  fourteen  to 
seventeen  years  of  age  he  was  engaged  in  teach- 
ing school  at  from  |7.50  to  $18.00  per  moiith. 
He  then  became  a  clerk  in  the  dry-goods  house 
of  Sutton  &  Moore,  of  Indiana,  which  position 
he  held  for  three  years,  when  his  employers  made 
him  manager  of  a  store  at  Mechaniesburg,  (the 
firm-name  being  A.  W.  Wilson  &  Co.,)  which 
they  stocked  with  twenty-five  hundred  dollars' 
worth  of  goods.  Here  for  five  years  he  laboi'ed 
persistently  against  many  discouragements,  and 
by  hard  work,  practical  economy  and  strict 
honesty   laid   the   foundations  of  a  permanent 


success  that  has  crowned  his  efforts  ever  since  in 
the  commercial  world.  In  the  latter  year  the 
Pennsylvania  R.  R.  located  a  branch  road  to 
Indiana,  and  Mr.  Wilson  was  recalled  to  the  home 
house,  where  he  was  admitted  as  an  equal  part- 
ner with  John  Sutton  and  intrusted  with  a 
large  share  of  its  management.  The  establish- 
ment of  Sutton  &  Wilson  was  known  for  many 
miles  as  the  leading  house  of  the  county.  His 
business  ability  and  experience  were  fully  equal 
to  the  requirements  of  the  situation.  For  thirty- 
eight  years  he  has  slowly  but  securely  built  up 
a  business  of  extensive  proportions.  In  that 
time  one  of  his  partners  died  and  the  other  retired 
from  business,  and  the  firm  to-day  is  A.  W. 
Wilson  &  Son  (Harry  W.  Wilson).  The  orig- 
nal  store  is  a  two-story  brick  building,  28x65, 
and  was  erected  in  1858,  on  the  site  of  the  old 
Peter  Sutton  log  hotel,  built  in  1806.  It  is  now 
used  as  the  grocery  department  of  their  present 
establishment,  which  occupies  the  site  of  the 
old  Carpenter  mansion  on  Philadelphia  street. 
It  is  thirly-three  feet  front  and  one  hundred 
and  thirteen  feet  deep.  It  was  erected  in  1880 
and  is  three  stories  in  height,  built  of  Philadel- 
phia pressed-brick  and  the  front  tastefully  trim- 
med with  Freeport  gray  sandstone.  The  front 
is  largely  of  fine  plale-glass.  This  dry-goods 
house  throughout  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the 
State  outside  of  a  large  city.  It  affords  a  large 
amount  of  floor  space,  plenty  of  light  and  every 
convenience  for  the  accommodation  and  display 
of  their  immense  stock  that  has  no  superior  and 
few  equals  in  any  county-seat  of  the  State.  The 
entire  establishment  is  divided  into  five  depart- 
ments, which  are  under  the  charge  of  experi- 
enced and  courteous  managers.  The  first  depart- 
ment, is  used  for  staple  and  fancy  dry  goods  and 
notions;  the  second  is  devoted  to  men's  clothing 
and  carpets;  the  third  is  filled  with  blankets  and 
yarns;  the  fourth  or  basement  story  is  stocked 
with  oil-cloths  and  the  different  kinds  of  wares, 
and  the  fifth  comprises  the  first-store  building, 
which  is  filled  with  groceries  and  contains  tlie 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


179 


packing  and  ware-rooms.  Mr.  Wilson's  trade 
extends  over  a  wide  area  of  territory  and  he  is 
well  deserving  of  the  liberal  patronage  accorded 
him. 

July  7,  1853,  lie  married  Anna  G.  Dick, 
daughter  of  James  Dick,  of  this  county.  The 
latter  was  a  native  of  Belfast,  Ireland.  Their 
children  are:  Harry  W.,  in  business  with  liis 
father;  Robert  D.,  Ph.D ,  who  is  a  professor 
of  Hebrew  in  the  Western  Theological  seminary; 
Rev.  Samuel  G.,  a  missionary  in  Persia;  John 
L.,  in  business  with  his  father;  Prof.  Andrew 
W.,  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Kiskirainetas 
school  for  boys;  Ella  M.,  a  graduate  of  Vas.sar 
college  and  teacher  of  Greek  at  Kiskiminetas 
school;  and  Annie  E.,  James  D.,  Jennie  P.  and 
.  Mary  A.,  who  are  attending  school.  The  four 
eldest  sons  are  graduates  of  Princeton. 

Politically  Mr.  Wilson  is  a  prohibitionist  and 
has  held  several  offices  of  trust  and  responsibil- 
ity. He  is  president  of  the  board  of  trade, 
vice-president  of  the  board  of  Normal  school 
directors  and  a  director  ofthe  Western  Theolog- 
ical seminary.  He  has  been  for  over  twenty 
years  au  influential  member  and  a  leading  elder 
of  the  Indiana  Presbyterian  church,  of  whose 
Sunday-school  he  has  been  superintendent  for 
thirteen  years.  He  has  given  freely  of  his  time 
and  means  in  the  promotion  of  the  religious, 
benevolent  and  educational  interests  of  Indiana. 
Andrew  W.  Wilson  ranks  high  in  that  class  of 
men  who  build  their  own  monuments  of  fortune 
and  reputation  and  the  gratification  of  whose 
highest  ambition  is  attained  in  being  useful  to 
their  fellow-men. 


LIEUTENANT  ALEXANDER  McCRACKEN, 
of  the  U.  S.  Navy,  was  born  in  Indiana, 
in  1850.  He  was  a  cabin  boy  on  a  gunboat 
commanded  by  Captain  Wells,  on  the  lower 
Mississippi,  in  1863  and  1864.  In  1865  he 
entered   the   naval   school   at  Annapolis,  Md. ; 


graduated  in  1869  ;  was  appointed  midshipman, 
and  left  Boston,  August  1st,  in  the  same  year 
for  the  East,  in  the  service  of  the  government, 
visiting  France,  Italy,  Egypt  and  other  coun- 
tries. Subsequently  he  was  in  the  coast  survey 
on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  lower  Mississippi 
River.  In  1877  he  was  sent  to  the  coast  of 
South  America,  and  returned  in  November, 
1879.  He  is  now  (1880)  one  of  the  instructors 
in  mathematics  in  the  naval  school  at  Annapo- 
lis. He  was  promoted  regularly  from  mid- 
shipman to  lieutenant,  in  January,  1879. 


JOHN  R.  WILSON,  a  prominent,  active  and 
successful  lawyer  and  a  well-known  and 
able  Democratic  leader  of  Indiana  county,  is  a 
sou  of  William  and  Letitia  (McAdoo)  Wilson, 
and  was  born  in  Centre  township,  Indiana 
county,  Pennsylvania,  June  24, 1841.  William 
Wilson  was  a  son  of  John  Wilson,  of  a  well-to- 
do  and  respected  Wilson  family  of  Ireland,  from 
which  he  emigrated  in  1828  to  Indiana  county, 
where  he  settled  in  Centre  township  and  was 
engaged  in  farming  until  1883,  when  he  died. 
He  was  a  prosperous  farmer  and  a  well-respected 
citizen.  From  1828  to  1854  he  affiliated  with 
the  whigs,  but  in  the  latter  year  he  joined  the 
Democratic  party  and  steadfastly  held  to  its 
principles  until  his  death.  His  wife  was  Leti- 
tia McAdoo,  who  was  born  in  Ireland  and  came 
with  her  parents,  James  and  Catherine  McAdoo, 
to  Washington  county,  this  State. 

John  R.  Wilson  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Centre  township.  He  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  academies  of  the  county,  and  while 
pursuing  his  academic  course  he  followed  teach- 
ins  during  the  winter  seasons  in  the  common 
or  district  schools.  Having  after  due  considera- 
tion made  choice  of  law  as  a  life  vocation,  he 
began  the  study  of  this  chosen  profession  in 
1866  with  the  Hon.  H.  W.  Wier,  of  Indiana,  and 
was  admitted,  in  October  1 868,  to  practice  law  in 
the  courts  of  Indiana  county.     After  being  ad- 


180 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  INDIANA   COUNTY. 


mitted  to  the  bar  he  located  at  Cherry  Tree, 
this  county,  where  he  practiced  up  to  January, 
1870,  when  he  removed  to  Indiana  and  has 
continued  in  the  active  practice  of  his  profession 
there  ever  since.  In  1873  he  was  appointed  a 
commissioner  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  the  United 
States  for  tiie  western  district  of  Pennsylvania 
and  has  held  and  satisfactorily  discharged  the 
duties  of  that  ofifice  up  to  the  present  time.  He 
enjoys  a  large  practice  in  Indiana. 

In  1876  he  united  in  marriage  with  Mary 
E.  Patton,  a  daughter  of  Hon.  John  D.  Patton, 
of  Indiana.  Their  union  has  been  blessed  with 
three  children,  two  sons  and  one  daughter: 
Max,  Alice  May  and  John  D. 

In  July,  1863,  upon  the  invasion  of  Pennsyl- 
vania by  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia,  Mr. 


Wilson  enlisted  for  a  three  months'  term  of 
service  in  Co.  C,  57th  regiment,  Pa.  State  troops; 
but  the  regiment  was  never  called  into  active 
service.  John  R.  Wilson  is  a  democrat  in  poli- 
tics and  takes  a  warm  interest  in  the  success  of 
his  party,  in  which  he  is  a  persistent  worker  and 
prominent  leader.  For  the  past  five  years  he 
has  not  taken  such  an  active  part  in  politics  as 
heretofore,  yet  when  occasion  requires  he  is  al- 
ways found  in  the  front  rank  of  the  political 
struggle,  manfully  battling  for  the  principles 
and  the  cause  of  Jeffersonian  and  Jacksonian 
Democracy.  Specially  fitted  and  well  quali- 
fied for  political  leadership,  he  is  naturally 
looked  to  by  his  party  in  emergencies  and  has 
always  served  in  such  times  with  tact  and 
ability. 


INDIANA  COUNTY  COURT-HOUSE. 


BLAIRSYILLE. 


Historical  and  Deiscriptive. — Blairsville,  the 
metropolis  of  Indiana  county  and  a  pleasantly 
located  town  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Conemaugh 
river,  in  Burrell  township,  is  destined  at  no  dis- 
tant day  in  the  future  to  attain  to  the  propor- 
tions of  a  city  and  far  exceed  the  expectations 
of  its  founders.  It  was  laid  out  in  July  and 
August,  1818,  was  incorporated  as  a  borough 
March  25,  1825,  and  in  1890  contained  a  popu- 
lation of  3,113.  It  is  189  miles  northwest 
from  Washington  City,  161  west  from  Harris- 
burg  and  14  miles  southwest  of  the  county-seat. 
It  was  named  in  honor  of  John  Blair,  who  was 
president  of  an  important  turnpike  company. 
James  Baird,  St.,  laid  the  warrant  which  in- 
cluded the  larger  part  of  the  site  of  Blairsville 
and  sold  it  to  James  Campbell,  of  Franklin 
county,  who,  in  connection  with  Andrew  Brown, 
of  Black  Lick  township,  laid  out  the  town 
and  offered  the  first  lots  for  sale  on  November 
11,  1818.  Hugh  Richards  and  James  Rankin, 
in  competition  for  a  free  lot,  erected  the  first 
two  houses  in  March,  1819,  and  Richards  won 
the  prize  by  only  two  hours.  Jonathan  Doty 
opened  a  store  in  1820,  and  Abner  Willetts,  in 
the  succeeding  year,  became  the  first  tavern- 
keeper.  The  first  postmaster  was  George  Mul- 
holland,  Jr.  The  first  market-house  was  built 
in  1829  and  its  successor  was  erected  in  1857. 
The  water-works  was  completed  in  1873. 

Blairsville  is  situated  in  the  second  great 
coal  basin  of  Indiana  county,  which  is  named 
after  the  town. 

"The  Third  or  Blairsville  basin  is  a  simple 
synclinal   fold    extending,    without    structural 


complication  of  any  kind,  from  the  centre  of 
Chestnut  Ridge  anticlinal  on  the  northwest.  It 
is  the  prolongation  southwestward  of  the 
Third  Great  basin  of  Clearfield  and  Jefferson 
counties,  where  its  boundary  lines  on  the  ea.st 
and  west  are  the  same  as  those  above  mentioned ; 
but  continued  still  further  southwestward  across 
the  Conemaugh  into  Westmorland  county,  these 
limits  of  the  trough  are  maintained  only  as  far 
as  Sewickley  creek. 

"The  basin  stretches  diagonally  nearly 
through  the  centre  of  Indiana  county.  Nar- 
rowing somewhat  towards  the  northeast  in  con- 
sequence of  the  non-parallelism  of  the  two  en- 
closing anticlinals,  its  width  is  reduced  from 
seven  miles  on  the  Conemaugh  to  scarcely  more 
than  four  miles  in  the  latitude  of  the  county- 
seat;  traced  thence  still  further  north,  its  width 
is  subsequently  increa.sed  by  the  divergence  of 
the  same  lines  to  about  five  miles,  which  is 
then  maintained  without  variation  frpm  the 
headwaters  of  Two  Lick  and  Little  Mahoning 
to  and  across  the  Jefferson  county  line. 

"The  point  where  the  Pittsburgh  coal  bed 
touches  the  county  five  miles  from  the  centre 
of  the  Chestnut  Ridge  anticlinal,  and  only  a 
mile  and  a  half  from  the  Indiana  anticlinal ; 
and  the  reason  why  the  outspread  of  the  bed 
westward  from  the  synclinal  is  here  reduced  to 
such  narrow  limits,  is  not  because  of  the  topog- 
raphy of  the  county,  but  because  the  southeast 
dips  from  the  Indiana  anticlinal  correspond  in 
sharpness  to  the  comparative  shortness  of  the 
interval  over  which  they  are  felt.  It  is  diffi- 
cult to  make  persons  unaccustometl  to  geologi. 

181 


182 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


cal  thought  appreciate  the  force  and  extent  of 
such  dips,  and  the  causes  sometimes  produced 
by  them.  That  the  Pittsburgh  coal  bed  should 
overshoot  the  summit  of  Chestnut  Ridge  at  the 
Packsaddle  by  nearly  a  thousand  feet,  and  that 
the  great  sandrock  forming  the  romantic  cliiFs 
at  Oaks  Point  should  underlie  the  streets  of 
Blairsville  by  the  same  amount  of  interval— 
these  and  many  more  facts  of  a  similar  nature 
seem  so  simple  as  scarcely  to  require  an  ex- 
planation ;  but  for  the  lack  of  their  proper  ap- 
preciation by  property  holders  much  vain  and 
fruitless  search  has  been  expended,  especially 
along  the  flank  of  Chestnut  Ridge,  for  what 
cannot  possibly  be  found  there. 

"The  synclinal  axis  of  the  Third  basin  runs 
under  the  centre  of  the  town  of  Blairsville, 
which,  as  before  stated,  is  only  a  mile  and  a 
half  distant  on  a  direct  line  from  the  Indiana 
anticlinal." 

When  the  western  division  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania canal  was  completed  to  Blairsville,  in 
1828,  it  came  rapidly  into  public  notice  and  be- 
came an  important  point  for  shipping.  Its 
prosperity  was  slightly  checked  by  the  abandon- 
ment of  the  canal  and  the  opening  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania railroad  to  Pittsburgh,  but  fully  revived 
with  the  building  of  the  West  Pennsylvania 
railroad.  It  has  retained  its  position  as  a  lead- 
ing town  of  western  Pennsylvania  by  the  thrift 
and  energy  of  its  citizens.  It  contains  several 
handsome  churches,  a  fine  graded  public  school, 
under  the  charge  of  Prof.  G.  W.  Innes,  and  a 
large  number  of  industrial  establishments. 

The  Enterprise  describes  Blairsville  as  fol- 
lows: "  Surrounded  by  a  rich  farming  country, 
the  hills  underlaid  with  coal,  to  be  mined  by 
drifting.  Blue  stone,  lime-stone  and  fire  clay 
in  various  places.  Has  adjoining  it  coke  and 
coal  works,  and  within  the  borough  limits  the 
West  Penn  Glass  works;  two  brick  works 
(one  just  outside),  foundry  and  machine  shop, 
two  planing  mills,  woolen  mill,  two  flour  and 
feed  mills,  and  the  shops  of  the  West  Penn 


railroad.  Has  an  excellent  system  of  water 
works,  natural  gas,  will  soon  have  electric 
lights.  The  West  Penn  and  Indiana  Branch 
railroads  pass  through  the  town  and  intersect 
three  miles  distant  with  the  Pennsylvania  Cen- 
tral." 

The  Blairsville  Record,  the  second  paper  in 
the  county,  was  established  in  1827  by  Murray 
&  McFarland,  and  continued  democratic  under 
diiferent  managements  until  1844,  when  it  was 
succeeded  by  the  Citizen.,  which  existed  for 
about  one  year.  In  May,  1846,  Richard  B. 
McCabe  and  R.  B.  Woodward  started  the 
Apakwhian,  v{\\\(ih  advocated  "free  soil"  doc- 
trines and  existed  until  1855.  In  1858  the 
Blairsville  Record  was  founded  as  a  democratic 
paper  and  supported  that  party  until  1864, 
when  it  was  discontinued.  About  1859  the 
True  American,  a  republican  sheet,  was  started, 
but  its  name  was  soon  changed  to  that  of  the 
Blairsville  Journal,  which  ceased  to  exist  in 
1861.  On  April  27,  1865,  the  New  Eraw^is 
started,  and  in  1866  the  name  was  changed  to 
the  Blairsville  Press,  which  went  out  of  exist- 
ence in  1869.  In  1880  the  i^/a/rsnY/e  Enter- 
prise was  founded,  and  six  years  later  passed 
into  the  hands  of  its  present  proprietor  and 
editor,  Joseph  Moorhead,  who  has  labored 
earnestly  and  successfully  in  his  work  and 
issues  one  of  the  best  county  papers  in  the 
State. 

The  physicians  of  Blairsville  for  sixty  years 
after  its  founding  were :  E.  P.  Emerson,  Dr.  Sim- 
mons, Dr.Craighead,  Dr.  Dufiield,  R.J.  Marshall, 
Dr.  Gillespie,  S.  P.  Brown,  John  Gilpin,  Dr. 
Andrews,  R.  M.  S.  Jackson,  Dr.  Hammell,  Dr. 
Gemmil,  Bishop  I.  W.  Wiley,  Dr.  McKim,  Dr. 
Fundeuberg,  M.  L.  Miller,  Dr.  Campbell,  Dr. 
Anawalt,  T.  M.  Lauey,  T.  J.  Cantwell,  F.  M. 
McConnoughey,  J.  W.  Hughes,  S.  R.  Rutlege 
and  L.  S.  Claggett.  Among  its  present  success- 
ful physicians  are  Dr.  I.  P.  Klingensmith  and 
Dr.  J.  B.  Carson. 

The  Blairsville  Ladies'  seminary  was  estab- 


INDIANA  AND  ARMSTRONG  COUNTIES. 


183 


lished  in  1851  by  Rev.  George  Hill,  D.D., 
with  forty  pupils.  Nearly  2,000  young  ladies 
have  attended  this  school,  and  its  attendance 
grows  larger  every  year.  lu  1868  the  Blairs- 
ville  academy  was  founded  with  normal,  clas- 
sical and  business  departments. 

The  first  church  at  Blairsville  was  the  Pres- 
byterian, which  was  organized  in  1822,  and 
whose  present  pastor  is  Rev.  George  Hill,  D.D. 
The  other  churches  of"  the  borough,  with  the 
years  of  their  organization  and  the  names  of 
their  present  pastors,  are  as  follows:  United 
Presbyterian,  18 — ,  Rev.  W.  H.  Mc^Iastcr; 
Baptist,  1824,  Rev.  D.  W.  Swigart;  Methodi.st 
Episcopal,  1824,  Rev.  T.  H.  Woodring;  S.  S. 
Simon  &  Jude's  Catholic  church,  1829,  Rev. 
Francis  Brady,  and  A.  M.  E.  Zion,  18 — ,  Rev. 
Nelson  Davis. 

The  W.  C.  T.  U.  holds  two  meetings  every 
month. 

The    present   secret  society  organizations  of 
Blairsville  are:  Acacia  Lodge,  No.  .355,   Free 
and  Accepted  Masons;  Blairsville  Lodge,  No. 
436,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows:  Pil- 
grim Lotlge,  No.  06,  American  Order  of  United 
Workmen;  Finley  Patch  Post,  No.  137,  Grand 
Army    of  the    Republic;    Active    Lodge,    No. 
1601,  Knights  of  Honor;  Mechanics'  Lodge, 
No.  166,  Knights  of  Honor;  Keystone  Coun- 
cil, No.  1,  of  Pennsylvania,   Order  of  Chosen  ! 
Friends;  S.  S.  Simon  and  Jude's  Beneficial  So-  j 
ciety,  No.  351,  I.  C.  B.  U. ;  St.  Joseph's  Branch,  ' 
No.   117,  E.   B.   A.;  Local    Branch,    No.    22,  [ 
Order  of  the  Iron  Hall;  Local  Branch,   No.  [ 
505,  Sisterhood   of  the  Iron    Hall;  Blairsville 
Lodge,    No.    13,    Order   of  Touti;  Blairsville  , 
Council,  No.  831,  Royal  Arcanum;  Blairsville  ! 
Assembly,    No.    82,    Royal    Society    of  Good 
Fellows;  Bethel   Castle,   No.  189,  Knights  of 
the  Golden  Eagle;  A.s.sembly  No.  238,  Knights 
of  Labor;  Blairsville  Council,  No.  216,  Junior 
Orderof  United  American  Mechanics;  Blairsville 
Conclave,    Independent  Order  of  Heptasophs; 
Blairsville  Lodge,  No.  9,  Order  of  Solon;  West 


Penn  Lodge,  No.  392,  B.  of  L.  F. ;  Blairsville 
Lodge,  No.  108,  B.  of  L.  E.;  Graff  Lodge, 
No.  39,  Order  of  Pente;  Blairsville  Assembly, 
No.  5,  American  Fraternal  Circle;  Washington 
Camp,  No.  535,  P.  O.  S.  of  A.,  and  Blairsville 
Lodge,  No.  140,  Sexennial  League. 

The  burgesses  of  Blairsville  from  1825  to 
1875  have  been:  John  Cunningham,  1825 
Aaron  Deviuny,  1827;  William  G.  Davis 
1828;  R.  B.  McCabe,  1829;  George  Grier 
1830;  J.  N.  Nesbit,  1831;  John  McCrea^ 
1832;  Daniel  H.  Barr,  1833;  Thomas  Boyle 
1834;  John  Bruce,  1836;  Wm.  T.  Smith 
1837;  Samuel  Steel,  1838;  Moses  Culbertson 
1839;  Stewart  Davis,  1841;  A.  R.  Chapman 
1842;  James  C.  Day,  1844;  R.  Bartley,  1846 
R.  H.  Woodward,  1847;  A.  Alters,  1848 
John  Graff,  1849;  Daniel  H.  Barr,  1850 
Robert  Bartley,  1851;  W.  T.  Smith,  1852 
Edward  Dully,  1853;  Archibald  Davis,  1856 
C.  C.  Davis,  1857;  John  P.  Ford,  1858 
Edward  Dully,  1859;  J.  L  Chapman,  1869 
John  G.  Long,  1871 ;  W.  G.  Triece,  1872. 

Blairsville's  population  at  each  census  from 

1830  to  1890  has  been:   18.30, ;  1840,  990; 

1850,  1,137;  1860,  1,009;  1870,  1,054;  1880, 
1,162;  1890,  3,113.  In  1827  the  population 
was  reported,  from  an  actual  count,  at  500. 

Blairsville  is  noted  for  its  important  and 
rapidly  increasing  manufacturing  industries. 

The  West  Penn  glass  works,  as  they  are 
called,  lie  on  the  southern  borders  of  the  bor- 
ough, along  the  West  Pennsylvania  railroad. 
They  are  built  entirely  of  brick.  The  plant 
consists  of  warehouse,  packing  room,  leer 
building,  blacksmith  shop  and  factory  proper. 
The  factory  is  two  stories  high  and  is  known 
among  the  glass  trade  as  the  best  arranged  and 
ventilated  in  the  State.  It  is  always  cool, 
although  a  sixteen-pot  furnace  is  going  at  white 
heat  continually.  The  product  of  the  factory 
is  a  car-load  of  bottles  per  day.  The  members 
of  the  first  firm — John  T.  Birney  and  Charles 
E.  Barr — were  killed  in  the  wreck  of  a  portion 


184 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


of  the  works  in  the  high  winds  of  about  a  year  j 
ago.  The  factory  building  was  iu  course  of 
constructiou  and  it  was  feared  the  storm  would 
blow  in  the  south  gable.  The  managers  were 
overseeing  the  work  of  strengthening  the  wall 
when  it  came  down  with  a  crash,  burying  them 
beneath  the  ruins.  By  a  strange  fate  none  but 
the  managers  of  the  company  were  killed.  The 
work  was  taken  up  by  other  hands,  however, 
and  about  200  men  and  boys  are  now  employed 
in  the  factory,  and  they  are  all  residents  of 
Blairsville  or  neighboring  boroughs.  It  was 
through  the  persistent  efforts  of  R.  W.  Wehrle 
that  the  means  were  raised  to  procure  the  ground 
which  was  asked  for  by  the  company  as  a  con- 
dition of  establishing  their  works  at  Blairs- 
ville. 

The  Sloan  heirs  and  the  West  Penn  glass 
company  are  laying  out  a  number  of  building 
lots  on  the  ground  between  the  works  and  the 
town,  all  of  which  are  in  the  borough  limits. 

Two  very  important  factors  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  neighborhood  have  been  the  Blairs- 
ville coke-works  and  the  Blairsville  brick- 
works. They  are  close  together  on  the  Indiana 
railroad,  just  on  the  outskirts  of  Blairsville. 
Ed.  J.  Graff  is  manager  of  the  brick-works 
and  Jacob  Graff  of  the  coke-works.  The 
brick  works  employ  twenty- five  men  and  are 
operated  by  a  forty-five  horse-power  engine. 
The  clay  is  near  at  hand,  and  an  inclined 
railway  brings  it  to  the  presses.  The  capacity 
of  the  works  is  20,000  bricks  per  day.  The 
coke-works  are  turning  out  a  large  quantity  of 
coke  from  twenty-six  ovens.  The  coal  is  mined 
from  adjacent  hills.  Another  extensive  brick- 
works is  that  of  Isaac  Wynn  &  Son.  It  is 
situated  near  the  West  Penn  railroad  in  the 
southern  section  of  the  town.  Their  capacity 
is  also  about  20,000  bricks  per  day.  They  have 
recently   put  in    machinery   of   an    improved 

type- 

The  hills  around  the  town  are  rich  in  deposits 
of  blue  stone,  which  recently  has  been  develop- 


ed very  extensively.  There  is  none  better  than 
the  Blairsville  blue  stone  for  Belgian  blocks 
and  fine  building  purposes.  Wilson's  Feldman 
quarries  on  the  Bolivar  branch  between  Blairs- 
ville and  Bolivar  employ  185  men — including 
laborers  and  blockmakers.  They  turn  out  from 
3,500  to  6,000  blocks  per  day  and  five  car-loads 
of  ballast.  Stark  Brothers'  stone  quarry  lies 
just  above  that  of  Wilson's.  They  employ  100 
men  and  have  large  railroad  contracts  to  keep 
their  hands  busy  continually. 

The  production  of  coal  for  shipment  to  the 
very  best  eastern  market  is  another  industry  in 
which  Blairsville  is  developing  considerable  im- 
portance. The  Robert  Smith  coal  mines  are 
about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  up  the  Indiana 
railroad.  They  employ  about  fifteen  diggers 
and  put  out  a  large  quantity  of  excellent  coal. 
The  J.  McKinney  Turner  mines  are  adjacent, 
and  their  output  is  about  the  same.  The 
Thomas  Maher  coal  works,  just  across  the  hol- 
low, employ  twenty  men  and  fill  four  cars 
daily. 

Blairsville  rightly  lays  a  claim  to  the  big 
Isabella  furnace,  although  it  is  across  the  bor- 
ders of  Westmoi'eland  county.  The  300  em- 
ployes of  tlie  company  buy  all  their  supplies  in 
Blairsville,  and  are  no  small  contributors  to  its 
commercial  prosperity.  The  Isabella  coke-works 
include  240  oven.s,  capable  of  producing  twenty- 
two  cars  of  coke  per  day.  They  are  located  at 
Cokeville. 

The  immense  blue  stone  quarries  of  Booth  & 
F'linn  at  the  Intersection,  although  also  in  West- 
moreland county,  throw  the  trade  of  their  many 
employes  to  Blairsville,  and  she  claims  them  as 
her  own.  The  quarries  of  Evan  Jones,  the 
Pittsljurgh  contractor,  are  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Intersection,  and  they  also  turn  many  a  dollar 
into  the  tills  of  the  Blairsville  merchants. 

Turning  from  the  development  of  raw  ma- 
terials to  their  application  in  the  arts  and  trades, 
we  come  first  to  the  foundry  and  machine  shops 
of  C.  L.  Tittle.     They  occupy  two  large  build- 


INDIANA   AND  ARMSTRONG  COUNTIES. 


185 


ings  on  Brown  street.  Kis  principal  line  of 
work  is  metal  supplies  for  coke  ovens  and  coal 
mines. 

Blairsville  has  two  large  planing  mills. 
That  of  Kennedy  &  Fair  occupies  a  triangular 
space  just  back  of  the  passenger  depot  and  bor- 
dering upon  the  West  Penn  tracks.  It  is  a 
complete  mill,  occupying  two  large  buildings 
and  employing  fifty  men.  The  planing  mill  of 
Harbi.son  &  Ferguson,  Browustown,  is  also  an 
extensive  establishment,  and  a  busy  one.  The 
woolen  mill  of  John  Moorhouse  is  another  in- 
dustry giving  employment  to  a  large  number 
ol  persons. 

One  of  the  oldest  and  most  important  indus- 
tries of  Blairsville  is  found  in  the  repair  shops 
of  the  West  Penn  railway.  They  give  employ- 
ment to  225  men.  Their  work  is  generally  in 
repairs,  but  occasionally  they  turn  out  a  new 
sar.  The  yards  surrounding  the  shops  are  a 
mile  long,  and  as  wide  as  the  limits  of  obtain- 
able space  permit.  There  are  six  tracks  lead- 
ing to  the  round-house,  and  the  bridge  just 
above  town  is  being  widened  so  as  to  allow  that 
number  to  cross  there  and  thus  extend  the  yards. 
An  appropriation  of  $35,000  has  recently  been 
made  for  new  shops  on  the  West  Pennsylvania 
railroad,  and  Blairsville  has  very  good  pros- 
pects of  getting  them.  We  are  indebted  for 
many  facts  concerning  Blairsville  to  the  Enter- 
prise and  Gazette. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


AUGUSTUS  M.  BALLARD,  an  enterpris- 
ing citizen  of  Blairsville,  and  junior  mem- 
ber of  the  well-known  firm  of  Wilcox  & 
Ballard,  is  a  son  of  Jesse  and  Lucy  (Brown) 
Ballard,  and  was  born  in  Pontiac,  Michigan, 
May  12,  1853.  His  father,  Jesse  Ballard, 
was  born  in  Seneca  couuty,  New  York,  Feb- 
ruary 20,  1822,  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter. 


and  in  1838  moved  to  Pontiac,  Michigan, 
where  he  established  himself  as  a  contractor 
and  builder,  and  where  he  still  lives — one  of 
the  substantial  citizens  of  that  city.  He  is  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Congregational 
church,  and  an  enthusiastic  sujjporter  of  the 
Democratic  party.  He  married  Lucy  Brown, 
wlio  was  born  in  Canada,  in  1826,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  chnrcli  of  Pontiac. 

Augustus  M.  Ballard  was  reared  in  Pontiac, 
and  after  receiving  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  city,  learned  the  trade  of  carpen- 
ter and  joiner,  under  his  father,  for  whom  he 
worked  for  four  years.  He  then  accepted  a 
position  as  a  clerk  with  one  of  the  well-known 
mercantile  firms  of  Pontiac,  with  whom  he 
continued  some  three  years.  After  leaving 
their  employ  he  entered  the  office  of  the  P.  O. 
&  N.  R.  R.,  at  Poutiac,  as  a  clerk,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  until  1888,  when  he  came  to 
Blairsville,  and  in  December,  1889,  went  into 
partnership  with  George  F.  Wilcox,  for  the 
purpose  of  dealing  in  groceries  and  queens- 
ware,  under  the  firm-uame  of  Wilcox  &  Bal- 
lard. They  are  both  endowed  with  energy  and 
perseverance  and  from  their  present  rapidly 
increasing  trade  have  every  prospect  of  future 
patronage  and  success. 

On  April  27,  1885,  he  married  Mary  Dono- 
hue,  daughter  of  William  Donohue,  of  Arm- 
strong county.  Their  union  has  been  blest 
with  three  children,  one  son  and  two  daughters : 
Jesse,  named  in  memory  of  his  grandfather; 
Alice  and  Edith. 

A.  M.  Ballard  is  an  energetic  member  of  the 
Patriotic  Order  of  Sous  of  America,  and  of  the 
Junior  Order  of  American  Mechanics.  In 
politics,  he  has  been  all  his  life  an  active 
worker  in  the  cause  of  democracy.  He  is  well 
qualified  for  mercantile  life;  full  of  energy 
and  ambition,  he  has  made  his  own  way  in  life, 
overcoming  many  obstacles  in  his  pathway  to 
success  that  would  have  defeated  a  less 
determined  man.     With  a  keen  sense  of  right- 


186 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


dealing,  aud  full  of  pluck  and  perseverance, 
the  firm  of  Wilcox  &  Ballard  is  fast  advancing 
to  the  front  rank  among  the  mercantile  firms  of 
Blairsville. 


JONAH  B.  BAUGHMAN,  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful men  and  a  prominent  and  leading 
carriage  inanufacturer  of  Blairsville,  is  a 
son  of  Seth  and  Christina  (Smith)  Baughman, 
and  was  born  at  Youugstovvn,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  March  14,  1848.  Seth 
Baughmau  was  born  and  reared  in  Westmore- 
land county,  where  he  lived  until  his  death,  in 
1849.  He  was  a  cabinet-maker  by  trade  and 
was  successfully  engaged  in  the  cabinet-making 
business  at  Youngstown  for  many  years.  His 
chairs,  which  he  manufactured  in  large  quanti- 
ties, had  quite  a  reputation  and  sold  readily. 
He  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Reformed 
church,  and  died  in  1849,  when  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  an  infant.  He  married 
Christina  Smith,  who  was  born  in  Westmore- 
land county,  in  1814,  and  died  in  1854,  five 
years  after  her  husband's  death.  She  Avas  a 
regular  attendant  and  consistent  member  of  the 
Reformed  church. 

Jonah  B.  Baughman  was  brought  to  Blairs- 
ville by  his  mother  when  he  was  three  years  of 
age  and  has  made  his  home  there  ever  since. 
He  attended  the  public  schools  and  afterwards 
entered  a  carriage  factory  to  learn  the  carriage 
manufacturing  business.  After  serving  an  ap- 
prenticeship of  several  years,  he  engaged  as  a 
workman  with  a  carriage  firm  in  whose  employ 
he  remained  until  1873.  In  that  year  he  en- 
gaged in  business  for  himself  and  established 
his  present  carriage  manufactory,  on  Campbell 
street,  at  Blairsville.  It  is  a  large  two-story 
frame  building,  carefully  fitted  up  with  work 
and  paint  shops  and  storage  and  salesrooms. 
He  manufactures  elegant  carriages,  fine  buggies 
and  neat  and  serviceable  vehicles  of  all  kinds 
which  are  to  be  found  in  a  first-class  carriage 


manufactory.  He  has  a  complete  repairing  de- 
partment attached  to  his  establishment  and 
gives  personal  supervision  to  all  work  which  is 
repaired.  Mr.  Baughman  is  a  practical  car- 
riage-maker, employs  constantly  three  ex- 
perienced workmen  and  personally  inspects  all 
of  his  work  in  its  various  stages  of  construc- 
tion. 

In  1872  he  married  Salome  Wonder,  daugh- 
ter of  Steven  Wonder,  of  Bedford  county.  To 
their  union  have  been  born  eight  children,  two 
sons  and  si.x  daughters :  Clara  B.,  Ida  B.,  Mary 
K.,  Sarah  J.,  Maggie  M.,  Je.sse  C,  William 
and  Alice  C. 

He  is  a  republican  and  has  server]  several 
terras  as  a  member  of  the  town  council.  He  is 
an  earnest  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and  one  of  the  thrifty  and  substantial 
citizens  of  Blairsville.  He  owns  his  factory 
aud  three  dwelling-houses  besides,  some  other 
property.  Bereft,  at  the  early  age  of  six  years, 
of  both  father  and  mother,  he  has,  unaided, 
attained  to  the  possession  of  a  good  business, 
and  by  commendable  industry  has  secured  a  re- 
spectable competency. 


EDWARD  H.  BERLIN,  a  leading  and  popu- 
lar photographer  of  Blairsville,  is  a  .sou  of 
William  and  Martha  (Jamison)  Berlin,  and 
was  born  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  January  19,  1859.  Sol- 
omon Berlin  was  a  native  of  Pittsburgh,  and 
died  in  1859,  in  the  seventy-fourth  year  of  his 
age.  His  son,  William  Berlin  (father),  was 
born  in  Pittsburgh,  in  1819,  and  was  a  marble 
cutter  by  trade.  He  opened  a  marble-yard  at 
Mt.  Pleasant  and  remained  at  that  place  until 
1867,  when  he  removed  to  Ludwick  borough, 
adjoining  Greensburg,  the  county-seat  of  West- 
moreland county,  where  he  conducted  a  marble- 
yard  and  shop  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1878.  He  was  an  industrious  man,  a  repub- 
lican in  politics  and  a  member  of  the  Presby- 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


187 


terian  church.  He  married  Martha  Jamison,  a 
daughter  of  Robert  Jamison,  a  native  of 
Unity  township,  Westmoreland  county,  who 
served  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  who  died 
December  26,  188G,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  ninety-six  years.  The  Jamison  family 
is  of  Irish  descent.  Mrs.  Martha  Berlin  was  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  died 
May  2,  1885,  aged  sixty-eight  years. 

Edward  H.  Berlin  was  reared  principally  at 
Ludwick,  where  he  attended  the  public  schools 
of  that  borough.  He  learned  the  trade  of 
cigar-maker  at  Greensburg  and  worked  at  cigar- 
making  for  several  years.  He  then  learned 
photography  with  a  well-known  photographer, 
M.  E.  Low,  of  Greensburg,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained for  three  years.  In  1885  he  established 
himself  at  Blairsville,  where  he  has  acquired  a 
good  reputation  as  a  photographer  and  has 
secured  a  large  patronage.  His  fine  gallery  is 
eligibly  located  and  is  handsomely  furnished 
with  an  unusually  beautiful  display  of  his  work 
as  an  artistic  photographer  and  a  fine  line  of 
art  goods  including  engravings,  photographs, 
picture  frames,  easels  and  other  goods  of  both  a 
useful  and  decorative  nature. 

On  September  2,  1885,  he  married  Mary  A. 
Keighley,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth 
Keighley,  of  Westmoreland  county.  They  have 
three  children:  Mary  J.,  Paul  E.  and  Ruth. 

He  is  secretary  of  the  Blairsville  Conclave, 
I.  O.  Heptasophs,  No.  178,  and  a  member  of 
Blairsville  Lodge;,  No.  436,  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  and  a  democrat  politically.  Ed-  j 
ward  H.  Berlin  has  rapidly  grown  in  favor  i 
with  the  public  as  a  photographic  artist  and  as 
a  man  who  aims  to  give  excellent  work  at 
reasonable  prices. 


In  1840  he  married  Sarah  Johnston,  daugh- 
ter of  William  Johnston,  a  prosperous  farmer 
of  Armagh,  this  county.  They  moved  from 
Fairfield,  Westmoreland  county,  to  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  in  1844,  where,  in  July,  1854,  when 
cholera  made  its  appearance,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Black  fell  victims  to  the  dread  disease.  The 
eldest  daughter  is  Mrs.  Mary  L.  Birkmau, 
widow  of  Major  R.  M.  Birkman,  of  Indiana. 


ROBERT  BLACK,  who  was  a  highly  re- 
spected citizen  and  industrious  and  com- 
petent contractor  and  carpenter,  was  born  in 
Indiana  county,  in  1815. 


JOHN  B.  CARSON,  M.D.,  a  young  and  ris- 
^  ing  physician  of  Blairsville,  and  a  great- 
grandson  of  Capt.  Matthew  Jack,  a  Revolu- 
tionary hero  and  a  prominent  actor  at  the  burn- 
ing of  Hannastown,  is  a  son  of  Dr.  Thomas  and 
Jennie  S.  (Jack)  Carson,  and  was  born  at 
Elderton,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania, 
April  18,  1866.  The  Carson  family  is  of  Irish 
descent,  and  James  Carson  (great-grandfather) 
emigrated  from  Ireland  to  America  iu  1817. 
He  married  Catherine  Allison,  who  lived  to  be 
over  ninety  years  of  age.  They  had  four  chil- 
dren :  John,  William,  Susan,  wife  of  James 
Dalzell ;  and  James.  The  eldest  son,  John 
Carson  (grandfather),  was  born  in  county  Fer- 
managh, Ireland,  in  1815,  and  emigrated  from 
Ireland  to  America,  in  1826,  with  his  uncle, 
William  Carson,  and  located  on  the  Peter  Shep- 
ler  farm  in  Washington  county.  In  1846  he 
removed  to  Armstrong  county,  and  iu  1864 
came  to  White  township.  He  is  a  Methodist 
and  a  democrat.  In  1840  he  married  Hannah 
Henderson,  daughter  ot  William  and  Margaret 
(Paul)  Heuder.son,  of  Westmoreland  county. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carson  have  seven  children,  of 
whom  two,  John  and  Thomas,  are  physicians. 
Dr.  Thomas  Carson  (father)  was  born  iu  Deer 
creek  township,  Allegheny  county,  was  edu- 
cated at  Elder's  Ridge  academy,  read  medicine 
with  Dr.  James  K.  Park,  of  Cochran's  Mill, 
Pa.,  and  in  1865  was  graduated  from  Jefferson 
Medical  college.  He  located  at  Elderton,  Arm- 
strong county,  iu  1865,  and  remained  there  until 


188 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


1874,  when  he  went  to  Hutton  station,  Pa.  In 
1875  he  came  to  Saltsburg,  where  he  has  re- 
mained ever  since  and  has  an  extensive  practice. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  the 
A.  O.  U.  W.,  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  the 
Knights  of  Honor.  He  married  Jennie  S. 
Jack,  daughter  of  Samuel  Jack,  of  Westmore- 
land county,  whose  father,  Capt.  Matthew  Jack, 
was  a  son  of  Samuel  Jack,  and  served  as  a 
captain  in  the  Eighth  Pennsylvania  regiment 
of  the  Continental  Line,  after  M'hich  he  returned 
to  Westmoreland  county  and  distinguished  him- 
self by  his  daring  and  bravery  at  the  burning 
of  Hannastowu,  in  July,  1782. 

John  B.  Carson  was  reared  at  Saltsburg  and 
received  his  literary  education  in  the  public 
schools,  Saltsburg  academy  and  Indiana  Normal 
school.  He  read  medicine  with  his  father  for 
four  years  and  attended  Jefferson  Medical  col- 
lege, Philadelphia,  from  which  institution  he 
was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1889.  After 
graduation  he  practiced  for  a  few  months  at 
Niles,  Ohio,  aud  then  came  to  Blairsville,  where 
he  has  remained  ever  since.  He  is  building 
up  a  remarkably  good  practice  for  a  young  phy- 


sician. 


JOHN  M.  CONNER,  an  industrious  and  re- 
^  liable  citizen  of  Blairsville  and  a  member 
of  the  well-known  contracting  firm  of  Kennedy 
&  Fair,  was  born  on  the  site  of  Altoona,  Blair 
county,  Pennsylvania,  March  8,  1851,  and  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Charity  (Myers)  Conner.  The 
Conners,  as  the  name  would  indicate,  are  of 
Irish  descent.  John  Conner  was  born  near 
Cherry  Tree,  this  county,  and  after  leaving 
school  engaged  inVailroading,  which  he  followed 
with  but  little  interruption  till  his  death.  He 
married  Charity  Myers,  who  was  born  and 
reared  in  Blair  county.  They  reared  a  family 
of  two  sons  and  one  daughter. 

John  M.  Conner  lost  his  parents  when  he 
was  quite  young,  and  was  reared  in  Bedford 


county,  where  he  attended  the  common  schools 
for  some  time  and  since  then  has  acquired 
much  information  by  reading  and  observation. 
He  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter,  and  came,  in 
1872,  to  Black  Lick,  where  he  followed  carpen- 
tering up  to  1886,  when  he  came  to  Blaii-sville. 
In  April,  1890,  he  became  a  member  of  the 
present  carpentering  and  contracting  firm  of 
Kennedy  &  Fair,  whose  members  are  Capt.  J. 
P.  Kennedy,  W.  A.  Fair,  D.  M.  Fair  and  John 
M.  Conner.  They  are  the  successors  of  the  late 
firm  of  Fair  &  Kennedy,  and  deal  in  all  kinds 
of  rough  and  worked  lumber.  Their  large 
pianing-mill  aud  lumber-yards  are  near  the 
depot  and  their  trade  is  extensive  and  increas- 
ing. (For  a  more  complete  account  of  their 
business  enterprise,  see  sketch  of  Capt.  J.  P. 
Kennedy.) 

On  September  27,  1876,  John  M.  Conner 
married  Harriet  Fair,  daughter  of  James  H. 
Fair,  of  Black  Lick.  To  their  union  have  been 
born  four  children,  one  son  and  three  daughters : 
James,  Eva,  Cora  and  Dora. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Conner  is  a  republican.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Blairsville  Presbyterian 
church ;  Assembly  Lodge,  No.  82,  Royal  So- 
ciety of  Good  Fellows,  aud  Blairsville  Lodge, 
No.  9,  Order  of  Solon.  Industrious  and  enter- 
prising, he  commenced  life  without  capital,  but 
has  worked  his  way  up  to  a  useful  position  in 
business  and  has  acquired  a  competency. 


GEORGE  W.  CREDE,  Jr.,  a  prosperous 
merchant  of  Blairsville,  is  a  son  of  George 
W.  and  Catherine  (Stolz)  Crede,  and  was 
born  in  Allegheny  city,  Pennsylvania,  January 
28,  1852.  His  father,  George  W.  Crede,  is  a 
native  of  Allegheny  city,  and  in  early  life  was 
engaged  as  a  boatman  on  the  Pennsylvania 
canal.  He  then  removed  to  Pittsburgh,  where 
he  drove  the  first  team  which  the  Adams  Ex- 
pre.ss  company  employed  in  that  city.  He  re- 
mained with  the  above-named  company  until 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


189 


1885.  He  is  a  republican  and  a  member  of  the 
Reformed  church.  He  married  Catiieriue  Stolz, 
daughter  of  John  Henry  Stolz,  of  Allegheny 
city,  who  was  a  native  of  Hesse,  Germany.  He 
was  one  of  the  thousand  Hessians  captured  by 
Washington  at  Trenton,  after  he  made  his 
famous  passage  through  the  floating  ice  in  the 
Delaware  river  on  Christmas  night,  1776.  John 
Henry  Stolz  was  hired,  with  others  of  his 
countrymen,  by  his  ruler,  to  George  III.,  of 
England,  and,  without  his  consent,  was  sent  to 
America  to  fight  against  the  Colonies.  He  was 
not  avei-se  to  being  captured  and  never  asked  to 
be  exchanged.  After  being  held  as  a  prisoner 
for  a  short  time  he  was  released  and  came  to 
Allegheny  county,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death. 

George  W.  Crede,  Jr.,  was  reared  in  Alle- 
gheny. After  being  graduated  from  the  high 
schools  of  that  city,  he  attended  the  Iron  City 
Business  college,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
at  the  end  of  his  term.  He  then  accepted  a 
position  as  assistant  clerk  on  a  government  boat 
running  between  Pittsburgh  and  the  head-waters 
of  the  Missouri  river,  continuing  on  different 
boats  for  some  two  years.  During  these  trips 
the  lives  of  all  on  board  were  frequently  en- 
dangered by  attacks  of  the  Indians.  In  1871 
he  became  a  book-keeper  in  the  cork  factory  of 
Armstrong  Brothers  &  Co.,  of  Pittsburgh,  and 
held  that  position  for  .seven  years.  In  the 
spring  of  1877  he  opened  a  general  mercantile 
establishment  at  Blairsville,  which  he  has  con- 
ducted successfully  ever  since.  He  has  a  choice 
selection  of  dry  goods,  notions,  carpets,  etc. 
His  store  is  on  the  corner  of  Walnut  and 
Market  streets  and  he  has  secured  a  liberal  pat- 
ronage. 

In  1873  he  married  Lizzie  Speiss,  daughter 
of  Louis  Speiss,  of  Blairsville. 

He  is  a  republican  in  politics,  and  a  member 
of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  the 
Junior  Order  of  United  American  Mechanics, 
and  the  Patriotic  Order  of  the  Sons  of  America. 


In  1868  he  joined  Heath's  Zouaves,  of  Alle- 
gheny city,  which  organization  became  Com- 
pany A,  14th  regiment,  and  afterwards  was 
made  Company  D,  18th  regiment  National 
Guard  of  Pennsylvania.  He  served  in  these 
companies  until  1877.  In  June,  1888,  he  was 
appointed  inspector  of  rifle  practice,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  until  May  31,  1890,  when  he 
resigned.  George  W^.  Crede  attends  the  United 
Presbyterian  church  and  is  a  useful  citizen  as 
well  as  an  active  business  man.  He  is,  in 
point  of  service,  the  oldest  member  of  the  Na- 
tional Guard  of  Pennsylvania  in  Allegheny 
county. 


JOHN  H.  DEVERS,  senior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Devers  &  Miller,  of  Blairsville, 
has  been  for  thirty-five  years  one  of  the  leading, 
successful  and  popular  traveling  salesmen  of 
western  Pennsylvania.  He  was  born  about 
two  miles  from  Ligonier,  in  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  February  7,  1833,  and 
is  a  son  of  Hugh  and  Isabella  (McConaughey) 
Devers.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Henry  De- 
vers, was  a  native  of  France  and  came  to  the 
Ligonier  Valley,  in  Westmoreland  county, 
where  he  purchased  and  ran  a  grist-mill  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  1836.  His  mater- 
nal grandfather,  James  McConaughey,  whose 
father  came  from  Scotland,  was  a  presbyterian 
in  religion,  a  whig  in  politics  and  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  and  came,  when  well  up  in  years, 
from  Westmoreland  to  Indiana  county,  where 
he  died,  in  1886,  aged  eighty-two  years.  Hugh 
Devers  (father)  was  born  and  reared  near  Lig- 
onier, in  Westmoreland  county,  where  he  learned 
the  trade  of  hatter,  which  he  followed  for  a 
few  years.  He  then  came  to  what  is  now 
Homer  City,  this  county,  where  he  engaged  ia 
the  general  mercantile  business  and  was  the  first 
merchant  in  the  county  to  buy  eggs  and  produce. 
He  also  started  the  first  huckster  team  in  the 
county  and  hauled  his  produce  to  Pittsburgh. 


190 


BiOORAPHlES  OF 


He  was  for  nearly  forty  years  the  leading  mer- 
chant of  Homer  City.  He  died  while  on  a  visit 
to  Missouri,  on  October  6,  1859,  at  sixty-nine 
years  of  age.  He  was  a  methodist,  a  democrat 
and  a  man  who  had  been  very  successful  in  all 
of  his  business  enterprises.  He  married  Isa- 
bella McConaughy,  who  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  church,  and  died  in  1879,  when  in 
the  sixty-ninth  year  of  her  age.  They  were 
the  parents  of  four  children ;  Margaret,  Isabella, 
James  and  John  H. 

John  H.  Devers  was  reared  principally  at 
Homer  City,  where  he  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  that  place.  He  assisted 
his  father  in  the  store  until  he  was  seventeen 
years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  Saltsburg,  where 
he  was  a  clerk  for  some  time,  and  then  bought 
the  store  of  his  employer,  although  he  had  but 
a  very  small  amount  of  money.  After  three 
vears  of  successful  experience  as  a  merchant  he 
disposed  of  his  store  and  became  a  traveling 
salesman  for  the  wholesale  dry-goods  and  notion 
house  of  Young,  Smith,  Field  &  Co.  His  field 
of  territory  was  western  Pennsylvania,  which 
he  held  for  twenty-six  years  and  only  resigned 
in  1886  to  accept  a  similar  position  with  Mills 
&  Gibbs,  one  of  the  largest  importing  firms  of 
white  goods,  linens,  notions,  etc.,  of  the  United 
States.  He  has  traveled  ever  since  for  this  firm 
in  western  Pennsylvania.  In  1885  he  became  a 
member  of  the  clothing  firm  of  Devers,  Hill  & 
Neal,  which  did  business  at  Blairsviiie  until  their 
house  was  burned,  December  28,  1887.  In 
1888  Mr.  Devers  rebuilt,  at  Blairsviiie,  one  of 
the  finest  mercantile  rooms  in  the  county,  and 
in  April,  1889,  embarked,  -with  J.  J.  Miller  as 
a  partner,  in  his  present  clothing  and  gents' 
furnishing  goods  business.  They  carry  a  hand- 
some stock  of  goods  and  have  a  fine  patronage. 

On  July  24,  1862,  Mr.  Devers  married 
Elizabeth  M.  Ogden,  a  daughter  of  John  Og- 
den,  of  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.  To  them 
has  been  born  one  child,  a  son,  Edward  H., 
born  November  1,  1872. 


John  H.  Devers  is  a  republican,  a  member  of 
the  M.  E.  church,  and  removed  from  Homer 
City  to  Blairsviiie,  July  1,  1890.  When  he 
started  on  the  road  as  a  salesman,  over  thirty 
years  ago,  his  laudable  ambition  was  to  reach 
the  topmost  round  of  his  business,  a  position 
which  he  soon  attained  and  which  he  has  easily 
held  ever  since. 


WILLIAM  DUNCAN,  one  of  Blairsville's 
prosperous  merchants,  is  a  son  of  James 
and  Sarah  (Clark)  Duncan,  and  was  born  in 
Cambria  county,  Pennsylvania,  March  27,  1838. 
The  Duncan  family  is  of  Scotch  descent,  and  in 
the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  the 
paternal  grandfather,  William  Duncan,  emi- 
grated from  Scotland  to  America,  in  company 
with  two  of  his  brothers,  and  settled  in  Dauphin 
county.  From  these  tiiree  brothers  have  sprung 
a  numerous  progeny.  James  Duncan  (father) 
was  born  in  1800,  in  Dauphin  county,  but  re- 
moved in  early  manhood  to  Cambria  county  and 
for  several  years  drove  a  six-horse  team  and 
hauled  goods  on  the  old  pike,  between  Phila- 
delphia and  Pittsburgli.  Leaving  the  pike,  he 
engaged  in  farming,  lumbering  and  milling 
until  his  death.  He  was  a  whig  and  an  attend- 
ant of  the  Presbyterian  church,  to  whose  sup- 
port he  contributed  liberally.  He  inherited 
those  sterling  qualities  of  his  race,  for  industry 
and  thrift,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1859,  he  had  succeeded  in  gaining 
considerable  material  wealth.  He  was  kind  to 
the  poor  and  enjoyed  the  respect  of  all  who 
knew  him.  He  married  Sarah  Clark,  who  was 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  cliurch, 
and  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-two 
years,  dying  in  1889.  Her  remaius  are  interred 
beside  her  husband  in  Belsano  cemetery.  Black 
Lick  township,  Cambria  county.  Her  father, 
Thomas  Clark  (maternal  grandfather),  was  a 
native  of  Ireland,  and  located  in  Indiana  county, 
whei-e  he  purchased  two  or  three  farms,  but  soon 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


191 


removed  to  Cambria  county  and  built  the  first 
saw-mill  that  was  erected  on  Black  Lick  creek. 
He  delighted  in  hunting  deer,  bears  and 
panthers  and  was  known  as  the  greatest  hunter 
in  Cambria  county  and  died  in  1850,  at  an  ad- 
vanced age. 

William  Duncan  was  reared  in  Cambria 
county  and  attended  the  public  schools.  He 
assisted  his  father  in  the  lumber  and  flour  busi- 
ness until  1883,  when  he  went  to  Johnstown 
and  for  three  years  was  engaged  in  taking 
contracts  for  the  Cambria  Iron  company.  In 
188G  he  came  to  Blairsville  and  opened  his 
present  mercantile  establishment  on  the  corner 
of  Diamond  and  Liberty  streets.  He  deals  in 
dress  goods,  notions,  carpets  and  tinware  and 
also  handles  watches  and  jewelry.  His  stock 
of  goods  is  well  selected  and  adapted  to  the 
wants  of  his  many  patrons. 

On  December  9,  1862,  he  married  Emily 
Emerson,  daughter  of  the  late  Dr.  E.  P.  Emer- 
son, who  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Blairsville. 
In  1821,  Dr.  Emerson  built  the  first  hotel  in 
that  place,  on  the  lot  now  occupied  by  Ray's 
ware-house.  He  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  where 
he  was  graduated  from  a  well-known  medical 
college,  and  came  to  America  to  seek  a  wider 
field  for  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession. 
To  him  belongs  the  distinction  of  having  been 
the  first  physician  of  Blairsville.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Duncan  are  the  parents  of  three  children :  Sadie 
M.,  William  B.  and  Thomas  E. 

William  Duncan  is  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church  and  a  stanch  republican. 
He  owns  the  block  in  which  his  store  is  situated 
and  has  an  interest  in  a  large  lumbering  and 
flouring-mill  business  in  Cambria  county.  He 
is  affable,  genial,  enterprising  and  well  re- 
spected. 


PAUL  GRAFF.     In  Western  Pennsylvania 
as  nowhere  else  in  this  country  are  con- 
centrated those  industrial  forces  and  facilities 
12 


so  necesary  to  an  enlarged  and  enduring  success 
in  manufacturing,  and  one  of  Indiana  county's 
useful  citizens,  who  has  always  been  active  in 
developing  the  mineral  resources  of  his  own 
county,  is  Paul  Graff,  president  of  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Blairsville  and  a  member  of  the 
well-known  firm  of  John  Graff's  Sons.  He  is 
a  son  of  John  and  Lucy  S.  (Hacke)  Graff,  and 
was  born  at  Blairsville,  Indiana  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, on  Independence  Day,  1838.  His 
paternal  grandparents,  John,  Sr.,  and  Barbara 
(Baum)  Graff,  were  among  the  early  settlers  -of 
Westmoreland  county.  John  Graff,  Sr.,  was 
born  at  Newid,  Germany,  April  15,  1763,  and 
his  grandfather  resided  at  Grafnauer,  which 
meant  nobility  and  castle  or  nobleman  Graff's 
castle.  John  Graff,  Sr.,  came  to  Westmoreland 
county  in  1783  and  died  December  31,  1818. 
He  was  a  deeply  religious  man  and  married 
Barbara  Baum,  who  was  born  in  Path  Valley, 
Huntingdon  county,  and  died  in  1846,  aged 
seventy  years.  She  was  remarkably  strong,  as 
were  all  the  members  of  her  family,  which  was 
,  appropriately  named  Baum — a  word  in  German 
I  meaning  tree.  She  was  once  captured  by  In- 
i  dians,  but  former  kindness  bestowed  by  her  upon 
an  old  warrior  of  the  marauding  party  which 
had  taken  her,  caused  him  to  secure  her  release. 
John  Graff,  Sr.,  and  his  wife  Barbara  were  the 
parents  of  twelve  children  :  Henry,  Mary  Lose, 
!  Sarah  Barnes,  William,  Margaret  Colcasure, 
;  Joseph,  Elizabeth  Armstrong,  Peter,  Jacob, 
,  Matthew,  Paul  and  John.  One  of  the  sons, 
]  John  Graff  (father),  was  born  August  3, 1800, 
near  Pleasant  Unity,  Westmoreland  county,  re- 
ceived a  fair  education,  conducted  a  store  at 
I  Pleasant  Unity  for  three  years  and  in  1837  re- 
moved to  Blairsville,  where  he  purchased  a  half 
interest  in  a  warehouse  and  store  owned  by  his 
brothers  Peter  and  Henry.  Two  other  houses 
were  subsequently  erected,  and  in  1847  he  as- 
sumed charge  of  the  three  houses  and  their  mer- 
cantile  business.  He  admitted  his  three  sons, 
Jacob,  Paul  and  Charles,  into  partnership  with 


192 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


him  and  established  the  present  general  mer- 
cantile house  of  John  Graif's  Sons.  He  was 
a  decided  opponent  of  human  servitude  and  was 
run  by  the  Liberty  party  of  the  county  as  a 
candidate  for  the  Legislature  and  afterwards  for 
Congress.  He  was  a  zealous  and  eflBcient 
member  of  the  M.  E.  church,  to  which  became 
from  the  Reformed  church.  He  advocated  the 
free  school  law  of  1834,  served  under  it  as  a 
school  director,  and  was  successively  a  wliig, 
free  soiler  and  republican  in  politics.  He  died 
in  1885,  and  was  at  that  time  the  senior,  as  re- 
garded age  and  durability  of  commercial  life,  of 
all  the  merchants  then  doing  business  in  the 
county.  As  a  man,  his  aim  was  to  do  good  and 
his  character  was  above  suspicion.  In  1824  he 
married  Lucy  Sophia  Hacke,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  Nicholas  Hacke,  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  and  died 
March  4,  1876,  aged  seventy-one  years.  Their 
children  were  Henry,  Caroline  Shields,  dead ; 
Alexander,  Jacob,  who  married  Sallie  Davis  ; 
Paul  and  Charles,  who  married  Margaret 
Loughry. 

Paul  Graff  was  reared  at  Blairsville.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  common  schools  and 
Plainfield  academy,  near  Carlisle,  Pa.  He  was 
carefully  trained  to  business  under  the  watchful 
care  of  his  father,  and  in  order  to  fully  qualify 
himself  for  commercial  life,  he  took  the  com- 
plete course  of  Duff's  Business  college,  of  Pitts- 
burgh. Leaving  school,  he  became  a  partner 
with  his  father  and  brothers,  Jacob  and  Charles, 
in  the  mercantile  business  and  since  his  father's 
death  has  continued  in  partnership  with  his 
brothers,  under  the  firm-name  of  John  Graff's 
Sons.  They  have  one  of  the  largest  and  best 
stocked  general  mercantile  establishments  in  the 
county.  Mr.  Graff  is  a  member  of  the  Royal 
Arcanum,  Knights  of  Honor,  Chosen  Friends, 
Bankers'  Association,  Heptasophs  and  Mer- 
chants' and  Salesmen's  Association. 

In  1860  he  married  Elizabeth  A.  Mowry, 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Charlotte  Mowry,  of 
Blairsville.   Mr.  and  Mrs.  Graff  are  the  parents 


of  five  children  :  George  R.,  who  is  employed 
in  the  freight  department  of  the  W.  P.  R.  R. ; 
Frank  M.,  a  graduate  of  Lafayette  college  and 
in  business  with  his  father ;  Wilber  P.,  in  the 
senior  class  of  Lafayette  college ;  Laura  M., 
now  in  her  senior  year  at  Blairsville  seminary; 
and  Walter  R.,  at  .school. 

Paul  Graff  is  a  very  strong  and  active  re- 
publican and  has  been  president  of  Blairsville 
school  board  for  three  terms.  He  is  a  trustee 
and  has  been  class  leader  of  the  Blairsville 
M.  E.  church  for  the  last  twenty-one  years,  as 
well  as  superintendent  of  its  Sunday-school  for 
nearlv  the  same  length  of  time.  He  is  also 
treasurer  of  the  board  of  stewards  and  was  a 
member  of  the  building  committee  which 
erected  the  present  fine  church  structure  which 
was  dedicated  in  December,  1889.  To  his 
church  he  has  always  been  a  generous  and 
willing  contributor  and  also  has  always  en- 
countered, all  moral  and  religious  enterprises. 
He  is  president  of  the  First  National  bank  of 
Blairsville,  treasurer  of  the  Blairsville  Brick 
company  and  a  stock-holder  in  the  Cheswick 
Land  company.  While  active  in  mercantile 
and  financial  enterprises,  Paul  Graff  has  also 
been  one  of  the  foremost  men  to  push  forward 
the  material  development  of  his  section  of  the 
county.  He  was  largely  instrumental  in  the 
organization  of  the  Blairsville  coke-works  and 
the  Cheswick  Land  company.  For  over  thirty 
years  he  has  been  in  close  contact  and  compe- 
tition with  business  men  all  over  the  southern 
part  of  the  county,  yet  nothing  unfair  or  dis- 
honorable has  ever  been  charged  against  him, 
and  his  word  is  as  good  as  his  bond.  As  a 
citizen  Mr.  Graff  is  public-spirited  and  patri- 
otic, concerned  for  the  welfare  of  both  his  home 
and  his  country.  He  is  not  ambitious  for 
political  honors,  though  he  never  shrinks  from 
any  official  duty  and  never  refuses  to  serve  his 
fellow-citizens  in  a  public  capacity  whenever 
they  call  upon  him  to  do  so. 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


193 


JAMES  M.  HARVEY.  The  position  occu- 
pied by  any  town  is  due  to  the  energy, 
enterprise  and  judgment  of  its  business  men. 
The  leading  and  representative  grocer  and  boot 
and  shoe  dealer  of  Blairsville  is  James  M. 
Harvey,  a  very  energetic  and  remarkably  suc- 
cessful young  business  man.  He  was  born  in 
Derry  township,  Westmoreland  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, November  18,  1854,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  C.  and  Margaret  (Keelan)  Harvey.  John 
C.  Harvey  was  born,  reared  and  educated  in 
Ireland.  He  came,  about  1840,  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  settled  in  Derry  township, 
Westmoreland  county.  He  became  a  stage- 
driver  on  the  old  pike  between  Philadelphia 
and  Pittsburgh.  When  the  railroads  superseded 
the  pikes  as  routes  of  travel,  he  turned  his  time 
and  attention  to  farming  in  Derry  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  and  Burrell  township, 
Indiana  county.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  church  and  always  supported  the 
democratic  ticket  after  coming  to  the  United 
States.  He  was  a  thorough-going  and  honest 
man  and  died  April  12,  1878,  aged  fifty-five 
years.  He  married  Margaret  Keelan,  daughter 
of  Patrick  and  Mary  Keelan,  and  born  in 
Derry  township,  September  15,  1826.  She  is 
a  member  of  the  Catholic  church  and  resides 
now  at  Blairsville  with  her  children :  James  M., 
Rebecca,  Maggie  and  Mary. 

James  M.  Harvey  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  received  his  education  in  the  Catholic 
schools  of  Blairsville,  which  were  then,  as  they 
are  now,  under  the  charge  of  experienced  and 
competent  instructors.  Leaving  school  at  four- 
teen years  of  age,  he  entered  the  general  store 
of  Nicholas  Maher,  of  Blairsville,  as  a  clerk, 
and  remained  with  Mr.  Maher  for  thirteen 
years.  During  that  period  of  time  he  was  suc- 
cessively promoted  to  book-keeper,  and  general 
manager  of  the  store.  In  1882  he  left  Mr. 
Maher  and  opened  a  small  grocery  store.  Con- 
ducting his  business  on  strictly  legitimate 
principles,  he  soon  acquired  a  patronage  which 


enabled  him  to  increase  his  stock  of  goods.  In 
a  short  time  after  this  his  grocery  trade  had  .so 
increased  as  to  justify  him  in  embarking  in  that 
line  of  business  on  an  e.vteusive  .scale,  and  he 
removed  to  his  present  large  and  well-arranged 
grocery  bouse  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Market 
and  Spring  streets.  In  April,  1889,  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  D.  M.  Kier  and  D.  A.  Fen- 
Ion,  under  the  firm-name  of  Kier  &  Co.,  and 
established  a  large  boot  and  shoe  house  on 
Market  street,  which  is  rapidly  growing  in 
favor  with  the  public.  Mr.  Harvey  now  owns 
the  fine  brick  business  block  in  which  his  stores 
are  situated,  besides  other  property  at  Blairsville. 
Aside  from  his  own  various  business  enterprises 
he  cheerfully  gives  his  time  toward  whatever 
advances  the  material  interests  of  his  town,  and 
is  now  serving  as  a  director  of  the  Coneraaugh 
Building  and  Loan  association,  of  Blairsville. 

On  the  basis  of  correct  business  principles 
Mr.  Harvey  has  built  up  a  large  trade  and  his 
grocery  house,  which  ranks  as  one  of  the  largest 
grocery  estabi ishments  in  this  part  of  the  State, 
is  admirably  arranged  and  equipped  with  every 
facility  and  convenience  for  the  transaction  of 
business.  He  employs  from  twelve  to  fourteen 
salesmen  and  carries  a  complete  assortment  of 
choice  imported  and  domestic  staple  and  fancy 
groceries,  crockery,  lamps  and  special  family 
supplies.  He  is  a  democrat  in  politics  and  a 
member  of  the  Catholic  church.  James  M. 
Harvey  is  the  only  democratic  member  of  the 
present  town  council  of  Blairsville,  and  has 
been  honored,  in  recognition  of  his  business 
ability  and  integrity  of  character,  by  his  party, 
with  the  nomination  for  treasurer  of  Indiana 
county.  Mr.  Harvey  is  a  conspicuous  example 
of  what  may  be  accomplished  in  Indiana  county 
by  energy,  industry,  economy  and  perseverance. 
Starting  in  life  with  no  means,  he  has  raised 
himself,  by  continued  success,  from  a  poor  boy 
to  the  position  of  a  wealthy  and  popular  bu.si- 
ness  man  and  an  honorable  and  influential 
citizen. 


194 


BIOORAPEIES  OF 


ISAAC  HICKS,  a  well-qualified  business  man 
and  a  member  of  the  enterprising  firm  of 
Kiuter  &  Hicks,  is  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Susan 
W.  (Dobson)  Hicks,  and  was  born  at  Blairs- 
ville,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  Jan- 
uary 26,  1848.  His  grandfather,  Hicks,  was 
a  native  of  Centre  county,  but  early  in  life, 
moved  to  Rayne  township,  this  county,  where 
he  engaged  in  farming.  His  son,  Isaac  Hicks, 
Sr.  (father),  was  born  on  his  father's  farm,  in 
Centre  township,  in  Centre  county,  in  1808,  and 
came  to  Indiana  county  when  a  mere  boy. 
During  the  latter  years  of  his  life  he  was  a 
coal  merchant  of  Blairsville.  He  was  a  faith- 
ful member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church, 
and  an  uncompromising  democrat.  He  was 
highly  esteemnd  by  the  community  in  which 
he  lived,  and  for  several  years  was  borough  con- 
stable. He  died  January,  1887,  when  he  was 
seventy-eight  years  of  age.  He  married  Susan 
W.  Dobson,  daughter  of  John  Dobson,  of  Cen- 
tre township,  Indiana  county,  by  whom  he  had 
ten  children:  William,  Cynthia,  Priscilla, 
John,  Elsie  J.,  wife  of  John  F.  Steck;  Isaac, 
Peniua,  wife  of  Charles  Martin  ;  Edward  A. 
E.,  Charles  M.,  and  Susan  I.,  wife  of  Robert 
Drewbell.  Mrs.  Hicks  makes  her  home  at 
Blairsville;  is  in  the  seventy-ninth  year  of  her 
age,  and  an  esteemed  member  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church. 

Isaac  Hicks  was  reared  at  Blairsville,  and  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  that  borough.  In 
1862  he  enlisted  in  Co.  K,  193d  regiment.  Pa. 
Vols.,  for  a  four  mouths'  service  in  the  Union 
army.  After  he  was  honorably  discharged,  in 
Pittsburgh,  he  engaged  in  farming  in  Burrell 
township,  which  he  followed  for  one  year.  He 
then  opened  an  office  at  Blairsville,  where  for 
twenty-three  years  he  dealt  in  coal. 

In  June,  1888,  he  went  into  partnership  with 
J.  Austin  Kinter,  under  the  firm-name  of 
Kinter  &  Hicks,  since  which  time  they  have 
dealt  in  groceries,  flour  and  feed  and  by  careful 
attention  to  their  business  have  succeeded  in 


building  up  a  good  trade,  and  are  now  eligibly 
located  in  a  fine  and  commodious  building  at 
No.  125,  on  Walnut  street. 

On  June  19,  1867,-  he  married  Harriet 
Young,  daughter  of  James  Young,  of  Washing- 
ton township,  who  was  killed  in  the  battle  of 
the  Wilderness  during  the  late  civil  war.  They 
have  had  no  children,  but  have  adopted  a  little 
girl  whom  they  are  rearing  as  their  own. 

Isaac  Hicks  is  a  straightforward  republican, 
and  attends  the  United  Presbyterian  church. 
He  is  numbered  among  the  substantial  citizens 
of  Blairsville  and  as  one  of  its  self-made  men 
belongs  to  that  class  of  progressive  and  public- 
spirited  men  whose  honor,  enterprise  and  social 
qualities  give  character  to  any  community  in 
which  they  reside. 


REV.  GEORGE  HILL,  D.D.  A  pleasant 
and  long-to-be-remembered  occasion  is 
the  semi-centennial  of  Dr.  George  Hill's  pas- 
torate of  the  Blairsville  Presbyterian  church, 
which  was  held  from  the  8th  to  the  11th  of 
June,  1890.  This  great  gathering  was  in  honor 
and  respect  of  one  who  has  given  a  half  a  cen- 
tury of  his  best  life-work  and  thought  for  the 
intellectual,  moral  and  religious  advancement  of 
his  people.  Rev.  George  Hill,  D.D.,  is  a  son 
of  Hon.  Johti  and  Jane  (Moorhead)  Hill,  and 
was  born  September  18,  1815,  in  that  part  of 
the  Ligonier  Valley  which  is  in  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania. 

The  first  settlers  of  western  Pennsylvania 
were  of  presbyterian  faith  and  were  gathered 
into  churches  by  such  able  men  as  Finley, 
Power,  McMillan  and  Smith,  who  were  gradu- 
ates of  Princeton  college  and  fine  classical  schol- 
ars. Among  the  men  who  were  educated  for 
the  presbyterian  ministry  under  the  immediate 
successors  of  these  distinguished  ministers,  was 
Rev.  George  Hill  (grandfather).  He  was  born 
in  York  county  March  13,  1764,  and  at  nine- 
teen years  of  age   removed  with  his  father  to 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


195 


Fayette  county,  where  he  was  licensed  to  preach 
December  22,  1791.  On  November  13,  1792, 
he  was  installed  as  pastor  of  Fairfield,  Donegal 
and  Wheatfield  congregations.  On  April  11, 
1798,  he  resigned  the  charge  of  Wheatfield  and 
acceptetl  a  call  to  Ligonier.  In  these  charges 
he  labored  until  his  death,  on  June  9,  1822. 
He  was  a  man  of  remarkable  vigor  of  constitu- 
tion and  wonderful  will  to  work.  He  was  very 
sensitive  and  exceedingly  modest.  When  duty 
required,  however,  that  he  should  take  decided 
ground  and  appear  in  the  defense  of  the  truth 
he  showed  himself  to  be  equal  to  the  crisis,  and 
displayed  much  firmness  of  character,  as  well 
as  acuteness  of  intellect.  He  married  Elizabeth 
McClelland,  of  Fayette  county.  One  of  liis 
sons  was  Hon.  John  Hill  (father),  who  wa.s  born 
March  20,  1790,  and  died  August  22,  1856. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Fairfield  Presbyterian 
church,  but  would  never  accept  an  eldership. 
He  was  a  strong  democrat,  frequently  repre- 
sented Westmoreland  county  in  the  legislature 
and  .served  as  a  member  of  the  State  senate  for 
several  terms.  He  commanded  a  company  of  i 
troops  under  Gen.  Harrison  in  the  war  of  1812. 
He  married  Jane  Moorhead,  of  Derry  townsiiip,  [ 
Westmoreland  county,  who  was  boi'n  June  30,  ' 
1795,  and  died  December  18,  1854.  She  was 
a  presbyterian  and  sleeps  in  Fairfield  cemetery 
where  her  husband  and  his  father  and  grand- 
father are  likewise  sleeping. 

Rev.  George  Hill  was  graduated  from  -Teffer- 
son  college,  Cannousburg,  Pa.,  in  1837,  and 
from  the  Western  Theological  seminary,  of 
Pittsburgh,  in  1840.  He  was  invited  to  preach 
at  Blairsviile  and  Salem,  and  did  so,  as  health 
permitted,  until  1841,  when  he  was  ordained 
and  installed  by  the  presbytery  of  Blairsviile, 
as  co-pastor  with  Rev.  Thomas  Davis,  who  died 
May  28,  1848.  In  October,  Mr.  Hill  was  re- 
leased from  Salem  and  gave  all  his  time  to 
Blairsviile  until  1882,  when  Rev.  J.  W.  Cris- 
well  was  called  as  co-pastor.  In  recognition  of 
his  faithful  services  in  the  ministry,  Washington 


and  Jefferson  college,  in  1869,  conferred  upon 
him  the  degree  of  D.D.  On  Sunday,  June  8, 
1890,  the  Blairsviile  Presbyterian  church  began 
the  celebration  of  the  semi-centennial  of  the 
pastorate  of  Dr.  Hill  with  them,  and  the  appro- 
priate and  impressive  exercises  of  the  occasion 
will  long  be  remembered  by  the  great  crowds 
who  were  present  from  Sunday  to  Wednesday. 
During  this  half-century  of  the  pastorate  of  Dr. 
Hill,  which  commenced  May  31,  1840,  eleven 
hundred  and  eighty-two  members  have  been 
added  to  the  church. 

•On  September  21,  1841,  he  married  Har- 
riet Lewis,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Rev.  David 
Lewis,  pastor  of  Ebenezer  Presbyterian  church, 
and  died  November  3,  1852,  leaving  four  chil- 
dren, of  whom  two  are  living:  Harriet,  who  is 
a  teacher  ;  and  Sarah,  wife  of  I.  W.  Mitchell,  a 
merchant  of  Washington,  Pa.  Ou  March  23, 
1854,  Dr.  Hill  married  for  his  second  wife,  Abi- 
gail Hawes,  of  Boston,  Mass.,  and  has  by  his 
second  marriage  three  children  :  Abigail  Grace, 
wife  of  Rev.  A.  C.  Brown,  of  Peoria,  111 ; 
Rev.  George  H.,  pastor  of  Beechwoods  Presby- 
terian church,  Jefferson  county  ;  and  Helen. 

He  has  always  been  a  republican  until  lately, 
when  he  voted  with  the  prohibitionists.  In 
1850  he  founded  Blairsviile  Female  seminary, 
which  is  doing  such  excellent  service  for  Chris- 
tian education.  In  1883  he  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Western 
Theological  seminarv,  of  which  he  had  served 
as  a  director  since  1847,  and  first  vice-president 
since  1870.  In  J  861  he  was  elected  moderator 
of  the  presbyterian  synod  of  Pittsburgh.  Dr. 
Hill  is  an  earnest,  humble  Christian,  who  de- 
spises shams  ;  sometimes  despondent  on  account 
of  ill  health,  but  usually  cheerful  and  very  so- 
ciable. He  is  thoroughly  orthodox.  His  mind 
is  vigorous  and  well-informed ;  his  thought 
clear  and  his  utterance  forcible.  He  is  a  faith- 
ful pastor,  and  an  instructive,  interesting  and 
eloquent  preacher,  and  fearless  in  the  expression 
of  his  views.     He  has  few  superiors  as  a  pres- 


196 


BIOQBAPHIES  OF 


byter  and  is  no  mean  antagonist  in  debate.  He 
and  his  estimable  wife  have  a  pleasant  and 
comfortable  home  on  Walnut  street,  where  they 
make  all  who  visit  them  full  welcome  and  happy. 


GEORGE  W.  INNES,  one  of  Indiana  coun- 
ty's most  prominent  and  efficient  teachers 
and  principal  of  the  Blairsville  schools  for  the 
last  eighteen  years,  was  born  at  St.  Thomas, 
Canada,  .July  27,  1837,  and  is  a  son  of  Alex- 
ander and  Eliza  J.  (Wilson)  Innes.  Alexander 
Innes  was  a  native  of  Sutherlandshire,  Scot- 
land, and  came  to  the  United  States  when 
young,  but  remained  in  this  country  only  a  few 
years  until  he  removed  to  Canada,  where  he 
died  in  1847,  aged  thirty-five  years.  He  was  a 
carpenter  by  trade  and  a  member  of  the  Free 
Presbyterian  church  of  Scotland.  He  was  an 
honest,  industrious  man,  and  while  in  the 
United  States  married  Eliza  J.  Wilson,  who 
came  "with  her  mother  and  brother  from  county 
Monaghan,  Ireland,  to  near  Leechburg,  Arm- 
strong county,  this  State.  She  was  reared  in 
the  Associate  Presbyterian  church,  but  after- 
wards united  with  the  United  Presbyterian 
church,  of  which  she  was  an  earnest  and  con- 
sistent member  until  her  death  at  Blairsville, 
October  18,  1889,  when  in  the  seventy-fifth 
year  of  her  age. 

At  ten  years  of  age,  George  W.  Innes  came 
with  his  mother  to  Pittsburgh,  where  they  re- 
mained three  or  four  years  and  then  removed  to 
Indiana  county.  He  received  his  elementary 
education  in  the  Canadian  schools  and  the 
graded  schools  of  Pittsburgh,  while  he  com- 
pleted his  academic  studies  and  took  a  classical 
course  under  a  private  tutor  of  fine  education 
and  literary  ability.  In  1857  he  entered  the 
profession  of  teaching  when  but  a  youth  and 
commenced  his  successful  career  as  a  teacher  in 
the  common  schools  of  Indiana  county.  Hav- 
ing completed  his  educational  course  and  been 
successful  in  the  district  .schools  as  a  teacher. 


his  services  were  sought  by  directors  of  graded 
schools  and  trustees  of  academies.  He  be- 
came principal  of  Perrysville  academy,  Jeffer- 
son county,  which  position  he  held  for  two 
years.  He  next  took  charge  of  Washington 
academy,  in  Clearfield  county,  which  he  con- 
ducted for  three  years.  In  1870  he  was 
elected  principal  of  Apollo  public  schools,  in 
Armstrong  county.  His  methods  of  instruction 
and  discipline  gave  such  good  satisfiiction  that 
he  was  elected  annually  as  principal  for  five 
years  and  then  declined  another  election  to 
accept  the  principalship  of  the  Blairsville 
schools.  There  his  educational  work  .soon  grew 
in  favor  with  the  public,  and  Blairsville  has 
enjoyed  for  fourteen  years  the  beneficial  results 
of  his  ripe  educational  labors  and  valuable 
experience. 

Prof.  George  W.  Innes  is  a  republican  in 
politics,  an  elder  in  the  United  Presbyterian 
church  and  a  pleasant  and  courteous  gentleman. 
As  an  educator  he  ranks  deservediv  his;h  and  is 
abreast  of  the  age;  as  a  teacher  he  has  few 
superiors  in  the  State  and  as  a  scholar  is 
thorough  and  well  conversant  with  all  the  ideas 
of  modern  education. 


pAPTAIN  JOHN  P.  KENNEDY,  a  prom- 
^  inent  contractor  of  Blairsville  and  captain 
of  Co.  D,  5th  regiment  of  the  National  Guard 
of  Pennsylvania,  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and 
Amelia  (Paige)  Kennedy,  and  was  born  in 
Johnstown,  Cambria  county,  Pennsylvania, 
Augu.st  29,  1853.  Early  in  the  present  century 
two  brothers,  William  and  David  Kennedy, 
emigrated  from  Ireland  to  Pennsylvania,  where 
their  descendants  are  numerous  to-day.  Wil- 
liam Kennedy  located  in  Indiana  county,  where 
his  son,  Samuel  Kennedy  (father),  was  born  in 
1819.  From  about  1840  until  1877,  Samuel 
Kennedy  was  an  employe  of  the  Cambria  Iron 
Co.,  in  Johnstown.  He  then  removed  to 
Harvey  county,  Kansas,  where  he  has  been  en- 


INDIANA    COUNTY. 


197 


gaged  ever  since  in  farming.  He  is  an  elder  in 
the  United  Presbyterian  ciiurch  and  a  republi- 
can in  politics.  He  married  Amelia  Paige, 
who  was  brought  by  her  parents  from  England 
to  Brush  Valley  township  when  only  a  few 
months  old.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Asso- 
ciate Reformed  church,  died  in  1855,  at  the 
early  age  of  twenty-eight  years,  and  her  remains 
were  interred  in  the  Johnstown,  Pa.,  cemetery. 
Her  father,  Edmund  Paige,  was  an  episcopalian, 
but  finding  no  church  of  his  denomination  in 
Brush  Valley  township,  he  united  with  the  Luth- 
eran church.  He  was  a  farmer  and  died  in  1865, 
when  he  was  in  the  seventy-fourth  year  of  his 
age. 

John  P.  Kennedy  was  only  two  years  old 
when  his  mother  died,  and  he  was  then  taken 
and  reared  by  his  uncle,  John  D.  Paige.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  Cherry  Hill  town- 
ship, and  theu  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter, 
which  he  followed  until  1878,  when  he  went  to 
Greenville,  and  embarked  in  the  furniture  and 
undertaking  business.  In  1880  his  store  was 
burned,  but  he  rebuilt  it  and  continued  in  that 
business  for  five  years.  In  1883  he  removed 
to  Blairsville,  where,  the  following  year,  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  D.  M.  Fair,  a  lum- 
ber merchant  and  contractor  of  that  place,  under 
the  firm-name  of  Fair  &  Kennedy.  Since 
then  Mr.  Kennedy  has  been  continuously  and 
successfully  engaged  in  contracting  and  dealing 
in  lumber,  but  his  firm  has  been  changed  three 
times.  June  15,  1889,  Mr.  Fair  retired  from 
the  partnership,  and  NYilliam  Young  and  W. 
A.  Fair  entered  it.  During  the  next  six  i 
months  the  firm  was  known  as  Kennedy, 
Young  &  Fair,  but  in  November,  1889,  the  ' 
partnership  was  dissolved  and  a  new  one  formed 
between  J.  P.  Kennedy  and  W.  A.  Fair,  who 
continued  the  business  under  the  title  of 
Kennedy  &  Fair.  In  April,  1890,  D.  M.  Fair  j 
and  J.  M.  Conner  were  taken  into  the  firm,  but 
the  name  remained  unchanged.  Since  April, 
1890,  the  business  of  the  firm  has  increased  so 


rapidly  that  they  have  had  to  enlarge  their 
buildings  to  twice  their  original  capacity,  and 
put  into  operation  their  present  large  planing- 
mill. 

On  December  25th,  1876,  Mr.  Kennedy  mar- 
ried Hannah  E.,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Jane 
McKesson,  of  Cherry  Hill  township.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Kennedy  have  been  born  three  chil- 
dren: Edmund  A.,  Claire  McBeth  and  John 
D.  Paige. 

Capt.  Kennedy  is  an  elder  in  the  United 
Presbyterian  church  and  of  late  years  has  sup- 
ported the  Prohibition  party.  In  1875  he  be- 
came a  member  of  Co.  D,  13th  regiment, 
National  Guard  of  Pennsylvania,  and  was 
successively  promoted  from  a  private  until 
he  became  second  lieutenant.  His  company 
was  transferred  in  1879  to  the  10th  regi- 
ment, and  participated  in  the  quelling  of 
the  Pittsburgh  riots  in  1877.  In  July,  1881, 
the  company  was  mustered  out  of  ser- 
vice. In  1887,  by  permission  of  Adj. -Gen. 
Hastings,  Lieut.  Kennedy  and  others  organized 
a  C(jmpany  at  Blairsville,  which,  in  January, 
1888,  became  Co.  D,  5th  regiment.  National 
Guard  of  Pennsylvania.  When  this  company 
was  mustered  into  .service,  Lieut.  Kennedy  was 
unanimously  elected  as  captain,  which  position 
he  has  held  ever  since  with  credit  to  himself 
and  benefit  to  the  company. 


JOHN  M.  KINKAID,  a  popular  clothier  and 
'-'  superintendent  of  the  business  of  the 
Saltsburg  Natural  Gas  company  at  Blairsville, 
is  a  son  of  Rev.  Samuel  P.  and  Hannah  J. 
(McFariand)  Kinkaid  and  was  born  at  Karns 
City,  Butler  county,  Pennsylvania,  July  13, 
1864.  The  Kinkaid  family  is  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent.  Rev.  Samuel  P.  Kinkaid  was  a  pres- 
byterian  minister  and  served  several  churches 
of  that  denomination.  In  1866  he  was  kicked 
by  a  horse  and  died  from  the  injuries  thus  re- 
ceived in  the  same  year.     He  was  conscientious 


198 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


and  straightforward  as  a  man  and  was  highly  ! 
esteemed  as  a  minister,  who  always  did  his  fall 
duty.  He  married  Hannah  J.  McFarland, 
daughter  of  William  McFarland,  of  Indiana 
county.  Eight  years  after  the  death  of  her 
husband  she  moved  to  Indiana,  where  she  now 
resides.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church. 

John  M.  Kinkaid  was  principally  reared  at 
Indiana  and  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  and  the  State  Normal  school  at  Indiana. 
His  first  practical  experience  in  business  life 
was  obtained  as  a  clerk  with  the  general  mercan- 
tile firm  of  A.  W.  Wilson  &  Sons,  of  Indiana, 
in  whose  employ  he  remained  six  years.  In 
1885  he  opened  his  present  clothing  and  gents' 
furnishing  goods  establishment.  He  has  a  neat 
and  well-arranged  salesroom  and  keeps  a  large 
and  finely  selected  stock  of  goods.  He  has 
built  up  a  good  trade  and  always  given  satis- 
faction to  the  public  in  the  quality  and  prices 
of  his  goods.  He  is  also  employed  by  the 
Pittsburg  owners  of  the  Saltsburg  Natural 
Gas  company  to  act  as  the  superintendent  of 
their  business  at  Blairsville.  He  is  a  republican 
in  politics  and  a  member  of  Blairsville  Conclave, 
No.  178,  Independent  Order  of  Heptasophs. 
Mr.  Kinkaid  is  energetic  and  enterprising  and 
has  good  assurance  of  future  success. 


T  AUSTIN  KINTER,  a  member  of  the 
^  •  successful  firm  of  Kinter  &  Hicks,  and 
the  descendant  of  a  family  noted  for  its  long- 
evity, is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Sallie  (Smith)  Kin- 
ter, and  was  born  in  Rayue  township,  Indiana 
county,  Pennsylvania,  July  30,  18-18.  The 
Kinter  family  is  of  Irish  descent.  Philip 
Kinter  (great-great-grandfather)  emigrated  from 
Ireland  to  Huntingdon  county,  Pa.  He  married 
Barbara  King,  and  one  of  their  sons,  John 
Kinter  (great-grandfather),  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolution.  In  1808  he  removed  to  what  is 
now   Grant   township,  Indiana  county,  settling 


near  Kinterhill,  the  highest  point  in  the  town- 
ship, which  was  named  after  him.  He  married 
Isabella  Fiudley  and  died  when  he  was  eighty- 
two  years  old.  His  wife  lived  to  be  ninety- 
one  years  of  age.  They  had  ten  children,  one 
of  whom,  Henry,  served  in  the  United  States 
army  during  the  war  of  1812.  Archibald 
Kinter  (grandfather)  was  born  in  this  State,  lived 
to  be  eighty-eight  years  old,  and  followed  the 
occupation  of  farming  until  his  death.  Peter 
Kinter  (father)  was  born  in  Washington  town- 
ship, where  he  has  lived  all  his  life  and  been 
engaged  in  farming.  He  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  United  Presbyterian  church.  He  is  a 
prominent  republican  and  has  been  elected  and 
served  one  term  of  three  years  as  jury  com- 
missioner of  the  county.  On  the  21st  day  of 
November,  1833,  he  married  Sallie  Smith,  a 
native  of  this  county,  who  died  September  12, 
1884. 

J.  Austin  Kinter  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  after  attending  the  public  schools  of 
Washington  township  and  the  academy  at 
Homer  City,  he  worked  for  several  years  on  a 
farm  during  the  summer  and  taught  school  in 
the  winter.  On  the  23d  of  August,  18ti4,  at  the 
age  of  sixteen,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  F,  206th  reg., 
Pa.  Vols.,  for  a  term  of  one  year.  He  was 
mustered  out  of  service  June  26,  1865.  His 
regiment  (206th)  had  the  honor  of  being  the 
first  regiment  to  enter  Richmond  after  its  evacu- 
ation by  the  Confederates,  and  to  fling  to  the 
breeze,  over  its  historic  walls,  the  stars  and 
stripes  of  the  Union.  He  was  one  of  the 
youngest  soldiers  who  enlisted  from  Indiana 
county.  After  his  return  from  the  army,  he 
filled  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  at 
Jacksonville  for  two  years,  and  when  removing 
from  the  town  he  resigned  and  then  became  a 
clerk  with  different  merchants  of  Blairsville 
until  1888,  when  he  went  into  partnership 
with  Isaac  Hicks. 

The  firm  of  Kinter  &  Hicks  have  built  up  a 
substantial   trade,  and  deal  in  groceries,  flour 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


201 


and  feed.  This  spring  they  were  compelled  to 
build  a  larger  storeroom  to  accommodate  their 
growing  trade. 

On  July  31,  1873,  he  married  Miranda 
Wolfe,  daughter  of  George  Wolfe,  of  Centre 
township.  They  have  five  children :  Mertie, 
Metta,  Claire,  Willis  and  George. 

J.  A.  Kinter  is  an  elder  in  the  United 
Presbyterian  church,  and  in  political  matters 
always  supports  the  republican  ticket.  He  is 
one  of  the  enterprising,  prosperous  citizens  of 
Blairsville  and  is  always  interested  in  the  ad- 
vancement of  his  town. 


ISRAEL  PUTMAN  KLINGENSMITH, 
-»-  M.D.,  F.S.S,  a  promising  and  leading 
physician  and  surgeon  of  Blairsville,  was  born 
near  Jeanette,  in  Hempfield  (now  Penn)  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
April  18th,  1850,  and  is  a  son  of  Isaac  and 
Christina  (Wegley)  Klingensmith.  Among  the 
early  settlers  of  Westmoreland  county  was  a 
body  of  Germans  from  the  eastern  part  of  the 
State,  noted  for  their  sturdy  character  and  thrift. 
Of  these  was  John  Klingensmith,  the  great- 
grandfather of  Doctor  Klingensmith.  In  poli- 
tics the  Klingensmiths  were  chiefly  democrats 
and  by  hereditary  association  attached  to  the 
Lutheran  church.  His  son  Abraham  was  born 
in  1798,  was  a  farmer  and  owned  near  Jeannette, 
the  farm  long  known  as  the  Old  Salt  Works  or 
Klingensmith  farm.  He  married  Elizabeth  Ei- 
cher(born  Oct.  18th,  1802-died  Oct.  Uth,  1875) 
and  died  1864.  The  eldest  of  his  five  children 
was  Isaac  Klingensmith  (father  of  the  doctor), 
who  was  born  April  15,  1821,  in  Penn  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  where  he  still  resides. 
He  is  an  extensive  farmer  and  gives  some  at- 
tention to  stock-raising;  a  member  and  elder  of 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  ;  and  a  re- 
spected citizen  of  tlie  community  where  he  has 
spent  seventy  years.  On  April  1st,  1849,  he 
married  Christina   Wegley  (born  in  Hempfield 


township  Sept.  27th,  1822),  and  who,  like  her 
husband,  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church. 
To  them  were  born  Israel  Putmanaud  a  daugh- 
ter, still  unmarried.  ]Mrs.  Klingensmith  is  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  Wegley  (maternal  grand- 
father, born  Jan.  17th,  1795),  who  married  Eliza- 
beth Heasley,  June  24th,  1819,  and  died  Sept. 
6th,  1870.  Pie  was  a  son  of  Abraham  and 
Christina  (Briney)  Wegley  and  a  grandson  of 
John  and  Christina  (Johnston)  Wegley,  natives 
of  Northampton  county,  who  removed  to  West- 
moreland county  in  1773.  The  Wegleys  have 
generally  been  lutherans  in  faith,  farmers  by 
occupation,  and  democrats  in  politics. 

Israel  P.  Klingensmith  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  and  academies  of  his  na- 
tive county  and  at  Capital  university,  Colum- 
bus, Ohio. 

After  reading  medicine  with  Dr.  J.  W.  B. 
Kamerer,  of  Greensburg,  Pa.,  and  with  the 
celebrated  surgeon.  Prof  Samuel  W.  Gross,  of 
Philadelphia,  he  entered  Jefferson  Medical  col- 
lege, Philadelphia,  and  was  graduated  March 
nth,  1875. 

Upon  graduation  he  was  entrusted,  for  two 
months,  with  the  practice  of  Dr.  J.  S.  Miller, 
of  New  Derry,  and  in  July  located  at  Derry 
Station,  a  prosperous  town  of  Westmoreland 
county  on  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad.  Here 
he  soon  built  up  an  extensive  and  paying  prac- 
tice. As  was  natural  to  a  pupil  of  Dr.  Gross, 
he  gave  special  attention  to  surgery,  and  his 
skill  in  this  department  soon  became  widely 
known.  A  wider  field  offering  at  Blairsville, 
he  removed  in  1883  to  that  town.  Here  by  his 
rare  professional  skill  and  attainments,  and  the 
conscientious  discharge  of  his  duties  as  a  physi- 
cian and  surgeon,  he  has  built  up  a  large  and 
lucrative  practice  and,  as  formerly  at  Derry, 
special  demand  has  been  made  upon  his  surgi- 
cal skill.  Since  1876  he  has  been  surgeon  for 
the  Pennsylvania  railroad. 

The  medical  society  of  the  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania sent  Dr.  Klingensmith  in  1878  as  a  dele- 


202 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


gate  to  the  West  Virginia  Medical  Society,  in 
session  at  Weston,  W.  Va.  Wliile  at  Derry  he 
was  made  president  of  the  Westmoreland  County 
Medical  society,  and  is  now  a  member  and 
Ex-President  of  the  Indiana  County  Medical 
society.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  medical 
society  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  the 
American  Medical  association,  the  British 
Medical  association ;  a  corresponding  member 
of  the  New  York  academy  of  Anthropology, 
and  the  Medico-Legal  society  of  New  York;  a 
Fellow  of  the  Society  of  Science,  Letters  and 
Art  of  London,  and  a  member  of  the  National 
Association  of  railway  surgeons. 

Dr.  Klingeusniith  has  published,  largely  in 
connection  with  his  membership  in  these  socie- 
ties, as  follows: — 

"  Treatment  of  Typhoid  Fever,"  Medical 
Record,  Aug.  25th,  1883,  Vol.  24,  page  204. 
Read  before  the  Westmoreland  County  Medical 
society.  May  1st,  1883. 

"  Calomel  in  Diphtheria,"  Medical  Record, 
July  12th,  1884,  Vol.  26,  page  36. 

"Incontinence  of  Urine,"  Archives  of  Pcedi- 
atrics,  Sept.  1884,  Vol.  1,  page  657. 

"  Hay  Asthma,"  read  in  section  of  Laryng- 
ology, Ninth  International  Medical  congress, 
held  at  Washington,  D.  C,  Sept.  5-9,  1887. 
Transactions,  Vol.  4,  page  11. 

"A  New  Antiseptic  Pocket  Surgical  Case," 
Medical  Record,  June  27th,  1890,  Vol.  37, 
page  737. 

It  may  be  here  noted  in  furtherance  of  his 
literary  and  professional  work,  the  doctor  has 
acquired  a  large  and  valuable  library,  and  on 
the  side  of  general  literature,  rich  in  an  exten- 
sive collection  of  English  poetry.  This  library, 
which  is  especially  full  and  complete  in  surgi- 
cal literature,  is  supplemented  by  an  equally 
extensive  and  complete  surgical  armamenta- 
rium. 

On  September  13th,  1883,  shortly  prior  to 
his  removal  to  Blairsville,  Dr.  Kliugensmith 
married  Mary  Caroline  Brunot.     Their  union 


has  been  blest  with  three  children :  Hilary 
Brunot,  Mary  Christina  and  William  Isaac. 

Mrs.  Kliugensmith  is  a  daughter  of  Hilary 
J.  Brunot,  a  leading  citizen  of  Greensburg,  Pa., 
a  descendant  of  the  old  and  highly  honorable 
Brunot  family  of  France,  and  whose  grand- 
father, the  celebrated  Dr.  Felix  Brunot,  was  a 
foster-brother  of  Gen.  Lafayette. 

Dr.  Klingensmith  is  a  vesti-yman  of  St. 
Peter's  church,  Blairsville,  and  in  politics  a 
democrat.  He  is  courteous  and  sociable,  public- 
spirited  and  endowed  with  strong  will-power. 
His  sociable  disposition  early  led  the  doctor  to 
become  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Fraternity. 
He  passed  rapidly  through  the  four  bodies  lo- 
cated at  Greensburg:  namely,  Westmoreland 
Lodge,  No.  518,  F.  A.  M.',  Urania  R.  A. 
Chapter,  No.  192;  Olivet  Council  Royal  and  Se- 
lect Masters  No.  13,  and  Kedron  Commandery, 
No.  18,  Knights  Templar.  In  addition  he  has 
attained  the  thirty-second  degree  of  the  Ancient 
and  Accepted  Scottish  Rite,  and  is  a  Noble  of 
Syria  Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles  of 
the  Mystic  Shrine,  both  of  Pittsburg.  As  he 
ascended,  the  interests  of  the  doctor  widened, 
and  he  was  made  a  member  of  Philadelphia 
Conclave,  No.  8,  Kniglits  of  the  Red  Cross  of 
Rome  and  Constantine,  and  becoming  a  member 
of  the  Royal  Masonic  Rite  he  was  made  Deputy 
Grand  Representative  for  Pennsylvania.  About 
the  same  time  he  was  complimented  with  Hon- 
orary membership  (33°,  90°,  95°)  in  the  Sover- 
eign Sanctuary  of  Canada.  After  a  period  of 
five  years  the  doctor  was  elected,  in  1888,  Very 
Illurtrious  Junior  Grand  Master  of  Ceremonies, 
Royal  Masonic  Rite  U.  S.  A.,  embracing  Orders 
and  Degrees  as  follows: — The  Ancient  and 
Honorable  Order  of  Royal  Ark  Mariners;  The 
Royal  Oriental  Order  of  Sikha  and  Sat  B'Hai ; 
The  Ancient  and  Primitive,  Oriental  and  Egyp- 
tian Reformed  Rites,  4°  to  33°  ;  Rite  of  Miz- 
raim,  4°  to  90°  ;  The  Supreme  Riteof  Memphis 
and  the  Egyptian  Masonic  Rite  of  Memphis,  4° 
to  96°. 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


203 


With  this  interest  in  the  principles  of  good- 
fellowship  characteristic  of  Masonry,  and  further- 
ed in  this  interest  by  his  position  as  a  surgeon 
and  physician,  the  Doctor  is  also  a  member  of 
many  of  the  fraternal  and  benevolent  associa- 
tions and  organizations  which  promote  good 
will  and  co-operation  in  these  United  States. 


SAMUEL  S.  LOAVRY,  D  D.S.,  a  popular 
young  dentist  of  Blairsville,  is  a  son  of 
Dr.  Mortimer  B.  and  Lizzie  (Davis)  Lowry,  and 
was  born  at  Brookville,  Jefferson  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, December  25,  1861.  The  Lowry 
family  is  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  and  one  of  its 
members,  Dr.  Samuel  Lowry  (grandfather),  was 
graduated  from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
Philadelphia,  and  was  for  many  years  a  prac- 
ticing physician  of  Strattonville,  Clarion  county, 
Pennsylvania.  His  son,  Dr.  Mortimer  B. 
Lowry  (father),  was  born  at  Strattonville,  Pa., 
in  1841,  and  has  been  a  successful  dentist  for 
thirty  years,  twenty-five  of  which  he  has  spent 
at  Brookville,  where  he  has  a  large  patronage. 
He  married  Lizzie  Davis,  daughter  of  Chester 
Davis,  of  Blairsville.  He  is  an  esteemed  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  a 
republican  in  politics.  His  wife  died  in  1888, 
in  the  forty-seventh  year  of  her  age.  Her 
father,  Chester  Davis  (maternal  grandfather)^  is 
also  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  and  is  ensraged  in 
the  furniture  business  at  Blairsville. 

Samuel  S.  Lowry  was  reared  at  Brookville, 
and  attended  the  public  schools  of  that  place. 
From  early  boyhood  he  showed  a  taste  and  ap- 
titude for  dentistry  and  leaving  school  he  studied 
that  profession  with  his  father  for  six  years  and 
then  became  a  student  in  a  leading  dental  col- 
lege from  which  he  was  graduated  in  the  class 
of  1889.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  located 
at  Blairsville  for  the  practice  of  dentistry.  His 
work  has  been  of  a  character  to  recommend  him 
to  the  public  as  a  skilled  and  honest  dentist  and 


his  patrons  are  rapidly  increasing  in  number. 
His  dental  parlors  are  well  furnished  and 
equipped  with  the  late  appliances  of  his  profes- 
sion. He  makes  a  specialty  of  operative  den- 
tistry, and  his  six  years'  experience  in  his  father's 
office  well  qualified  him  for  the  success  which 
he  has  achieved  at  the  very  beginning  of  his 
career.  In  politics  Dr.  Lowry  is  a  republican, 
but  does  not  allow  political  matters  to  take  much 
of  his  attention  from  his  business.  Dr.  Lowry 
is  a  courteous  gentleman  and  well  read  upon 
dentistry  and  all  subjects  relating  to  or  in  any 
wav  connected  with  it. 


"DICHARD  BUTLER  McCABE  first 
-Ll*  saw  the  light  in  the  county  of  Cumber- 
land, now  Perry,  Pa.,  on  the  5th  of  August, 
1792.  His  grandfather,  Owen  McCabe  (in  the 
colonial  records  erroneously  called  McKibe), 
was  a  native  of  county  Tyrone,  Ireland,  and 
came  to  this  country  at  an  early  age.  His  first 
home  was  in  Lancaster  county,  where  he  inter- 
married with  Catherine  Sears,  and  subsequently 
moved,  with  his  wife  and  eldest  son,  James,  the 
father  of  Richard,  to  Sherman's  Valley;  these 
two  were  the  first  men  who  settled  in  the 
valley.  Their  settlement  was  named  Tyrone 
township,  in  memory  of  the  childhood's  home 
of  the  elder  McCabe.  Tyrone  iron  works  and 
Tyrone  City,  on  the  Central  railroad,  also  derive 
their  name  from  the  same  hardy  pioneer. 

"  When  the  war  of  Independence  broke  out 
the  brave  old  pioneer,  with  two  hardy  and 
stalwart  sons,  Robert  and  William,  in  company 
with  Nicholas  Hughes,  Richard's  maternal 
grandfather,  and  two  equally  gallant  sons, 
shouldered  arms  and  went  to  Bunker  Hill. 

"From  the  family  of  our  subject's  mother 
descended  the  founders  of  many  distinguished 
families  of  the  south  and  west.  James  McCabe, 
the  father  of  Richard,  was  regarded  by  his  co- 
temporaries  as  a  man  of  the  purest  integrity, 


•204 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


scrupulously  conscientious  in  all  his  dealings, 
brave,  kind  and  generous.  Before  Forbes  ap- 
proached Fort  Diiquesne,  or  Armstrong  burnt 
Kittanning,  a  company  was  formed  at  or  near 
Carlisle,  the  first  that  ever,  in  Pennsylvania, 
pursued  the  Indians  as  far  as  the  Allegheny 
mountains.  James  McCabe  was  a  lieutenant  in 
that  company. 

"  He  accompanied  General  Arnold  upon  his 
famous  expedition  up  the  Kennebec,  and  across 
into  Canada,  and  being  by  the  heroic  Mont- 
gomery when  he  fell  at  Quebec,  was  the  first  to 
raise  him  from  the  ground.  He  fought  gal- 
lantly in  many  battles,  and  after  the  revolution 
returned  home  broken  in  health  by  the  terrible 
exposure  to  which  he  had  been  subjected. 

"In  1795  Lieut.  McCabe  died,  leaving  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  to  the  care  and  control  of 
the  widowed  mother.  He  learned  the  trade  of 
carpenter,  but  soon  went  to  Philadelphia,  and 
some  time  afterwards  became  a  clerk  in  a  Pitts- 
burg store.  Leaving  the  Iron  City,  he  acted 
for  several  years  as  a  manager  of  iron-works. 
He  read  law  at  Richmond,  Va.,  and  Harris- 
burg,  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  commenced 
to  practice  at  Huntingdon.  Subsequently  he 
came  to  Blairsville  (1830),  where  he  resided 
until  his  death,  January  10,  1860. 

"His  antiquarian  researches  were  extensive, 
and  to  him  we  are  indebted  for  the  preservation 
of  much  of  the  early  history  of  western  Penn- 
sylvania. His  'Brady'  and  other  sketches  are 
found  in  nearly  every  history  of  the  State.  At 
the  close  of  his  life  he  was  engaged  upon  a 
'Biography  of  the  Priest  of  the  Allegheny 
mountains'  —  the  Russian  prince  Gallitzin, 
which  promised  to  be  a  most  charming  and  in- 
teresting work." 

In  1820  he  married  Sarah  A.,  daughter  of 
John  Holland.  To  their  union  were  born  eleven 
children. 

During  the  time  he  resided  at  Blairsville  he 
was  elected  and  served  one  term  as  prothono- 
tary  of  Indiana  county. 


JOSEPH  MOORHEAD.  The  Blairsville 
"  Enterprise,  since  it  came  into  the  hands  of 
Joseph  Moorhead,  has  had  a  strong  hold  upon 
the  public  by  its  honest  independence  in  all 
things  and  in  being  a  thoroughly  pure  news- 
paper in  which  there  is  no  objectionable  read- 
ing. Joseph  Moorhead  is  a  son  of  Hon.  Samuel 
and  Martha  (Bell)  INIoorhead,  and  was  born  in 
Burrell  township,  Indiana  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, August  16,  1829.  The  Moorhead  and 
Bell  families  trace  their  trans-Atlantic  ancestry 
back  to  the  north  of  Ireland.  Samuel  Moor- 
head, paternal  grandfather  of  Joseph  Moorhead, 
was  born  in  1769,  in  Cumberland  county.  He 
learned  the  trade  of  tanner  and  then  removed  to 
the  northern  part  of  Westmoreland  county 
where  there  was  no  tannery  and  consequently  sold 
his  leather  as  fast  as  he  could  manufacture  it 
for  many  years.  He  purchased  eight  or  ten 
farms,  became  very  wealthy  and  died  in  1853, 
aged  eighty-four  years.  His  son,  Hon.  Samuel 
Moorhead  (father),  was  born  in  Burrell  town- 
ship, this  county,  where  he  was  engaged  largely 
during  his  life-time  in  farming.  He  was  a 
presbyterian  and  a  democrat,  built  the  dam  be- 
low Blairsville  on  the  old  Pennsylvania  canal 
and  died  in  1848,  aged  fifty-seven  years.  He 
was  a  man  of  keen  perception  and  remarkably 
good  judgment.  In  1830,  Gov.  George  Wolf 
appointed  him  associate  judge  of  the  courts  of 
Indiana  couuty,  which  position  he  held  very 
creditably  for  six  years.  Judge  Moorhead 
married  Martha  Bell,  who  was  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  John  Bell  (maternal  grandfather),  who  re- 
moved, in  early  life,  from  Cumberland  to  West- 
moreland county. 

Joseph  Moorhead  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools.  He  was  engaged  in  farming  until 
1863,  when,  in  July  of  that  year,  he  enlisted  in 
Co.  A,  101st  regiment,  Pa.  Vols.  He  served 
until  April,  1865,  when  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged at   Camp  Reynolds,  Allegheny  county. 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


205 


and  returned  home  to  resume  charge  of  his  farm. 
In  1886  he  removed  to  Blairsville  and  became 
editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Blairsville  Enter- 
prise, which  had  been  started  in  1880.  It  is  a 
quarto  of  eight  columns  to  th^  page,  filled  with 
carefully  selected  reading  matter  and  containing, 
in  condensed  form,  all  the  important  county 
news  and  local  happenings.  Among  other  com- 
mendable features  of  the  paper,  it  gives  a  com- 
plete and  accurate  church  and  society  directory 
of  Blairsville.  It  is  republican  in  politics  and 
has  attained  a  circulation  of  seven  hundred 
copies. 

In  1852,  Mr.  Moorhead  married  for  his  first 
wife  Rebecca  Armel,  daughter  of  Isaac  Armel, 
of  Burrell  township.  She  died  in  1870,  leaving 
three  children  :  Richard  E.,  George  R.  and 
Jessie  M.  Mr.  Moorhead  was  re-married  in 
1871,  to  Rebecca  Hosack,  daughter  of  Alexan- 
der Ho.sack,  of  Burrell  township.  To  this 
second  union  have  been  born  five  children,  three 
sons  and  two  daughters :  John  W. ,  Harry  S., 
Joseph  P.,  Alice  C.  and  Myrtilla  B. 

Joseph  Moorhead  is  a  republican  and  an  elder 
of  the  Blairsville  Presbyterian  church.  He  is 
a  member  of  Blairsville  Lodge,  No.  9,  Order  of 
Solon,  and  Findley  Patch  Post,  No.  137,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  On  July  24,  1890,  he 
was  appointed,  by  President  Harrison,  post- 
master of  Blairsville,  for  a  term  of  four  years. 
Mr.  Moorhead  has  aimed  in  journalism  to  give 
the  public  a  clean  and  pure  paper,  devoted  to 
the  true  interests  of  Blairsville  and  Indiana 
countv  and  success  has  crowned  his  eflfbrts. 


SAMUEL  HOWARD  SHEPLEY,  A.M., 
whose  death  occurred  November  18,  1874, 
was  born  at  Quincy,  Mass.,  March  6,  1810. 
He  fitted  for  college  at  an  academy  in  New 
Hampshire,  and  was  graduated  from  Bowdoin 
college,  Maine,  in  the  class  of  1833.  After 
graduation  he  was  principal  of  an  academy  for 
two  years  and  then  entered  Andover  Theologi- 


cal seminary  to  study  for  the  Christian  min- 
istry, but  completed  his  course  at  Bangor  The- 
ological seminary.  He  was  licensed  to  preach 
in  June,  1838,  and  in  October  was  ordained 
pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  of  New 
Gloucester,  Maine.  In  1848  he  returned  to 
teaching,  and  iu  1852  became  principal  of  the 
Blairsville  Female  seminary,  which  position  he 
filled  most  acceptably  for  thirteen  years. 

The  following  tribute  is  paid  to  his  memory 
by  Rev.  George  Hill,  D.D. :  "His  last  years 
were  spent  without  any  direct  pastoral  or  edu- 
cational charge,  but  he  was  not  idle.  He 
preached,  as  opportunity  offered,  in  vacant 
churches  and  in  the  pulpits  of  his  brethren  in 
the  ministry,  many  of  whom  are  indebted  to 
him  for  valuable  help  in  time  of  need.  He 
loved  the  prayer-meeting  and  especially  the 
monthly  concert,  and  contributed  by  his  pres- 
ence and  his  words  of  cheer  to  make  them  in- 
teresting and  attractive  to  others.  He  was 
always  deeply  interested  in  revivals  of  religion, 
and  his  very  last  public  address,  made  at  the 
October  meeting  of  Presbytery,  was  on  this 
subject,  when  it,  at  his  suggestion,  was  before 
that  body  for  conference  and  prayer.  He  was 
even  then  suffering  great  pain  from  the  disea.se 
which  terminated  his  life.  After  a  sleepless 
night  he  returned  home,  in  the  early  morning, 
to  lie  down  upon  the  bed  from  which,  six  weeks 
later,  good  men  carried  him  to  his  burial.  These 
weeks,  particularly  the  last  two,  were  weeks  of 
severe  suffering,  amounting  much  of  the  time  to 
extreme  agony.  But  no  word  of  complaint  or 
impatience,  not  even  a  groan  escaped  his  lips. 
He  often  expressed  the  desire  to  fly  away  and 
be  at  rest;  but  he  was  willing  to  wait,  and  did 
patiently  wait  all  the  days  of  his  appointed 
time  until  his  change  came." 


ANTES    SNYDER.     One   regarded   as   an 
authority  upon  railroad  engineering  in  the 
western  part  of  the  State  is  Antes  Snyder,  of 


206 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Blairsville,  engineer  of  right  of  way,  Pennsyl- 
vania Kailroad  Division,  and  a  grandson  of 
Governor  Simon  Snyder,  after  whom  Snyder 
county,  Pennsylvania,  was  named.  He  was 
born  at  Selinsgrove,  Snyder  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, December  9, 1836,  and  is  a  son  of  George 
A.  and  Ann  Ellen  (Duncan)  Snyder.  Governor 
Snyder's  father,  Anthony  Snyder,  was  a  me- 
chanic, who  came,  in  1758,  from  Germany  to 
this  State,  where  he  died  in  1774.  Governor 
Snyder  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Novem- 
ber 5,  1759,  and  died  near  Selinsgrove,  Pa., 
November  9,  1819.  He  learned  the  trade  of  tan- 
ner, and  in  1784  removed  to  Selinsgrove,  where 
he  became  a  large  land-owner,  a  prosperous 
business  man  and  a  popular  and  influential 
democratic  leader.  He  served  as  a  member  of 
the  Pennsylvania  legislature,  was  speaker  of  the 
house  for  six  terms  and  originated  the  "hun- 
dred-dollar act,"  which  embodied  the  arbitra- 
tioH  principles  and  provided  for  the  trial  of 
causes  where  the  amount  in  question  was  less 
than  $100.  In  1808,  1811  and  1814  he  was 
elected  on  the  democratic  ticket  as  governor  of  ; 
Pennsylvania  by  majorities  ranging  between 
twenty  thousand  and  fifty  thousand.  He  was  a 
man  who  had  the  courage  of  his  convictions, 
and  made  an  excellent  governor.  In  1817  he 
was  elected  as  a  member  of  the  State  senate, 
and  two  years  later  died  on  November  9,  1819, 
aged  sixty  years.  He  married,  and  one  of  his 
sons  was  George  A.  Snyder  (father),  who  was 
born  in  the  latter  part  of  the  last  century  and 
removed  to  Williamsport,  Pa.,  where  he  resided 
until  his  death.  He  was  a  lawyer  by  profession, 
a  unitarian  in  religion  and  married  Ann  Ellen 
Duncan,  who  was  a  native  of  Lycoming  county. 
Antes  Snyder  was  reared  at  Selinsgrove  and 
Pottstown  and  received  his  early  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  the  former  and  the  private 
schools  of  the  latter  place.  Leaving  school,  he 
studied  civil  and  topographical  engineering  with 
his  uncle,  Capt.  Pollston,  who  was  a  graduate 
of  West  Point  Military  academy  and  a  civil 


engineer  on  the  Reading  railroad.  After  com- 
pleting his  studies  with  his  uncle  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  engineering  department  of  the  Read- 
ing railroad  and  remained  on  that  road  as  an  en- 
gineer until  1857.*  He  then  went  to  Farrands- 
ville,  Clinton  county,  where  he  assumed  charge 
of  a  rolling  mill  and  coal  mines,  which  were  well 
understood  to  be  the  individual  property  at  that 
time  of  Christina,  queen  of  Spain.  In  1859 
he  left  Farrandsville  and  went  to  New  Jersey, 
where  he  had  charge  of  the  construction  of  the 
railroad  from  Millville  to  Cape  May.  In  1863 
he  came  to  Blairsville  and  completed  the  con- 
struction of  the  Western  Pennsylvania  railroad 
from  Blairsville  to  Allegheny  city,  which  had 
been  undertaken  by  the  Northwestern  railroad 
company,  which  had  failed  when  the  road  was 
nearly  graded.  After  the  completion  of  the 
last-named  road  he  removed  (1869)  to  Freeport, 
Armstrong  county,  and  was  in  charge  of  the 
construction  of  the  Butler  Branch  of  the  West- 
ern Pennsylvania  R.  R.  In  1871  he  left  the 
service  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  company 
and  was  engaged  for  two  years  in  the  lumber 
business,  first  at  Freeport  and  then  in  Pitts- 
burg. In  1873  he  again  accepted  service  with 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Comjiany,  and  has 
remained  in  their  employ  ever  since.  He  was 
-stationed  by  the  company  at  Springdale,  Alle- 
gheny county,  from  1873  to  1876,  and  in  Johns- 
town, Cambria  county,  from  1876  to  1879. 
Since  the  last-named  year  he  has  resided  at 
Blairsville  and  been  in  charge  of  the  office  of 
engineer  of  the  right  of  way. 

In  1866  he  united  in  marriage  with  Emma 
F.  Evans,  daughter  of  Robert  Evans,  of  Blairs- 
ville, but  formerly  of  Lancaster  county.  They 
have  four  children:  Fannie  E.,  Ellen  D.,  An- 
tes L.  and  Emma. 

Antes  Snyder  is  a  republican  in  politics.  He 
is  a  warden  and  vestryman  of  St.  Peter's  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  church,  and  owns  a  pleasant 
and  comfortable  home  at  Blairsville,  where  he 
is  highly  respected  as  a  gentleman  and  a  citizen. 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


207 


SAMUEL  D.  STIFFEY,  a  well-established  I 
and  active  dealer  in  stoves  and  tinware  at 
Blairsville,  is  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Mary 
(Altnian)  Stiffey,  and  was  born  in  Black  Lick 
township,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  May 
20,  1842.  His  father,  Daniel  Stitfey,  was  born 
in  Prussia,  in  1790,  and  early  in  life  emigrated 
from  that  country  to  eastern  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  remained  for  several  years.  He 
eventually  established  himself  in  Black  Lick 
township,  where  he  followed  his  trade  of  reed- 
maker  and  at  the  same  time  was  engaged  in  i 
farming.  He  was  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1844,  when  he  was  fifty-nine 
years  of  age.  He  married  Mary  Altman,  who 
was  a  member  of  the  old  family  of  Altmans  in 
Black  Lick  township,  who  had  taken  up  a  tract 
of  land  in  1796,  known  as  the  "  Deserted  Vil-  [ 
lage,"  from  the  fact  that  on  it  had  been  an 
Indian  camping-ground  for  many  yeare.  In 
the  house  in  which  she  was  born,  she  was  after-  j 
ward  married  and  also  died.  She  was  a  hum- 
ble and  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  was  a  daughter  of  Philip 
Altman,  a  farmer,  who  was  born  December  28, 
1763,  aud  died  May  29,  1813. 

Samuel  D.  Stiffey  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  attended  the  common  schools  of  Black 
Lick  township  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years 
went  to  Blairsville,  where  he  learned  the  trade 
of  tinner,  serving  an  apj^renticeship  of  three 
years.  During  the  second  year  of  the  late  war 
(August  15,  1862)  he  enlisted  in  a  regiment  of 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  and  served  until  May 
24,  1863,  when  his  regiment  was  mustered  out 
of  service.  He  was  in  several  engagements  on 
the  Rappahannock  and  fought  under  General 
Hooker,  at  Chancellorsville.  After  his  return 
from  the  army  he  worked  at  his  trade  until 
1865,  when  he  and  his  brother,  William  Stitfey, 
formed  a  partnership,  bearing  the  firm  title  of 
W.  A.  Stiffey  &  Bro. ,  and  became  dealers  in 
stoves,    tinware,   etc.     He    retired    from    this 


partnership  in  October,  1865.  His  brother 
continued  the  business  until  his  death,  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1886,  when  Samuel  D.  Stiffey  purchased 
the  store  and  stock  of  goods  of  the  administra- 
tors of  his  brother's  estate,  and  has  continually 
added  to  his  stock  until  now  his  establishment 
is  one  of  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  his  section 
of  the  county.  He  is  located  on  Market  street, 
and  always  furnishes  promptly  anything  called 
for  in  his  line  of  business. 

In  1870  he  married  Martha  Green,  daughter 
of  Isaac  and  Elizabeth  Green.  Mr.  and  Mre. 
Stiffey  have  two  sons  and  one  daughter:  Annie 
L.,  Frank  and  Harry  E. 

He  is  a  trustee  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  of  which  he  has  been  a  member  for 
many  years.  He  is  a  temperance  advocate  and 
an  able  and  active  supporter  of  the  prohibition 
party.  He  has  served  as  assistant  burgess  of 
his  borough,  and  has  held  the  office  of  overseer 
of  the  poor  for  the  last  ten  years.  Mr.  Stiffey 
is  a  member  of  Chosen  Friends,  Order  of  the 
Iron  Hall,  and  Royal  Society  of  Good  Fellows. 
Thoroughgoing  and  prompt  in  business,  Mr. 
Stiffey  has  continually  increased  his  patronage 
and  ranks  among  the  honorable  and  substantial 
citizens  of  the  county. 


ROBERT  G.  STITT,  of  the  enterprising  liv- 
ery firm  of  Stitt  &  Bender,  is  a  .sou  of  John 
A.  and  Nancy  B.  (Wickson)  Stitt,  and  was  born 
in  Derry  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  December  30,  1852.  The  Stitt 
family  is  of  Irish  descent.  John  A.  Stitt 
(father)  was  born  in  1826.  In  his  youth  he 
was  a  canal  boatman,  and  ran  a  boat  on  the  old 
Pennsylvania  canal  until  the  latter  was  sold  to 
the  Pennsylvania  railroad  company.  He  then 
entered  the  employ  of  the  railroad  company,  in 
which  he  remained  until  1888,  when  he  retired 
from  active  life.  He  resides  at  Blairsville, 
where  he  has  made  his  home  since  1865.  He 
married  Nancy  B.  ^Vickson.     He  is  a  republi- 


208 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


can,    and    attends    the    Methodist     Episcopal  1 
church,  of  which  his  wife  is  a  member. 

Robert  G.  Stitt  was  reared  at  Blairsville  and 
received  a  common-school  education.  During 
the  early  part  of  his  life,  he  worked  in  the 
employ  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  company, 
first  as  a  fireman  and  then  as  an  engineer  on 
freight  and  passenger  trains  running  on  their 
road  between  Altoona  and  Pittsburgh.  From 
1884  to  the  spring  of  1889  he  kept  a  butcher 
shop  at  Blairsville.  lu  August,  1889,  ho  went 
into  partnei-ship  with  F.  B.  Bender,  and  en- 
gaged in  the  livery  business,  under  the  firm- 
name  of  Stitt  &  Bender.  They  have  a  large 
stock  of  fine  buggies  and  first-class  driving  and 
riding  horses,  and,  although  they  have  been  in 
their  present  business  but  one  year,  yet  they  have 
already  secured,  by  fair  dealing  and  courteous 
attention  to  the  public,  a  large  patronage. 

In  1876,  Robert  G.  Stitt  married  Sarah  Mor- 
ford,  daughter  of  Stephen  Morford,  of  Derry 
township,  Westmoreland  county.  Their  union 
has  been  blest  with  two  children:  Ella  S.,  and 
Walter  B. 

He  is  a  strict  adherent  to  the  principles  and 
tenets  of  the  Republican  party.  In  his  former 
positions  on  the  passenger  trains  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania railroad,  Robert  G.  Stitt  gained  con- 
siderable knowledge  of  human  nature,  which 
has  been  of  great  benefit  to  him  in  his  later 
business  ventures.  Courteous  in  manner,  al- 
ways to  be  relied  upon  in  whatever  he  promises, 
he  has  gained  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all 
those  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact. 


LIEUTENANT  WILLIAM  LINTLER 
TURNER,  a  reliable  business  man  of 
Blairsville  and  a  commissioned  officer  in  the  5th 
regiment  of  the  National  Guard  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, is  a  son  of  James  M.  and  Matilda  (Lint- 
ler)  Turnei",  and  was  born  in  Butler  township, 
Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  October  23, 
1857.     His  grandfather,  James  Turner,  was  a 


native  of  eastern  Pennsylvania,  but  removed  to 
Centre  township,  Indiana  county,  early  in  life. 
He  was  a  fuller  by  trade,  but  when  he  removed 
to  Indiana  county,  he  bought  a  farm  which  he 
tilled  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He 
was  an  honest,  upright  man,  who  commanded 
the  respect  of  his  neighbors.  He  married  and 
reared  a  family.  One  of  his  sons,  James  M. 
Turner  (father),  was  born  near  Jacksonville, 
Centre  township,  and  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  In 
1858  he  returned  to  Indiana  county,  to  what  is 
known  as  "  Campbell's  Mills,"  in  Burrell  town- 
ship, and  opened  a  general  mercantile  store 
which  he  sold  in  1868,  and  then  formed  a  part- 
nership with  a  Mr.  Smith.  They  opened  an 
office  in  Burrell  township,  on  the  Indiana  branch 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Central  railroad,  where 
they  have  since  dealt  largely  in  coal,  under  the 
firm-name  of  Smith  &  Turner.  They  have  an 
extensive  patronage,  and  not  only  furnish  coal 
to  local  dealers,  but  also,  as  wholesale  dealers, 
ship  it  in  large  quantities  to  distant  points. 
Mr.  Turner  is  an  elder  in  the  Blairsville  Pres- 
byterian church,  of  which  he  has  been  for  many 
years  an  active  member.  He  is  a  pronounced 
temperance  man  and  an  ardent  supporter  of  the 
Prohibition  party.  He  married  Matilda  Lint- 
ler,  who  was  born  in  Burrell  township,  and 
died  in  1880. 

William  L.  Turner  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  attended  the  Blairsville  academy, 
where  he  made  a  specialty  of  the  study  of  civil 
engineering,  which  he  followed  for  the  first  four 
years  after  he  left  the  academy.  Since  1884, 
he  has  been  engaged  with  his  father  in  the  coal 
business,  at  Blairsville.  He  is  a  member  of 
Co.  D,  5th  regiment,  Pennsylvania  National 
Guard,  and  on  February  7,  1888,  was  appoint- 
ed second  sergeant  of  the  company  to  which  he 
belongs,  and  in  July  of  the  same  year  was  pro- 
moted to  the  office  of  first  sergeant.  On  May 
10,  1889,  he  was  elected  first  lieutenant  of  his 
company  and  has  served  as  such   ever  since. 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


209 


Co.  D  is  composed  of  citizens  of  Blairsville, 
and  is  well  spoken  of  Lieutenant  Turner  is 
courteous  and  obliging  and  gives  strict  attention 
to  liis  business,  which  demands  the  larger  part 
of  his  time. 


RICHARD  W.  WEHRLE,  one  of  the  lead- 
ing jewelers  of  the  progressive  borough  of 
Blairsville,  is  a  son  of  Blossous  and  Cornelia 
(Tintiioff)  Wehrle,  and  was  born  at  Indiana, 
Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  October  1, 1853. 
His  father,  Blossous  Wehrle,  was  born  in 
Baden-Baden,  Germany,  in  1809,  and  learned 
the  trade  of  jeweler  in  his  native  country,  from 
which  he  emigrated,  in  1828,  to  the  United 
States.  He  located  at  Indiana,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  the  jewelry  business  until  his  death, 
in  1887.  Like  most  of  the  citizens  who  have 
learned  their  trades  in  the  Fatherland,  he  was  a 
complete  master  of  his  trade  in  all  of  its  de- 
tails. Endowed  with  energy  and  industry  and 
being  known  as  a  fine  workman,  he  was  success- 
ful in  his  particular  line  of  business.  He  was 
a  devout  'member  of  the  Catholic  church,  a  sup- 
porter of  the  Democratic  party,  and  was  held  in 
high  estimation  by  his  friends  and  neighbors. 
He  married  Cornelia  Tinthoff,  daughter  of 
William  Tinthoff,  of  Indiana.  She  was  also  a 
consistent  member  of  the  Catholic  church,  and 
died  in  that  faith  in  1882.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wehrle  sleep  in  the  Catholic  cemetery  at  In- 
diana. 

Ricliard  W.  Wehrle  was  reared  at  Indiana, 
attended  the  public  schools  of  that  borough, 
and  then  served  an  apprenticeship  in  the  jewelry 
business  with  his  father  and  the  firm  of  S.  M. 
Tinthoff,  at  Brookville,  Jefferson  county.  He 
opened  a  jewelry  store  in  1873,  at  Blairsville, 
which  he  has  carried  on  successfully  ever  since. 
A  skilled  workman,  a  pleasant,  genial,  courteous 
gentleman,  and  withal  possessing  a  keen  sense 
of  business  honor,  he  has  secured  the  esteem  of 
the  community,  and  with  that  a  lucrative  trade. 
13 


In  1889  he  purcha.sed  two  stone  quarries, 
both  of  whioh  are  situated  in  Indiana  county, 
and  from  these  he  is  .shipping  blue  stone  and 
Belgium-block  paving  stone  to  Pittsl)urgh.  In 
connection  with  the  sale  of  stone,  he  is  also 
dealing  in  coal. 

He  is  a  strong  democrat  and  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  of  Blairsville,  and 
Lodge  No.  355,  Free  &  Accepted  Masons. 
His  jewelry  establishment  is  located  on  ]V[ain 
street,  and  he  has  a  large  and  choice  stock  of 
watches,  clocks  and  silverware.  He  gives 
special  attention  and  direct  supervision  to  re- 
pairs of  all  kinds  of  work  in  his  line  of  busi- 
ness. He  is  a  first-class  workman  and  has 
many  friends  within  the  circle  of  his  acquaint- 
ance. 


REV.  ISAAC  WILLIAM  WILEY,  M.  D., 
D.D.,  LL.D.,  one  of  the  early  mission- 
aries to  China  and  a  bishop  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  was  born  at  Lewistown, 
Pennsylvania,  March  29,  1825.  At  fourteen 
years  of  age  he  entered  an  academy  to  fit  him- 
self for  college,  hoping  to  be  a  minister.  Al- 
though liceused  at  eighteen,  yet  his  health  failed 
him  and  he  did  not  enter  the  ministry,  but  after- 
wards read  medicine  and  was  graduated  from 
the  medical  department  of  the  University  of 
New  York.  In  1846  he  came  to  Blairsville, 
where  he  practiced  with  fair  success  until  1850, 
when  he  offered  himself  to  the  Philadelphia 
conference  as  a  minister,  but  there  was  no  room 
for  him.  Dr.  Durbin  then  prevailed  upon  him 
to  go  to  China  as  a  medical  missionary.  He 
remained  in  China  until  1853,  when  his  wife 
died  and  he  came  back  to  the  United  States. 
From  1854  to  1858  he  filled  a  pastorate  in  New 
Jersey  and  then  for  fifteen  years  was  principal 
of  a  seminary  and  editor  of  the  Ladies'  Reposi- 
tory, of  Cincinnati.  In  1872  he  was  elected  as 
a  bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  churcii. 
Twelve  years  later,  while  on  an  episcopal  tour 


210 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


he  visited  the  missions  which  he  had  founded  in 
Foochow,  China,  and  died  there  in  November, 
1884,  in  the  house  in  which  he  had  resided  as  a 
missionary  in  1852. 

In  the  field  of  religious  literature  he  was 
known  as  a  clear  writer.  He  published  two 
books  and  edited  several  works  of  importance 
and  value.  As  a  pastor  Dr.  Wiley  was  useful 
and  respected,  as  a  teacher  he  was  successful 
and  popular  and  as  an  editor  his  taste  was  ex- 
cellent and  his  style  chaste.  As  a  bishop  he 
was  prudent,  deliberate  and  clear,  and  seldom 
made  an  error  either  in  the  interpretation  of 
constitutional  or  parliamentary  law  or  the 
selection  of  men  for  particular  posts  in  the  M. 
E.  church. 


LIEUTENANT-COLONEL  GEO.  WIL- 
KINSON. Among  the  older  business 
men  of  Blairsville,  highly  esteemed  by  all  who 
know  him,  and  well  performing  the  duties  of 
good  citizenship,  is  Lieutenant- Colonel  George 
Wilkinson,  one  of  the  few  remaining  officers  oT 
the  old  Uniformed  Militia  of  Pennsylvania. 
He  was  born  on  his  father's  farm  in  what  is 
now  the  suburbs  of  Scranton,  Lackawanna 
county,  Pennsylvania,  May  7,  1815,  and  is  a 
son  of  Mott  and  Phoebe  (Freeman)  Wilkinson. 
Mott  Wilkinson  was  born  in  Hartford,  Con- 
necticut, in  1760,  and  .served  in  the  Revolution 
under  his  uncle,  Capt.  Daniel  Lawrence.  At 
the  close  of  that  war  he  remained  to  nurse  his 
uncle,  who  was  sick,  and  when  the  latter  had 
recovered  they  left  their  quarters  in  the  old 
Dravo  prison  to  follow  the  trail  of  their  com- 
pany on  its  homeward  march  through  the  woods 
by  marks  on  the  trees.  They  had  five  pounds 
of  biscuit,  and  after  these  were  consumed  they 
lived  for  nine  days  on  mountain  tea  and  berries. 
Finally  this  scant  food  supply  gave  out  and 
they  cooked  to  a  crisp  and  ate  the  bottoms  of 
their  buckskin  pantaloons.  At  this  juncture, 
when  about  to  perish,  one  of  their  comrades 


came  back  to  them  with  a  few  pounds  of  horse 
beef,  which  enabled  them  to  reach  home. 
Shortly  after  this  Mott  Wilkinson  removed  to 
the  site  of  Scranton,  Pa.,  where  he  purchased 
land  and  cleared  out  a  farm,  which  is  now  in- 
cluded in  the  suburbs  of  that  city.  In  1820  he 
came  to  Black  Lick  township,  this  county, 
where  he  followed  farming  for  eight  years  and 
then  removed  to  Bairdstown,  in  Derry  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  county,  at  which  place  he 
died  on  December  4,  1856,  when  lacking  but 
four  years  of  being  a  centenarian.  He  was  of 
English  descent,  was  a  whig  and  afterwards  a 
republican,  and  with  all  of  his  family  belonged 
to  the  M.  E.  church.  He  married  Phoebe 
Freeman,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  who  died 
May  7,  1855,  aged  sixty-five  years.  They  had 
eight  children;  Lucy  Turner,  Elisha,  James, 
Phoebe  Geer,  Dennison,  John,  Deborah  Goff 
and  Col.  George. 

George  Wilkinson  was  reared  on  his  father's 
Indiana  county  farm  and  at  Blairsville.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  subscription  schools 
of  his  day  and  learned  the  trade  of  stone-mason 
and  bricklayer,  which  he  followed  for  three 
years.  He  then  began  contracting,  in  which 
business  be  was  actively  engaged  until  a  few 
years  ago. 

Mr.  Wilkinson  superintended  the  building  of 
the  masonry  work  on  the  West  Penn  Branch 
R.  R.  from  the  intersection  to  Blairsville,  and, 
with  his  brother  Dennison,  built  all  of  the  sub- 
stantial brick  houses  of  Blairsville,  which  were 
erected  prior  to  1876.  In  1872  he  assumed 
charge  of  his  present  hotel,  the  well-known 
Union  House. 

At  an  early  age  Mr.  Wilkinson  became  in- 
terested in  military  matters,  and  on  August  12, 
1849,  was  commissioned  by  Gov.  Johnson  as 
captain  of  the  "Blairsville  Blues."  Nine  years 
later  Gov.  Packer  commissioned  him  captain  of 
the  "  Wa-shington  Blues,"  and  on  June  6,  1859, 
issued  a  commission  to  him  as  lieutenant-col- 
onel of  the  First  regiment  Uniformed   Militia 


^/^Mf^^^^--^^^-'^^ 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


213 


of  Pennsylvania.     In  1861  he  was  sworn  into 
tlie  Union  service  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant- 
colonel,  and  was  placed  in  command  of  a  force 
stationed  at   Alexandria,  Va.,   in   charge  of  a  \ 
camp  for  wounded  soldiers  and  escaping  southern 
negroes.     After  three  months'  service  in  this 
position,  and  seeing  no   opportunity    of  being  | 
transferred   to  the   front,  he   resigned   and   re-  ! 
turned  home.  I 

In  1835  he  married  Mary  Ann  Geer,  | 
daughter  of  James  Geer,  of  Indiana  county. 
In  1813  Mrs.  Wilkinson  died,  leaving  one  son, 
Albert,  who  is  also  dead.  In  1844  Mr.  Wil- 
kinson re- married,  his  second  wife  being  Nancy 
J.  Brown,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Brown,  of  In- 
diana county,  and  who  has  borne  him  five 
children,  of  whom  four  are  living:  Gilmore, 
Charles,  Freeman  and  Elizabeth,  svife  of  Delos 
Hetrick,  who  is  a  druggist  at  Indiana. 

Col.  Wilkinson  is  a  charter  member  of  Pal- 
ladium Lodge,  No.  346,  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  which  was  organized  thirty  years 
ago.  He  is  an  earnest  methodist  and  contrib- 
uted more  to  bnild  the  present  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  of  Blairsville  than  any  other  man 
in  the  county. 

In  1855  he  removed  with  his  family  to  La- 
crosse, Wis.,  but,  not  liking  the  country,  after 
a  six  weeks'  residence  returned  to  Blairsville. 
He  went  by  boat,  and  when  on  the  Mississippi 
river,  opposite  Keokuk,  Iowa,  a  terrific  storm 
came  up  and  they  would  have  been  destroyed  if 
Col.  Wilkinson  had  not  (when  every  other  man 
refused)  swam  to  the  Iowa  shore  with  a  line  by 
which  the  boat  was  brought  to  land.  His  hotel, 
the  Union  House,  was  erected  in  1855  and  en- 
larged in  1876.  It  now  has  twenty-two  rooms 
and  is  thorough  iu  all  of  its  appointments  and 
arrangements  for  accommodating  the  traveling- 
public.  Mr.  Wilkinson  started  in  life  with 
nothing  but  his  trade  and  good  health  and  is 
now  the  largest  tax-payer  of  Blairsville,  be- 
sides owning  a  valuable  farm  adjoining  the 
borough. 


MARTIN  M.  WILSON.  It  is  as  a  business 
man  of  phenomenal  success  that  Martin 
M.  Wilson  is  now  best  known,  after  having 
successively  won  a  reputation  in  telegraphy  and 
in  the  wider  field  of  railway  management.  He 
was  born  at  Blairsville,  Indiana  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, February  4,  1854,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  H.  and  Eliza  J.  (Morford)  Wilson.  The 
Wilson  family,  as  the  name  clearly  indicates,  is 
of  Scotch  origin  and  James  Wilson,  the  grand- 
father of  Martin  M.  Wilson,  was  born  near 
Wheeling,  Virginia  (now  West  Virginia).  He 
came  to  Blairsville,  where  he  followed  contract- 
ing until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Mexican  war. 
He  then  entered  the  United  States  service  as  the 
commander  of  a  wagon  train.  He  was  with 
the  Army  of  the  Center,  under  Gen.  Scott,  from 
Vera  Cruz  to  the  City  of  Mexico,  in  which  vi- 
cinity he  died  with  yellow  fever.  One  of  his 
sons  was  John  H.  Wilson  (father),  who  was 
born  at  Blairsville,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylva- 
nia, January  20,  1834,  and  died  at  his  home  at 
Blairsville,  ou  July  6,  1862,  aged  twenty-eight 
years.  He  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter,  and 
was  actively  engaged,  during  his  life-time,  as  a 
carpenter  and  bridge-builder.  He  was  a  repub- 
lican iu  politics  and  latterly  a  consistent  mem- 
ber of  the  Blairsville  Methodi.st  Episcopal 
church.  He  was  a  stirring  and  energetic  man, 
who  had  many  friends  within  the  circle  of  his 
acquaintance.  He  married  Eliza  Jane  Morford, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Stephen  and  Amy  (Davis) 
Morford  and  was  born  in  August,  1835,  at 
Blairsville,  where  she  now  resides  and  is  a 
member  of  the  M.  E.  church.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wilson  were  the  parents  of  two  children: 
Martin  M.,  and  John  E.,  a  carpenter  and  bridge- 
builder. 

Martin  M.  Wilson  was  reared  at  Blairsville 
and  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  that  place.  He  then  learned  telegraphy  and 
was  engaged  as  a  telegraph  operator  in  Alle- 
gheny city,  on  the  Pa.  R.  R.,  before  he  was  six- 
teen years  of  age.     So  assiduously  did  he  apply 


214 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


himself  to  the  duties  of  his  position  that  he 
soon  became  a  safe  and  expert  operator.  In 
the  midst  of  making  a  very  creditable  record  as 
a  telegraph  operator,  he  was  transferred  to 
clerical  work  and  for  twenty  years  was  em- 
ployed as  chief  clerk  and  assistant  agent  in 
various  offices  along  the  line  of  the  Pennsylva- 
nia railroad,  and  also  as  chief  clerk  and  pay- 
master for  the  entire  division  from  January, 
1879,  to  January,  1890.  On  January  1,  1890, 
he  resigned  his  position  with  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  company  in  order  to  give  needed  at- 
tention to  his  own  individual  business  enter- 
prises, some  of  which  were  assuming  propor- 
tions of  considerable  magnitude.  Among  the 
many  enterprises  in  which  he  has  been  inter- 
ested for  several  years  is  the  Cheswick  Land 
company,  of  which  he  is  secretary,  the  Wood 
Alcohol  company,  in  which  he  is  a  director,  and 
the  Bagdad  coal  company,  of  which  he  is  secre- 
tary. But  the  largest  and  one  of  the  most 
important  enterprises  in  which  he  has  invested 
is  the  Feldmann  Quarry  company,  which  owns 
four  hundred  acres  of  land,  of  which  one  hun- 
dred is  underlaid  with  the  Ligonier  granite  blue 
stone.  Mr.  Wilson  is  general  manager  of  this 
company  and  steadily  employs  a  force  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  men  in  quarrying  this  rock 
and  shipping  it  to  different  points  throughout 
the  United  States.  It  is  well  adapted  for  a 
building  stone  and  when  properly  dressed  re- 
sists well  the  action  of  the  weather  and  presents 
a  handsome  appearance.  This  quarry  is  located 
on  the  Bolivar  Branch  of  the  Pennsylvania 
railroad,  and  from  it  he  ships,  on  an  average, 
three  thousand  blocks  of  stone  per  day,  which 
is  mainly  used  for  paving. 

On  September  3,  1879,  Mr.  Wilson  married 
Anna  Maher,  daughter  of  William  Maher,  a 
banker  of  Blairsville.  To  this  union  have 
been  born  three  children,  one  son  and  two 
daughters :  Ralph  M.,  Mary  Ida  and  Louisa  E. 

M.  M.  Wilson  is  a  member  of  the  Blairsville 
town    council,   Blairsville    Council,   No.    831, 


Royal  Arcanum,  and  Blairsville  Assembly,  No. 
82,  Royal  Society  of  Good  Fellows.  He  is  a 
republican  in  political  opinion.  He  is  a  natural 
and  persistent  hard  worker  and  has  always 
been  remarkably  successful.  Mr.  Wilson  is  a 
notable  example  of  an  enterprising,  wide-awake, 
self-made  man.  Whatever  he  is  and  whatever 
he  has  accomplished  is  due  to  his  own  energy 
and  effort.  It  has  been  chiefly  through  his 
agency  that  several  of  the  companies,  with 
which  he  has  been  connected  for  several  years, 
have  entered  upon  their  present  careers  of  in- 
creasing prosperity  and  wealth. 


ISAAC  WYNN,  a  prosperous  business  man 
of  Blairsville,  and  one  of  the  leading 
brick  manufacturers  of  the  county,  is  a  son  of 
Jonathan  and  Mary  (Bitner)  Wynn,  and  ^vas 
born  at  Blairsville,  ludiana  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, November  2,  1837.  His  father,  Jona- 
than Wynn,  was  born  March  1,  1804,  in  Som- 
erset county,  and  came,  when  a  youug  man,  to 
Blairsville,  where  he  followed  brickmaking  in 
the  summer  and  shoemaking  in  the  winter. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church,  and  a  republican  in  polities.  He  was 
au  upright  and  energetic  man,  and  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  in  1851,  was  in  the  very  matured 
prime  of  manhood.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Bitner,  February  5,  1829,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  John  Bitner,  and  was  born  September  9, 
1807,  in  Westmoreland  county,  in  the  beauti- 
ful, historic  and  far-fomed  "Ligonier  Valley." 
She  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church,  and  passed  away  February  4,  1867, 
when  in  the  sixtieth  year  of  her  age. 

Isaac  Wynn  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Blairsville.  When  but  a  boy 
he  commenced  working  in  his  father's  brick- 
yard, and  has  continued  in  the  brickmaking 
business  ever  since.  In  1860  he  bought  the 
old  homestead  of  his  brothers  and  their  heirs, 
together  with  the  brick-yard,  which  furnishes 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


215 


an  excelleut  quality  of  clay  for  red  paving  and 
building  brick,  and  for  which  he  finds  a  ready 
sale.  In  the  spring  of  1890  he  took  his  only 
son,  Henry  T.,  in  partnership  with  him,  under 
the  firm-name  of  I.  Wynn  &  Son.  They  have 
enlarged  the  brick-yard  to  its  present  capacity, 
and  are  able  to  manufacture  many  thousand 
bricks  per  day.  They  employ  fifteen  men,  and 
have  a  constant  demand  for  their  brick  both  at  | 
home  and  abroad. 

On  December  21,  1869,  he  married  Fannie 
Triece,  daughter  of  Henry  Triece,  and  their  ' 
marriage  has  been  blest  with  eight  children, 
one  son  and  seven  daughters :  Henry  T.,  Net- 
tie, Lillie  Belle,  Susan,  Blanche,  Ida,  Mary, 
Hannah  and  Annie  lyaurie,  who  died  January 
2,  1887. 

Isaac  Wynn  is  a  republican,  but  is  not  a 
bigot  or  extremist  in  political  matters.  He  is 
a  member  of  Keystone  Lodge,  No.  1,  Chosen 
Friends.  His  brick  works  are  well  fitted  with 
all  modern  machinery  and  everything  necessary 
for  the  manufacture  of  first-class  brick,  and 
Mr.  Wynn,  being  a  practical  brickmaker  him- 
self, is  enabled  to  give  his  business  an  intelli- 
gent, close  and  thorough  supervision.  He  has 
a  pleasant  and  comfortable  home  at  Blairsville, 
where  he  always  welcomes  and  hospitably  en 
tertains  his  many  friends. 


for  several  years.  He  then  removed  to  New 
Jersey,  but  returned  to  Blairsville  in  1849  and 
remained  there  until  his  death,  in  1856. 

In  1812  he  married  Rebecca  Wallace,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  Peter  Wallace,  of  "  Wallace 
Fort,"  and  died  in  1867,  aged  eighty-one  years. 

Major  Knott  served  tor  several  years  as  a 
major  in  the  Pennsylvania  Militia.  Major 
Knott  was  superintendent  for  nine  years  of  the 
Morris  canal  in  New  Jersey,  where  he  served 
as  postmaster  of  Newark  city  for  four  years. 
In  1849  he  returned  to  Blairsville,  of  which  he 
was  appointed  postmaster  and  served  as  such 
until  his  death,  in  1856. 


MAJOR  WILSON  KNOTT  was  a  son  of 
Joseph  and  Isabella  (Wilson)  Knott,  and 
was  born  in  Derry  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1789.  Mrs.  Knott 
was  a  daughter  of  Col.  James  and  Isabella 
(Barr)  Wilson,  who  were  pioneer  settlers  of 
western  Penn.sylvania. 

He  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  soon  after 
attaining  his  majority  became  captain  of  a 
company  which  he  commanded  during  the  war 
of  1812.  After  nearly  two  years'  service  in 
that  war  he  returned  'to  his  native  county,  and 
iu  1830  came  to  Blairsville,  where  he  resided 


"  p  EV.  J.  A.  STILLINGER,  V.G.,  was 
^*>  born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  April  19, 
1801.  His  father  was  born  in  York  county, 
Pennsylvania,  his  grandfather  in  or  near 
Philadelphia,  and  his  great-grandfather  in 
Cologne,  Prussia.  The  latter  came  to  Pennsyl- 
vania during  the  proprietary  of  William  Peun. 
He  assisted  in  forming  the  congregation  and 
building  the  little  chapel  of  St.  Joseph's  on 
Fourth  street,  Philadelphia.  His  mother  was 
born  in  Baltimore,  her  father  beiusr  born  in 
France,  and  her  mother  in  York  county,  Penn- 
sylvania. He  resided  with  his  grandfather  and 
grandmother,  and  was  about  three  years  old 
when  they  took  him  to  themselves.  In  1816 
he  was  employed  in  a  German  printing  office 
iu  Chambersburg,  where  he  learned  to  read 
German  by  .setting  type.  In  1817  he  engaged 
in  the  printing  office  of  Robert  G.  Harper,  in 
Chambersburg,  and  remained  three  and  a  half 
years.  In  November,  1820,  he  entered  the 
college  of  St.  Mary's,  Emmettsburg,  Md., 
where  he  remained  ten  years.  In  November, 
1830,  he  was  ordained  a  priest,  and  his  fii"st 
mission  was  to  the  Mountain  congregation  and 
Liberty,  remaining  till  November  following, 
when  he  was  appointed  to  the  Church  of  Sts. 
Simon  and  Jude,  of  Blairsville.     He  also  at- 


216 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  INDIANA   COUNTY. 


tended  to  the  Church  of  St.  Vincent  and  all 
Westmoreland  county  for  many  years.  In  1834, 
Fayette,  Greene  and  Washington  counties  were 
added  to  his  charge.  In  1842  the  bishop  sent 
him  to  visit  all  the  Catholic  settlements  as  far 
north  as  the  New  York  line.  There  were  only 
three  officiating  priests  in  western  Pennsylvania 
at  that  time. 

"  After   a   vigorous   ministry  of  forty-three 
years,  this  devoted  disciple  of  the  church  was 


found  dead,  after  celebrating  the  morning  Mass, 
September  19,  1843,  in  the  sacristy  of  the 
church.  A  fit  monument  to  his  many  years  of 
service  is  the  wonderful  growth  of  the  church 
in  western  Pennsylvania,  and  to  him,  as  a  faith- 
ful missionary,  much  of  the  substantial  growth 
of  the  period  from  1840  to  1873,  is  due.  His 
many  virtues  will  never  be  forgotten  by  the 
people,  not  only  of  Blairsville,  but  of  the  county 
and  the  western  portion  of  the  State." 


SALTSBURG. 


Historical  and  Descriptive. — Saltsburg,  one 
of  the  principal  towns  of  the  Coneniaugh  Val- 
ley, is  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  county. 
It  is  situated  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Cone- 
maugh  river,  near  the  site  of  an  old  Indian 
village,  and  derived  its  name  from  the  salt 
works  in  that  section  of  the  county.  It  is 
twenty  miles  southwest  of  the  couuty-seat,  ten 
miles  northwest  of  Blairsville,  two  hundred  and 
six  miles  from  Washington  City,  and  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  miles  from  Harrisburg. 
It  was  laid  out  in  1817,  and  received  corporate 
honors  April  16,  1838.  The  history  of  its  site 
is  given  by  Caldwell  as  follows  :  "  The  first 
survey  in  the  vicinity  of  Saltsburg  bears  the 
date  of  June  '20,  1769,  and  the  application  was 
made  April  3,  1769,  by  William  Gray.  The 
tract  was  called  'Gray's  Mount,'  and  was  con- 
veyed to  J.  Montgomery,  May  8,  1772.  The 
survey  is  numbered  '  863,'  and  the  tract  is  de- 
scribed as  '  situate  westward  of  "  Black  Leg's 
Town,"  and  on  the  north  side  of  a  small  run, 
including  several  small  springs.'  An  Indian 
trail  is  shown  on  the  plat  as  proceeding  toward 
Fort  Pitt.  The  survey  is  signed  *  Robert  Mc- 
Crea.  D.  S.' 

"  In  the  same  year  an  application  was  made 
for  a  survey  for  a  large  tract  lying  between 
'Black  Leg's  creek'  and  Kiskiminetas  and 
Conemaugh  rivers  (on  part  of  which  Saltsburg 
was  afterwards  located),  by  Hugh  and  Thomas 
Wilson,  to  whom,  we  are  informed  by  Wood- 
end,  the  warrant  and  patent  were  afterwards 
granted." 


In  1817  the  salt  industry  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  Andrew  Boggs  (father  of  Judge  Boggs, 
of  Kittanning),  and  he  purchased  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  site  of  Saltsburg  and  laid  it  out 
in  lots,  which  were  readily  bought.  The  first 
house  was  built  in  1819,  on  the  lot  now  occu- 
pied by  the  Presbyterian  church.  The  first 
tavern  was  opened  in  1820  by  John  Williams, 
by  some  authorities,  while  others  credited  Jas. 
Fitzgeralds  as  being  the  first  hotel-keeper.  In 
1827  John  Carson  opened  a  tailor  shop,  and 
two  years  later  George  Johnston  established  a 
store.  Dr.  Kirkpatrick  was  the  first  physician 
to  practice  in  the  town,  but  Dr.  Benjamin  Ster- 
rett  was  the  first  resident  physician.  For  the 
succeedmg  fifty  years  after  his  location  we  find 
account  of  the  following  physicians  at  Saltsburg: 
John  McFarland,  1833;  Thomas  Murray,  1837 ; 
D.  R.  Allison,  1844;  Dr.  Kier;  Robert 
McConnoughey,  1850;  H.  G.  Lomison  and  Dr. 
William  McBryar,  1852;  Jas.  Morgan,  1853; 
H.  S.  Snowdon,  1854;  Dr.  Cunningham; 
S.  T.  Reddick,  1860;  W.  F.  Barclay,  1866;  J. 
L.  Crawford,  1868;  Thomas  Carson,  1874;  M. 
R.  George  and  Dr.  Bain,  1875,  and  W.  S. 
Taylor,  1876.  The  leading  resident  physicians 
of  Saltsburg  are :  Dr.  W.  B.  Ansley,  who  came 
in  1877,  and  Dr.  Thomas  Carson,  who  located 
in  1874.  In  1829  the  Pennsylvania  caual  was 
completed  to  Saltsburg,  and  on  May  15th  of 
that  year  the  "Pioneer"  and  "Penasylvania" 
canal-boats  of  David  Leech's  line  arrived  at  the 
town.  During  the  existence  of  the  canal  the 
town  grew  rapidly  in  population  and  was  an 

217 


218 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


important  point  on  the  canal  as  well  as  being 
the  centre  of  the  salt  trade  of  the  county,  which, 
in  1842,  amounted  to  seventy  thousand  bushels 
of  that  article.  The  abandonment  of  the  canal 
and  the  decline  of  salt  manufacturing  retarded 
the  growth  of  Saltsburg  until  1887,  when  the 
opening  of  coal  mines  and  the  establishment 
of  other  industries  gave  a  new  lease  of  life  to 
the  town. 

Saltsburg  is  west  of  the  third  or  Indiana  an- 
ticliual  axis  and  lies  in  the  Fourth  Great  Coal 
basin  west  of  the  Alleghenies.  On  the  Cone- 
maugh  river  this  basin  is  more  than  fifteen 
miles  wide.  "Prolonged  northeast  it  narrows 
somewhat  by  the  approach  of  its  sides,  but  fifty 
miles  to  the  north  its  dimensions  are  very  near 
the  same  as  they  are  on  the  Conemaugh. 

"For  convenience  of  discussion  I  have  di- 
vided the  basin  into  two  parts,  calling  all  that 
east  of  the  sub-anticlinals  and  between  them  and 
the  Indiana  Axis,  the  Marion  sub-basin,  from 
the  town  of  Marion,  situated  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  trough;  and  have  denomiuated  as 
the  Saltsburg  sub-basin  the  portion  lying  be- 
tween the  anticlinals  and  the  Armstrong  county 
line. 

"The  Saltsburg  anticlinal  comes  up  through 
Westmoreland  county,  to  cross  the  Conemaugh 
river  between  White's  station  and  Kelly's, 
nearly  three  miles  above  Saltsburg.  Northeast 
of  this  it  bends  slightly  and  runs  under  a  high 
barren  Measure  plateau. 

"It  is  seen,  and  for  the  last  time,  on  Ci'ooked 
creek,  which  it  crosses  near  Chambersville, 
about  three  miles  northeast  of  McKee's  mill. 

"At  Saltsburg,  as  at  Blairsville,  the  Pitts- 
burgh coal  bed  crosses  the  Conemaugh  Valley 
from  Westmoreland  into  Indiana  county,  to  run 
upward  along  the  gently  sloping  floor  of  the 
Saltsburg  sub-basin  as  far  as  West  Lebanon. 
Below  Saltsburg  on  the  Conemaugh  more  than 
one  huudred  feet  of  Upper  Productive  rocks 
are  presented  in  the  hills;  and  in  this  condition 
the  basin  continues  without  much  change  north- 


eastward from  the  river  for  about  ten  miles, 
when  the  entire  Upper  Productive  group  is 
thrust  into  the  air  under  the  influeuce  of  the 
rising  synclinal. 

"The  manufacture  of  salt  at  Saltsburg  dates 
from  a  period  early  in  the  present  century,  but 
the  salt  industry  has  never  been  very  extensive- 
ly carried  on  in  the  valley  of  the  Conemaugh, 
and  what  little  salt  is  at  present  produced  is 
consumed  principally  in  the  country  round 
about.  The  only  works  now  in  operation 
(1878)  in  this  immediate  region  are  those  of 
Messrs.  Waddle  aud  Wining,  close  to  Kelly's 
station,  the  salt  water  there  used  coming,  as 
before  stated,  from  the  sandstone  of  Formation 
X,  the  top  stratum  of  which  here  underlies  the 
river  bed  by  about  six  hundred  feet  in  depth  ; 
no  detailed  record  of  the  rocks  pierced  in  drill- 
ing the  holes  was  kept.  In  every  case  the  bor- 
ing was  begun  a  few  feet  below  the  Upper 
Freeport  coal.  The  supply  of  tlie  salt  water  is 
unfiiiling,  and  sufficient  for  all  the  demands 
made  upon  it.  As  it  comes  from  the  rock  it  is 
not  specially  strong,  and  the  reduction  process 
consequently  occupies  considerable  time.  In 
the  end,  however,  a  good  clean  white  salt  is  pro- 
duced." 

By  one  account  the  Saltsburg  Presbyterian 
congregation  was  organized  in  Conemaugh  town- 
ship in  1796,  and  by  another  statement  it  did 
not  come  into  existence  as  a  church  at  Saltsburg 
uutil  1824.  One  historical  writer  gives  the  fol- 
lowing of  the  churches  of  the  place  up  to  1876: 
"Thomas  Davis  organized  the  church.  Rev. 
Jos.  Harper  was  tlie  first  pastor.  The  church 
was  not  finished  until  the  spring  of  1831.  On 
the  first  day  of  April,  same  year,  it  was  con- 
sumed by  fire.  The  present  brick  structure, 
on  the  same  site,  was  built  soon  after.  In  com- 
mon with  the  growth  of  the  town  other  societies 
were  formed,  and  churches  were  built  succes- 
sively,— Methodist  Episcopal  cluirch,  built  of 
frame,  in  1841 ;  first  pastor.  Rev.  Jeremiah 
Phillips.     Associate,  now  U.  P.,  built  of  brick, 


INDIANA  AND  ARMSTRONG   COUNTIES. 


219 


in  1843;  church  organized  by  Rev.  Hanse 
Lee;  first  instituted  pastor,  Rev.  Oliver  P. 
Katz,  in  December,  1861.  Catholic  church, 
built  of  brick,  on  margin  of  borough  in  Cone- 
maugh  township,  in  1843;  first  officiating 
priest,  Rev.  Stillinger.  Universalist  church, 
built  of  frame,  in  1870;  first  advocate  of  doc- 
trine in  church.  Rev.  Andrew  Getty.  U.  P. 
church,  rebuilt  of  frame,  in  1870.  Baptist 
church,  built  of  brick,  in  1843;  first  settled 
pastor,  Rev.  Thomas  Wedell." 

The  first  bridge  was  the  toll  bridge  erected  in 
1842.  The  county  bridge  over  the  Loyalhauna 
was  built  in  1847  and  the  Western  Pennsylva- 
nia railroad  bridge  was  erected  in  1885. 

The  old  burial-ground,  on  the  river,  laid  out 
in  1810,  was  succeeded  by  the  Presbyterian 
grave-yard  of  1817.  Edgewood  cemetery  con- 
sists of  ten  acres  of  ground  beautifully  hud  out 
in  streets,  avenues  and  lots.  The  ground  was 
purchased  in  18G8,  for  fifteen  hundred  dollars. 
In  it  stands  "  The  Soldiers'  Monument."  The 
base  of  the  monument  is  five  feet  high,  upon 
which  rests  the  die  and  cornice  six  feet  high,  and 
on  the  cornice  rests  the  obelisk,  which  is  twenty- 
five  feet  high.  The  names  of  the  soldiers  from 
the  immediate  vicinity  who  gave  their  lives  in 
the  service  of  their  country  are  enclosed  in  a 
bo.x  in  the  base  of  the  monument. 

The  Saltsburg  academy  was  established  in 
1851  as  the  sixth  academy  between  the  Alle- 
gheny river  and  the  Allegheny  mountains. 
Daniel  Walter  started  a  carriage  shop  which 
was  purchased  in  1848  by  Hail  Clark  and 
others.  In  1857,  Mr.  Clark  became  sole  pro- 
prietor and  now  has  one  of  the  largest  and  best 
enuipj)ed  carriage  factories  in  the  State. 

The  burgesses  of  Saltsburg  from  1838  to 
1878  have  been:  Dr.  Thomas  Murray,  1838; 
Alexander  White,  1840;  Dr.  John  JMcFarland, 
1841;  Thompson  McCrea,  1843;  James  R. 
Daugherty,  1845;  David  Henderson,  1846; 
James  Rl  Daugherty,  1848;  Alexander  Flem- 
ing,   1849;   James   M.   Hart,    1851;  William 


Mclntire,  1853;  William  R.  Sprague,  1854; 
J.  S.  Robinson,  1855;  James  M.  Hart,  1856; 
James  Moore,  1858;  R.  A.  Young,  1859, 
James  R.  Daugherty,  1861 ;  W.  I.  Sterrett, 
1862;  John  Earhart,  1863;  Alex.  Fleming, 
1864;  Hail  Clark,  1865;  Alex.  Fleming, 
1866;  James  Moore,  1867;  S.  H.  Martin, 
1869;  Hail  Clark  and  W.  I.  Sterrett,  1870; 
James  B.  Robin.sou,  1872;  R.  A.  Young,  1873; 
George  W.  Freet,  1874;  R.  J.  Portser,  1875; 
.James  Hart,  1876. 

Saltsburg's  most  important  source  of  income 
at  present  is  the  Fairbanks  and  Foster  coal 
mines.  They  are  located  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  from  the  town  and  not  far  from  the  line 
of  the  West  Peun  railroad.  The  two  compan- 
ies employ  about  three  hundred  and  twenty-five 
miners.  Many  of  the  miners  own  their  own 
homes,  and  there  are  no  company  stores  or  any 
system  of  orders  in  vogue.  The  men  are  for 
the  most  part  Americans  and,  although  not 
paid  as  high  wages  for  mining  as  those  at  some 
I  other  points,  they  manage  to  live  comfortably 
and  subsist  without  strikes.  They  come  to 
Saltsburg  for  their  supplies,  and  their  trade 
keeps  business  lively.  The  capacity  of  the 
Fairbanks  mines  is  at  present  about  thirty-five 
cars  daily,  but  this  is  likely  soon  to  be  in- 
creased. The  Foster  mines  will  also  increa.se 
their  present  capacity  of  twenty-five  cars. 
Both  plants  are  finely  equipped,  having  their 
own  line  of  cars  for  shipping.  Their  markets 
extend  to  Canada.  The  mines  are  equipped 
with  the  latest  improved  apparatus,  such  as 
electric  drills  and  .steam  subways.  The  coal  is 
conveyed  from  the  mines  to  the  tipples,  a  dis- 
tance of  from  one  to  two  miles,  by  means  of 
dinky  engines,  owned  by  the  company.  As  a 
result  of  these  almost  constant  improvements 
the  coal  companies  have  not  been  paying  very 
heavy  dividends.  But  the  stock-holders  can 
.see  in  these  added  facilities  increased  assets  and 
a  better  foundation  for  future  prosperity.  In 
connection    with    the   Fairbanks   mines  are   a 


220 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


number  of  coke  ovens,  operated  by  the  Salts- 
burg  Coke  company.  Their  product  is  large 
but  never  in  excess  of  orders. 

The  Saltsburg  Glass  company  was  organized 
about  a  year  ago,  taking  the  then-idle  plant 
down  along  the  river  and  completely  overhaul- 
ing it.  New  buildings  were  put  up,  a  ten-pot 
furnace  substituted  for  the  small  one  previously 
used,  and  elevator,  box  factory  and  other  auxil- 
iaries and  conveniences  provided.  The  output 
of  the  works  is  about  one  hundred  gross  of  bot- 
tles per  day.  The  prescription  trade  is  the 
principal  line,  but  a  number  of  specialties,  such 
as  catsup  and  sauce  bottles  for  Allegheny  firms, 
are  turned  out  in  large  quantities.  Any  one 
having  the  pleasure  of  going  through  the 
works  will  be  very  much  surprised  at  their 
extent  and  completeness.  The  furnace  room, 
the  centre  of  interest,  is  sixty  feet  square. 
The  mold  room  adjoining  is  twenty  by  thirty 
feet  and  is  well  stocked.  The  packing  room  is 
eighty  feet  long  by  forty  feet  wide,  having  re- 
cently been  doubled  in  size,  and  is  a  model  of 
convenience.  The  factory  employs  eighty  men 
and  boys.  Of  these  twenty-one  are  expert  glass- 
blowers.  The  other  employes  are  generally 
from  Saltsburg,  and  many  are  boys. 

The  planing  mill  of  Davis  Bros.  &  Co.  is 
one  of  the  busiest  institutions  of  the  town. 
They  make  fine  stair  work  a  specialty,  and  their 
orders  in  that  line  extend  far  and  wide.  They 
are  young  and  energetic  business  men,  and  no 
obstacle  can  deter  their  progress. 

The  Saltsburg  flouring  mill  of  Patterson  & 
Hershey  looms  up  four  stories  high  on  tlie  river 
front,  and  is  indeed  a  credit  to  the  town.  It  is 
equipped  with  the  full  roller  process  and  is  pro- 
pelled by  an  eighty  horse-power  boiler  and 
engine.  The  capacity  of  the  mill  is  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  barrels  per  day. 

Ever  since  Saltsburg  has  been  known  as  a 
town,  almost,  the  carriages  and  buggies  built  by 
Hail  Clark  have  been  equally  famous.  The 
carriage  works  of  Mr.  Clark  are  situated  at  the 


corner  of  Point  and  High  streets.  They  are 
immense  buildings,  one  being  three  stories  high 
and  32x60  feet  in  dimensions,  the  other  two 
stories  high,  thirty-two  feet  wide  and  ninety 
feet  long.  The  blacksmith  shop  is  separate  in  a 
building  25x40  feet.  The  capacity  of  the  shops 
is  about  two  hundred  buggies  per  year.  Mr. 
Clark's  business  pertains  only  to  the  highest 
class  of  work.  His  trade  is  large  in  Johnstown, 
Pittsburgh  and  other  outside  places.  In  1890 
he  finished  a  grand  buggy  for  a  patron  in  Cali- 
fornia. He  frequently  sends  buggies  to  Kansas. 
Another  carriage  works  is  along  the  West 
Penn  railway,  not  far  below  the  passenger 
depot. 

High  up  on  the  blufi"  overlooking  Saltsburg 
and  the  river  stands  a  school  for  boys.  The 
building  it  occupies  was  formerly  a  summer 
hotel.  The  approach  to  the  grounds  is  exceed- 
ingly picturesque.  The  bluff  is  almost  perpen- 
dicular, one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  river.  A  few  hundred  feet  to 
I  the  right  is  the  junction  of  the  Loyalhanna, 
!  forming  the  beautiful  Kiskiminetas.  The 
grounds  themselves  are  a  native  forest  of  state- 
ly trees.  In  the  midst  of  the  grove,  a  hundred 
feet  back  from  the  brow  of  the  cliff,  stand  the 
two  main  buildings  of  the  school.  The  first 
one  is  the  old  hotel  structure,  and  the  second  the 
new  brick  building  erected  one  year  ago,  con- 
taining the  chapel,  a  fine  gymnasium,  class- 
rooms and  sleeping-rooms  for  twenty  boys. 
The  rooms  in  both  buildings — for  eighty  boys — 
\  are  furnished  in  the  best  of  style  for  comfort 
and  convenience.  The  light  and  heat  are  sup- 
plied from  a  plant  on  the  grounds,  running 
about  two  hundred  electric  lights  and  provid- 
ing steam  heat  and  pumping  the  water  for  the 
Iniildings  from  a  well,  drilled  two  hundred  and 
twenty  feet  deep,  to  a  tank  of  distribution. 
The  faculty  is  of  high  order.  The  principals 
are  Prof  A.  W.  Wilson  and  Prof  E.  W.  Fair. 
Mr.  Wilson  is  the  son  of  Mr.  A.  W.  Wilson,  of 
Indiana,  and  a  brother  of  Prof.  Robert  D.  Wil- 


INDIANA  AND  ARMSTRONG  COUNTIES. 


221 


son,  of  the  Western  Theological  seminary,  and 
of  Eev.  S.  G.  Wilson,  missionary  to  Persia. 

About  three  and  oue-half  miles  out  the  West 
Penu  railroad,  in  Bell  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  the  new  town  of  Avonmore  has  been  laid 
out.  There  was  at  first  a  diversity  of  opinion 
in  Saltsburg  as  to  what  would  be  the  effeet  of 
the  new  town  on  the  old  one,  but  the  prevailing 
opinion  now  is  that  the  boom  will  revert  to 
and  benefit  Saltsburg  as  Jeannette  did  Greens- 
burg.  Capt.  Albert  Hicks,  who  will  be  re- 
membered as  one  of  the  old-time  conductors  on 
the  West  Penn  railroad,  now  largely  interested 
in  Leechburg's(Pa.)  coal  and  iron  interests,  is  one 
of  the  principal  owners  of  the  Avonmore  Coal 
and  Coke  company,  in  Indiana  county,  just  op- 
posite the  site  of  the  new  town. 

The  population  of  Saltsburg  at  each  census 
since  1840  has  been  :  1840,  335;  1850,  623; 
1860,   592;    1870,   659;    1880,    855;    1890,! 
1114. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


WILLIAM  B.  ANSLEY,  M.D.,  president 
of  the  Indiana  County  Medical  society, 
and  a  very  successful  physician  of  Saltsburg,  is 
a  son  of  James  and  Sarah  (Spencer)  Ansley, 
and  was  born  in  South  Mahoning  township, 
Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  August  2,  1847. 
During  the  Revolutionary  war  his  great-grand- 
father, John  Ansley,  served  as  a  soldier  in  the 
American,  while  his  brother  commanded  a  com- 
pany in  the  British  army.  John  Ansley  was  a 
farmer  and  came  from  New  Jersey  to  West- 
moreland county,  where  his  son,  Daniel  Ansley 
(grandfather),  was  born  in  1798,  and  followed 
farming  until  1837,  when  he  came  to  this 
county.  He  died  in  1858,  aged  sixty  years. 
His  son,  James  Ansley  (father),  was  born  in 
1825,  and  is  an  extensive  and  prosperous  far- 
mer and   stock-raiser  of  Rayne  township.     He 


is  a  deacon  of  the  Baptist  church,  a  republican 
in  politics  and  has  served  as  auditor  of  Indiana 
county,  and  justice  of  the  peace  in  Rayne  town- 
ship. He  married  Sarah  Spencer,  who  was 
born  near  Johnstown,  in  Cambria  county,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church. 

William  B.  Ansley  was  reared  on  a  farm.  He 
received  his  literary  education  in  Dayton  acad- 
emy. Leaving  college,  he  taught  several  terms 
in  the  common  schools.  Having  determined 
upon  medicine  as  a  life  vocation,  he  entered  the 
office  of  Dr.  C.  McEwen,  of  Plumville;  after 
reading  six  months  with  him  he  entered  the 
office  of  Dr.  R.  S.  Sutton,  of  Pittsburgh,  as  a 
medical  student.  After  completing  the  required 
course  of  reading  he  entered  Jefferson  Medical 
college,  of  Philadelphia,  attended  three  cour.'es 
of  lectures  and  was  graduated  from  that  famous 
institution  in  the  class  of  1867.  Immediately 
after  graduating  he  opened  an  office  at  Apollo, 
where  he  practiced  for  ten  years  with  good  suc- 
cess. In  1877  he  came  to  Saltsburg,.  where  he 
has  been  in  active,  continuous  and  successful 
practice  ever  since. 

In  politics  Dr.  Ansley  is  an  unswerving  re- 
publican. He  has  served,  since  1882,  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board,  of  which  he  has 
been  president  during  the  last  two  years.  In 
religious  sentiment  he  faithfully  adheres  to  the 
Baptist  church  and  is  a  member  and  deacon  of 
the  Saltsburg  church,  of  that  denomination,  in 
which  he  also  serves  as  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday-school.  He  is  a  past  ma.ster  in  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  a  past  grand  in  the  I.  O.  O. 
F.  and  has  served  in  various  official  positions  in 
several  other  secret  societies  of  which  he  is 
a  member.  Dr.  Ansley  is  president  of  the 
Indiana  County  Medical  .society  and  a  member 
of  the  Pennsylvania  State  Medical  society,  in 
which  he  is  serving  as  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee on  medical  legislation.  He  often  con- 
tributes articles  to  the  medical  journals  and 
some  of  the.se  contributions  have  been  highly 
sjjoken    of  by  many  well-qualified  physicians. 


222 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


His  professional  talent  and  valuable  experience, 
as  well  as  his  kind  and  gentle  manners  and 
tender  solicitude  for  the  well-being  of  his 
patients,  have  caused  him  to  be  recognized  as 
one  of  the  most  successful  medical  practitioners 
in  the  county. 


THOMAS  CARSON,  M.D.  During  the  last 
decades  of  the  present  wonderful  century 
of  progress,  medicine  has  been  as  rapidly  pro- 
gressive as  any  other  profession  and  justly 
stands  high  in  the  estimation  of  the  world. 
Indiana  county  has  always  been  favored  with 
many  skillful  and  eminent  physicians.  One  of 
her  progressive  jjhysicians  of  to-day  is  Dr. 
Thomas  Carson,  of  Saltsburg,  a  medical  practi- 
tioner of  twenty-five  years'  successful  exper- 
ience. He  was  born  in  Allegheny  county, 
Pennsylvania,  June  23,  1842,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Hannah  (Henderson)  Carson.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  James  Carson,  came,  in 
1820,  from  Ireland  to  Allegheny  county,  this 
State,  where  he  purchased  a  large  farm.  He 
was  a  successful  farmer,  a  zealous  member  of 
the  Methodist  church  and  an  enthusiastic  demo- 
crat whose  democracy  was  so  strong  as  to  cause 
him  to  disinherit  his  eldest  son  because  he  was 
a  republican.  He  lived  to  be  eighty  years  of 
age  and  his  widow  reached  her  hundredth  birth- 
day. John  Carson  (father)  was  born  in  Ireland 
and  came  to  Pittsburgh  in  1818,  but  soon  re- 
moved to  Armstrong  county,  where  he  owns  a 
splendid  and  well-stocked  farm  of  two  hundred 
and  four  acres  on  the  Indiana  and  Kittanninw 
pike.  He  is  a  Jacksonian  democrat,  takes  great 
interest  in  local  political  affairs  and  has  served 
his  township  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  school 
director.  He  is  an  ardent  presbyterian  and  a 
successful  business  man.  He  married  Hannah  , 
Henderson,  eldest  daughter  of  William  Hen-  j 
derson,  a  member  of  the  Covenanter  church, 
who  came,  in  1820,  from  Ireland  to  Allegheny 
county,  where  he  was  a  successful  farmer  and  ' 


became  a  strong  republican.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Carson  celebrated  their  golden  wedding  in  June, 
1890.  They  have  been  the  parents  of  seven 
children:  Dr.  Thomas,  William  Dr.  John  A., 
of  Leechburg,  (deceased);  James,  of  Indiana; 
Margaret,  Catherine  and  J.  Wilson,  druggist 
at  Indiana. 

Thomas  Carson  was  reared  in  Armstrong 
county  and  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  Elder's  Ridge  academy,  where, 
in  addition  to  the  full  academic  course,  he  took 
special  courses  of  study  in  the  Greek,  Latin 
and  German  languages.  He  read  medicine  with 
Dr.  James  K.  Parke,  of  Cochran's  Mills,  Arm- 
strong county,  and  in  186.3  entered  Jefferson 
Medical  college,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  the  class  of  1865.  On  April  .3,  186-5,  he 
located  at  Elderton,  Armstrong  county,  and 
practiced  his  profession  there  until  July  4, 
1874.  In  October,  1874,  he  came  to  Saltsburg, 
where  he  has  practiced  successfully  ever  since. 

In  the  State  of  Illinois,  on  February  2, 
1866,  he  was  married  to  Jennie  Salina  Floyd 
Wilson  Jack,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Nancy 
(Porter)  Jack,  who  were  natives  of  Westmore- 
land county,  this  State.  To  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Carson  have  been  born  five  children :  Dr.  John 
B.,  born  in  1867  and  now  a  practicing  physi- 
cian of  Blairsville ;  Samuel  J.,  born  in  October 
1869;  Dollie,  who  died  young;  Nancy  H., 
born  July  2,  1875;  and  an  infant  son  which 
died  in  1880.  Mrs.  Carson  is  a  pleasant,  in- 
telligent woman,  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  devoted  to  her  home  and  family. 

Dr.  Thomas  Carson  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity  for  twenty-six  years  and 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  for 
nineteen  years.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  Royal 
Arcanum,  Knights  of  Honor,  Knights  & 
Ladies  of  Honor  and  the  Knights  of  the 
Golden  Eagle.  He  is  medical  examiner  at 
Saltsburg  for  all  these  different  orders.  He  is 
a  prominent  democrat  and  while  a  member  of  nO 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


223 


church,  yet  contributes  freely  to  the  churches 
of  every  religious  denoniiuation.  He  0])poses 
the  foreign  missions  of  the  churches,  but  gives 
liberally  to  their  home  missions.  Dr.  Carson 
has  a  fine  residence  on  Point  street,  enjoys  a 
large  practice  and  has  treated  a  great  many  poor 
patients  free  of  charge.  He  is  very  fond  of 
hunting  and  every  full  takes  a  trip  to  the  moun- 
tains for  deer  atid  wild  turkey.  He  is  genial, 
generous  and  honorable,  and  has  become  de- 
servedly popular  as  a  physician  aud  a  citizen. 


HAIL  CLARK,  a  leading  carriage  manufac- 
turer of  Saltsburg  and  a  Union  soldier  of 
the  late  war,  is  one  of  the   most  energetic  and 
successful  business  men  of  the  county.     He  was 
born  at  Marietta,   Lancaster  count}',  Pennsyl-  '. 
vania,  March  17,  1829,  and  is  a  sou  of  Alex- 
ander  and    Catherine   (Leader)    Clark.      The 
Clarks    were    one    of     the    old     families    of 
county    Antrim,  Ireland,  where  they  were  en-  | 
gaged   for  many  years  in  the    manufacture  of 
linens.     Henry   Clark  (grandfather),    a    mem- 
ber of  this  family,  came  to  Lancaster  county  in 
1783,  where  he  followed  coopering,  and  where 
he   died    at    the   close    of  a    useful  life.      His 
son,  Alexander    Clark    (father),    was    born  on 
board  the  ship  which    brought  his   parents  to  , 
this  country.     He  learned   the  trade  of  cooper 
aud  was  engaged  in  the  coopering  business  for 
a   number   of  years   at  Marietta.     He  wa.s   a  ] 
member  of  the   Lutheran    church,    an    honest, 
reliable  man  and  died   in    1835,  aged  fifty-two 
years.     He  married  Catherine  Leader,  of  Lan- 
caster county,  who  was  a  member  of  the  M.  E. 
church  and  passed  away  in  1841,  when  in  the 
fifty-eighth  year  of  her  age. 

Hail  Clark  was  reared  at  Marietta  until  he 
was  twelve  years  of  ago,  when  he  went  on  the 
Pennsylvania  canal  as  a  mule  driver,  but  af^er 
six  months'  experience  in  that  Hue  of  work  he 
went  to  Greensburg,  Pa.,  and  learned  the  trade 
of  carriage  and  harness-making.     He  served  an 


apprenticeship  of  six  years  before  (1842)  com- 
mencing to  work  ibr  himself  In  1849  he  came 
to  Saltsburg,  where,  after  working  for  a  short 
time  in  a  carriage  factory,  he  purchased  it  of 
the  proprietor,  and  since  that  time  has  followed 
carriage  matiufiacturing  at  Saltsburg  except 
what  time  he  served  as  a  soldier  during  the  late 
war.  From  1858  to  1861  he  was  captain  of 
the  Black  Hornets,  a  militia  company.  In 
1861  he  raifsed  a  company  for  the  war,  but  the 
State  did  not  accept  their  services.  In  1862  he 
raised  aud  commanded  one  of  the  emergency 
companies  which  served  on  the  southern  border 
of  Pennsylvania.  In  1851  he  married  Cordelia 
F.  Gorgas,  of  Greensburg,  Pa.  They  have  two 
children:  Murry  J.  and  Ferdinand  G.,  who 
are  both  engaged  in  business  with  the  father. 

In  politics  Mr.  Clark  is  a  strong  democrat 
and  has  held  every  elective  office  of  his  borough 
from  member  of  the  town  council  to  burgess. 
He  ran,  in  1878,  as  the  greenback  candidate  for 
sheriff,  and,  after  a  canvass  of  three  days,  was 
only  defeated  by  two  hundred  majority.  He  has 
been  a  trustee  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  of  the 
M.  E.  church  and  is  a  member  of  Williamson 
Lodge,  No.  431,  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  Kiskimine- 
tas  Lodge,  No.  1 6 1 ,  K,  of  H.  His  two  sons  are  as- 
sociated with  him  in  the  carriage  manufacturing 
business.  Their  main  factory  is  32x60  feet  in 
dimensions  and  is  a  three-story  building.  They 
employ  a  regular  force  of  twelve  men,  make  a 
specialty  of  buggies  and  have  a  large  trade. 
They  send  a  large  amount  of  work  to  different 
parts  of  the  country  and  have  filled  orders  as 
far  west  as  California.  Mr.  Clark  has  been 
remarkably  successful  in  the  sale  of  his  work 
and  enjoys  an  excellent  reputation  as  a  skilled 
mechanic. 


AJOR  SAMUEL  COOPER  was  a  son  of 
-^'■i-  James  and  Rachel  (Powers)  Cooper.  He 
"was  born  in  Shippensburg,  Cumberland  county, 
Pennsylvania,   on   the   second  of  May,   1788. 


224 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


The  family  name  is  Cowper,  but  since  about 
1750  has  been  written  Cooper.  The  great- 
grandfather of  our  subject  was  Samuel  Cooper, 
who  was  for  many  years  the  commander  of  In- 
niskillen  Dragoons,  in  Ireland.  His  son,  Sam- 
uel, the  grandfather  of  Major  Cooper,  was  a 
captain  in  the  Inniskillen  Dragoons,  and  mi- 
grated to  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  in  1761.  He 
was  in  Gen.  Lee's  'cavalry  legion'  in  the  Rev- 
olutionary war,  and  for  several  years  was  sword, 
drill  and  riding-master  of  Geu.  Lee's  noted 
command.  His  son  James,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Inniskillen,  Ireland.  He 
was  an  orderly  sergeant  in  a  company  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  which  Captain  John  Wil- 
kins  (after  whom  Wilkinsburg,  Allegheny 
county,  Pennsylvania,  was  named)  commanded. 

''When  Samuel  was  only  an  infant  his 
parents  removed  to  Chambersburg,  where  they 
remained  until  1804.  In  that  year  they  re- 
moved to  Pittsburgh.  In  1833  his  father,  ac- 
companied by  his  daughter  Margaret,  went  to 
Dayton,  Ohio,  where  he  died  about  1836,  at 
eighty  years  of  age.  Samuel  entered  the  army 
on  the  10th  of  September,  1812,  as  captain  of 
the  'State  Pittsburgh  Blues,'  and  with  his  com- 
pany was  mustered  into  the  United  States  ser- 
vice at  Meadville,  Crawford  county,  about  ten 
days  later." 

His  company  was  sent  to  Black  Rock,  N.  Y., 
where  he  and  his  men  volunteered  to  cross  into 
Canada  and  attack  the  English,  but  their  ser- 
vices were  not  required,  and  he  was  breveted 
major  for  meritorious  service.  Returning  home, 
he  was  variously  engaged  for  some  years,  during 
which  period  he  was  a  partner  of  Gen.  Grant's 
father-in-law  for  fifteen  months  in  the  mercan- 
tile business.  He  read  law  with  John  B.  Alex- 
ander, was  admitted  to  the  bar  and,  after  a 
varied  business  life  of  half  a  century,  returned 
to  the  practice  of  law. 

"In  1867  he  removed  to  Saltsburg,  was 
elected  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  continued  as 
such  until  ninety  years  of  age.     He  was  married 


in  1817  to  Elizabeth  Weigley,  daughter  of 
Joseph  Weigley,  attorney-at-law  at  Greensburg. 
The  latter  was  a  Quaker  and  of  German  descent. 
Mrs.  Cooper  died  in  1875,  at  about  seventy-five 
years  of  age." 


GEORGE  B.  DAVIS.  Too  much  cannot 
be  said  of  the  representative  business  men 
of  a  place,  as  the  prosperity  of  any  city  or  town 
depends  largely  upon  their  efforts  and  enter- 
prises. One  of  this  class  at  Saltsburg  is  George 
B.  Davis,  of  the  lumljer  firm  of  Davis  &  Co. 
He  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, June  10,  1856,  and  is  a  son  of  George 
and  Martha  (Crawford)  Davis.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Joshua  Davis,  was  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, and  came  to  Washington  county,  where 
he  purchased  a  farm  and  resided  until  his 
death.  His  son,  George  Davis  (father),  was 
born  in  1814,  and  during  the  early  part  of  his 
life  run  on  a  boat  plying  between  Pittsburgh 
and  Cincinnati,  on  the  Ohio  river.  Leaving 
the  river,  he  purchased  a  farm  and  followed 
farming  until  his  death,  December  14,  1870, 
when  in  the  fifty-sixth  year  of  his  age.  He 
was  a  republican  and  a  member  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church.  He  married  Martha 
Crawford,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  who  was  a 
member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church, 
and  died  April  8,  1852,  aged  fifty-four  years. 

George  B.  Davis  was  reared  on  tlie  home 
farm  and  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  and  Washington  college.  At  sixteen 
years  of  age  he  apprenticed  himself  to  learn 
the  trade  of  carpenter,  and  after  serving  an 
apprenticeship  of  three  years  engaged  in  con- 
tracting, which  business  he  followed  until  1885. 
In  the  spring  of  that  year  he  opened  a  lumber- 
yard at  Hills  station,  which  he  operated  for 
one  year  and  then  came  to  Saltsburg,  where  he 
engaged  in  his  present  planing-mill  and  lumber 
business. 

In  1878   he  united  in  marriage  with  Anna 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


225 


M.  Wright,  daughter  of  Edward  Wright,  of 
Washington  county,  Pa.  To  their  union  have 
been  born  three  children,  two  sons  and  one 
daughter:  Walter  L.,  Mary  M.  and  Edward  W. 
In  political  matters  Mr.  Davis  is  an  ardent 
temperance  man  and  a  prominent  supporter  of 
the  Prohibition  party.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Saltsburg  United  Presbyterian  church,  of  whose 
Sunday-school  he  has  been  superintendent  for 
some  time.  Mr.  Davis  is  a  member  of  Davis, 
Bros.  &  Co.,  which  was  organized  in  the  spring 
of  1887.  Their  mill  and  shops  are  favorably 
situated  for  business  purposes,  and  manufacture 
and  deal  in  lumber,  doors,  sash  and  moldings. 
They  make  a  specialty  of  stair  work  and  other 
difficult  lines  in  their  branch  of  business. 
George  B.  Davis  has  shown  remarkable  busi- 
ness ability  in  the  management  of  his  large 
lumbering  establishment,  which  is  justly  de- 
serving of  particular  mention  in  a  record  of  the 
leadinc;  industries  of  Saltsburg-. 


HARRY  R.  McCAULEY,  a  prosperous, 
progressive  and  energetic  young  business 
man,  now  actively  and  successfully  engaged  in 
the  general  mercantile  business  at  Saltsburg, 
was  born  in  Bell  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  April  13,  1860,  and  is 
a  son  of  John  G.  and  Mary  J.  (Alcorn)  Mc- 
Cauley.  John  McCauley  (paternal  grandfather) 
is  a  native  of  Ireland,  came  to  the  United 
States  where  he  located  in  Westmoreland 
county,  where  he  now  resides  in  a  comfortable 
home.  He  has  been  a  farmer  and  is  now  very 
active  for  a  man  nearly  four-score  and  ten.  He 
was  born  in  1803,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  John  G.  McCauley  (fa- 
ther) was  a  native  of  Bell  township,  Westmore- 
land county,  and  an  extensive  farmer  and  stock 
dealer,  in  connection  with  which  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  general  mercantile  business  for 
some  years.  He  was  very  successful  in  busi- 
ness, firm  in  his  convictions  and  very  energetic. 


In  political  opinion  he  was  a  republican,  and 
in  religious  faith  a  presbyterian,  being  a  mem- 
ber of  the  church  of  that  denomination  at  Salts- 
burg. He  died  in  1882,  in  the  fifty-second 
year  of  his  age.  In  18 —  he  married  Mary  J. 
Alcorn,  who  was  born  in  1840,  in  Westmore- 
land county,  where  she  now  resides  on  the  old 
home  place.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church. 

Harry  R.  McCauley  was  roared  on  the  farm 
and  received  his  education  in  the  j)ub]ic  schools 
of  his  native  township.  He  continued  on  the 
farm  and  assisted  his  father  in  thestore  until  1888, 
when  he  came  to  Saltsburg  and  engaged  in  his 
present  general  mercantile  business.  He  has  a 
well-selected  stock  of  everything  needed  in  that 
line  of  business,  and  has  succeeded  in  building 
up  a  flourishing  trade.  His  establishment  is 
one  of  the  largest  and  foremost  mercantile 
houses  of  Saltsburg,  and  fully  sustains  its  well- 
deserved  reputation  for  first-class  goods,  reason- 
able prices  and  honorable  dealing. 

In  1889  Mr.  McCauley  married  Delia, 
daughter  of  Joseph  M.  Johnston,  of  Loyalhanna 
township,  Westmoreland  county.  Their  union 
has  been  blest  with  one  child,  a  son. 

In  political  opinion  Mr.  McCauley  is  a  re- 
publican. He  is  a  member  of  Saltsburg  Lodge, 
No.  646,  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  has  achieved  success 
in  his  chosen  line  of  business,  and  is  recognized 
as  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of  Saltsburg. 


REV.  SAMUEL  W.  MILLER,  D.  D.  wag 
born  on  May  3d  1835,  in  Washington 
county,  Pennsylvania.  He  is  the  third  of  nine 
sons,  born  to  Samuel  and  Mary  A.  (Calkins) 
Miller.  His  ancestry  was  German,  and  the 
founder  of  the  family  in  this  country,  was  Wil- 
liam Miller,  a  German  Lutheran  of  education, 
who  came  to  America  between  1730  and  1740, 
to  avoid  Roman  Catholic  persecution.  He  set- 
tled in  Philadelphia,  and  was  a  teacher  of  lan- 
guages. 


226 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


His  paternal  grandfather  was  born  in  Ches- 
ter county,  Pa.,  and  his  father  in  Berkeley 
county,  Va.,  and  in  1803,  in  the  third  year  of 
his  father's  age,  the  family  joined  the  army  of 
Western  pioneers  and  settled  in  Washington 
county,  Pa.,  where  his  grandfather  died  at  a 
great  age,  and  in  communion  with  the  First 
Presbyterian  church  of  Washington,  Pa. 

His  mother  was  the  youngest  daughter  of 
Vincent  Calkins,  a  presbyterian  Irishman,  who 
was  also  a  pioneer  in  the  same  county.  He 
obtained  a  good  common  school  education  in 
Allegheny  county,  Pa.,  whither  his  parents  had  I 
moved  in  his  early  childhood.  His  academic 
training  was  received  at  Hickory,  Washington 
county.  Pa.,  the  place  of  his  birth,  and  at  Wil- 
kinsburg,  Allegheny  county.  He  entered  the 
freshman  class  in  Jefferson  college  in  1856,  j 
and  graduated  in  1860,  with  the  highest  hon- 
ors of  liis  college  literary  society. 

In  the  fall  of  1860,  he  took  charge  of  an  \ 
academy  at  Huntersville,  the  county  seat  of 
Pocahontas  county,  Va.,  which  he  conducted 
with  great  success  and  satisfaction  to  his  pa- 
trons, until  Virginia  passed  the  Act  of  Seces- 
sion, in  the  spring  of  1861,  when  only  by  the 
good  will  and  aid  of  a  few  influential  friends, 
he  was  enabled  to  avoid  conscription,  and  amidst  i 
constant  difficulty  and  peril,  escaped  over  the 
Cheat  mouutain.s,  to  the  loyal  soil  of  his  native 
State.  j 

By  the  sudden  death  of  his  father,  and  the 
consequent  care  of  a  large  farm,  he  was  detained 
at  home ;  but  during  the  same  time  he  entered 
and  prosecuted  his  studies  in  the  Western  Theo- 
logical seminary  at  Allegheny,  Pa.,  where  he 
graduated  in  1864.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  , 
by  the  Presbytery  of  Ohio,  in  the  First  Pres- 
byterian church  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  in  October, 
1863. 

Ever  since,  without  the  interval  of  a  single 
Sabbath  he  has  sustained  the  relation  of  pastor, 
to  the  following  churches,  in  succession ;  viz : 
Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa,  1865-68  ;  Wooster,  Ohio, 


1868-74;  Mansfield,  Ohio,  1874-80;  Salts- 
burg,  Pa.,  1880  until  the  present  time.  In 
1880,  from  the  University  of  Wooster,  he  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  doctor  of  divinity. 

Of  his  present  charge  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  S.  J. 
Wilson,  professor  in  the  Western  Theological 
Seminary  at  Allegheny,  Pa.  justly  remarked, 
"  It  is  tlie  most  important  country  or  village 
charge  in  western  Pa."  This  church  has  a 
membership  of  nearly  500,  and  stands  in  the 
centre  of  the  thriving  town  of  Saltsburg,  which 
is  situated  where  the  waters  of  the  Conemaugh 
and  Loyalhanna  meet,  and  form  the  beautiful 
Kiskiminetas.  The  people  of  the  town  and 
vicinity  are  of  the  most  substantial  character, 
the  great  majority  of  them  descendants  of  the 
early  pioneers.  They  have  always  been  deeply 
interested  in  educational  enterprises." 

For  many  years  the  church  has  owned  and 
sustained  an  academy  from  which  a  large  num- 
ber have  gone  forth,  who  have  attained  to  posi- 
tions of  eminence  and  usefulness.  Saltsburg  is 
also  the  seat  of  the  exceptionally  jirosperous 
"  Kiskiminetas  Springs  school  for  Boys,"  aa 
institution  eminently  worthy  of  its  wide  repu- 
tation and  overflowing  patronage.  Dr.  Miller 
takes  great  pleasure  in  the  feeling,  that  he  had 
a  little  hand  in  securing  the  location  of  this 
school  under  the  very  shadow  of  his  own 
church. 

On  September  5th  1865,  he  married  Salina 
Ledley  Crawford,  daughter  of  Robert  Craw- 
ford, E.sq.,  of  Steubenville,  Ohio.  He  and  his 
good  wife  with  their  two  sons,  Robert  Craw- 
ford, and  Samuel  Wilson,  thoroughly  enjoy 
life  at  their  beautiful  place  on  High  street 
which  overlooks  the  valley.  Few  pastors  of 
any  denomination  are  more  favored  in  the  way 
of  a  home  than  he  of  the  Saltsburg  Presbyter- 
ian church. 

His  biographical  motto  and  caution  is, — 

"Praise  me  not  too  much, 
Nor  blame  me,  for  thou  speakest  to  the  Greeks, 
Who  know  me." 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


227 


JAMES  C.  MOORE,  the  present  popular 
burgess  of  Saltsburg,  deservedly  ranks  as 
one  of  the  most  energetic  and  thorough-going 
business  men  of  the  county.  He  is  a  son  of 
William  and  Jane  (Robinson)  Moore,  and  was 
born  at  Saltsburg,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylva- 
nia, December  19,  1848.  The  Moore  family  is 
of  ycotch-Irish  descent.  William  Moore  was 
born  in  1810,  in  Butler  county,  and  after  arriv- 
ing at  manliood  came  to  Saltsburg,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  tinning  business,  which  ho  has 
followed  ever  since.  He  has  widened  his  field 
of  business  from  time  to  time,  and  is  now  the 
principal  partner  in  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
successful  business  houses  of  Saltsburg.  He  is 
a  member  and  elder  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
a  prohibitionist  in  politics  and  a  deserving  and 
prosperous  business  man  who  enjoys  the  good- 
will and  respect  of  all  who  know  him.  He 
married  Jane  Robinson,  of  Indiana  county, 
who  was  a  presbyterian  in  faith  and  died  in 
1884,  aged  seventy-two  years.  To  their  union 
were  born  one  son  and  three  daughters:  Jas.  C, 
Sarah  E.,  Kate  J.  and  R.  Mary  Moore. 

James  C.  Moore  was  reared  at  Saltsburg, 
where  he  received  his  education  in  tlie  public 
schools  and  academy  of  that  place.  Leaving 
sciiool  in  1871,  he  went  to  Baltimore,  where  he 
became  a  time  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  North- 
ern Central  R.  R.,  and  served  as  sucii  until 
1875,  when  he  was  compelled  to  resign  on 
account  of  impaired  health.  Returning  home, 
he  was  shortly  afterward  admitted  into  partner- 
ship with  his  father  in  the  stove  and  tin  busi- 
ness, to  which  they  soon  added  a  large  stock  of 
iiardware.  The  firm-name  was  William  Moore 
&  Son  and  continued  as  such  until  January, 
1886,  when  they  admitted  Ira  C.  Ewing  into 
partnership  with  them  and  have  done  bnsine.ss 
since  then  under  the  firm-name  of  William 
Moore,  Son  &  Co.  They  are  wholesale  and  re- 
tail dealers  in  their  various  lines  of  business. 
Their  extensive  establishment  extends  from  No. 
44|  to  No.  46  on  Salt  Street.  They  carry  a 
14 


large  and  complete  stock  of  hardware,  paints, 
oils  and  glass  and  have  a  full  and  varied  assort- 
ment of  tin,  copper  and  sheet-ii'on  ware. 
Another  department  is  devoted  to  every  style 
anil  variety  of  stoves,  grates  and  house  fui'iiish- 
ing  goods  which  are  first-class  in  every  respect. 
They  make  a  specialty  of  tin,  iron,  slate  and 
felt  roofing  and  have  a  remunerative  trade  that 
extends  beyond  Saltsburg  and  the  limits  of  the 
county. 

In  1875,  Mr.  Moore  married  Maggie  G. 
Logan,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Margaret  I. 
Logan,  of  Parker  City,  Pa.,  and  who  died  in 
1886,  leaving  three  children:  Alice,  Logan  and 
Mary.  On  May  2d,  1888,  Mr.  Moore  united 
in  marriage  with  Jennie  E.  Ewing,  daughter  of 
Matthew  Ewing,  of  Jack.sonville.  To  this 
second  union  has  been  born  one  child,  a  daugh- 
ter: Helen. 

James  C.  Moore  is  a  member  and  treasurer 
of  the  Saltsburg  Presbyterian  church,  of  whose 
Sunday-school  he  is  superintendent.  He  is  re- 
corder of  Loyal  Lodge,  No.  165,  K.  of  H., 
treasurer  of  Diaii'ond  Council,  No.  248,  Jr.  O 
U.  A.  M.,  and  .secretary  of  Kiskiminetas 
Castle,  No.  28,  K.  of  G.  E.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Saltsburg  cemetery 
and  of  the  board  of  managers  of  the  Memorial 
institute.  He  is  a  pronounced  republican  in 
politics,  yet  stands  so  high  as  a  business  man 
and  is  so  popular  that  his  borough,  which  is 
.strongly  democratic,  has  twice  elected  him  as 
burgess,  which  office  he  now  holds.  He  has 
also  served  as  school  director  and  filled  various 
other  borough  offices.  Mr.  Moore  has  been 
emphatically  the  architect  of  his  fortune  and  in 
his  lines  of  business  stands  second  to  none  in 
the  county.  Courteous,  kind  and  accommodat- 
ing, yet  he  is  firm  in  his  convictions  of  right 
and  cannot  be  swerved  from  what  is  jn.st  and 
honest.  Genial  and  popular,  he  enjoys  an  lionor 
accorded  to  but  few  men  in  being  elected  to  a 
responsible  position  by  the  votes  of  his  fellow- 
citizens  of  a  politicid  faith  adverse  to  his  own. 


228 


BIOOBAPHIES  OF 


MARTIN  V.  PATTERSON,  junior  mem-  | 
ber  of  the  Saltsburg  Flouring-mill  com- 
pany and  a  man  of  wide  and  successful  exper- 
ience in  the  oil  fields  and  lumbering  business  of 
western  Pennsylvania,  was  born  in  Franklin 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania) 
December  12,  1839,  and  is  a  son  of  Martin  and 
Anna  (Kidd)  Patterson.  Martin  Patterson  was 
a  native  of  county  Down,  Ireland,  and  settled 
in  Westmoreland  county,  where  he  died  in 
1865,  aged  sixty-nine  years.  He  was  engaged 
extensively  in  farming,  was  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  and  in  political  matters, 
after  he  came  to  the  United  States,  was  identi- 
fied with  the  Democratic  party  until  his  death. 
Ere  he  sailed  for  America  he  married  Anna 
Kidd,  of  his  native  county,  who  was  a  presby- 
terian  in  religious  faith  and  who  died  in  1874, 
aged  seventy-seven  years.  They  were  a  highly 
respected  couple  in  the  community  in  which 
they  resided  and  by  all  who  knew  them.  They 
reared  a  family  of  five  sons  and  five  daughters. 
Martin  V.  Pattei-sou  was  reared  on  the  farm 
and  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
townshij).  In  1861  he  commenced  life  for 
himself  as  an  oil-well  driller,  but  soon  became 
a  contractor,  and  as  such  was  actively  engaged, 
until  1870,  in  the  different  oil  fields  of  western 
Pennsylvania,  eastern  Ohio,  and  northern  West 
Virginia.  In  the  last  named  year  he  embarked 
in  western  Pennsylvania  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness, which  he  continued  in  up  to  1881,  when 
he  came  to  Saltsburg,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
flouring-mill  busines.s,  which  he  has  followed 
with  good  success  until  the  present  time.  In 
1885  he  formed  a  business  partnership  with 
John  Hershey,  and  they  purchased  the  Saltsburg 
Flouring-mill  which  they  have  operated  suc- 
cessfully until  the  jjresent  time.  They  have  a 
large  trade  and  manufacture  high  and  fancy 
grades  of  roller  flour  which  they  export  to 
some  extent  beyond  supplying  the  home  demand 
for  the  same.  Mr.  Patterson  is  a  member  of 
Saltsburg     Presbyterian    church,     Williamson 


Lodge,  No.  431.  Free  &  Accepted  Masons; 
Local  Branch,  No.  141,  Order  of  the  Iron 
Hall;  Kiskiminetas  Castle,  No.  223,  Knights 
of  the  Golden  Eagle;  Salt.sburg  Commandery, 
No.  22,  K.  G.  E.;  Saltsburg  Council,  No.  381, 
Royal  Arcanum ;  Loyal  Lodge,  No.  165, 
Knights  of  Honor;  and  Diamond  Council,  No. 
248,  Jr.  Order  of  United  American  Mechanics. 
In  politics  he  is  a  democrat,  has  served  one 
term  as  burgess  and  was  a  member  of  the 
school  board  for  six  years,  besides  serving,  for 
some  time,  in  tlie  (own  council.  Martin  V. 
Patterson  is  a  man  of  good  judgment  and  busi- 
ness ability,  as  is  attested  by  the  marked  success 
that  has  attended  his  different  enterprises.  He 
is  thorough-going  in  business,  but  pleasant  and 
agreeable  in  manner,  and  is  one  of  Saltsburg's 
substantial  and  progressive  citizens. 

June  15,  1876,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Annie  L.  Watt,  daughter  of  Hon.  Isaac  Watt, 
of  Homer  City,  who  served  one  term  as  as.so- 
ciate  judge  of  the  courts  of  Indiana  county. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Patterson  have  been  born 
two  children:  Harry  C.  and  Grace  R. 


ROBERT  A.  PAUL,  the  present  postmaster  of 
Saltsburg,  has  been  successfully  and  honor- 
ably engaged,  for  nearly  forty  years,  in  different 
business  enterprises.  He  was  born  in  what  is  now 
Bell  township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, June  6,  1829,  and  is  a  .son  of  John  and 
Sarah  (Thompson)  Paul.  The  Paul  family  is 
of  Scotch-Irish  extraction,  and  its  American 
progenitor  came  in  an  early  day  to  eastern 
Pennsylvania.  Robert  A.  Paul's  paternal 
grandfather  was  Squire  Samuel  Paul,  who 
came  from  east  of  the  Allegheuies  to  what  is 
now  Bell  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
where  he  served  for  many  years  as  a  justice  of 
the  peace  and  where  he  died  in  1840,  at  sixty- 
five  years  of  age.  John  Paul  (father)  was 
born  in  1802,  and  is  quite  an  active  man  for  his 
advanced  age  of  eighty-eight  years.     He  has 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


229 


always  followed  farming  in  his  native  township, 
is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  in 
which  he  has  always  taken  an  active  part,  and 
in  political  affairs  yields  his  siijiport  to  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  married  Sarah  Tiiompson, 
a  daughter  of  Samuel  Tiiompson,  a  farmer  of 
Washington  township,  who  died  in  1836,  aged 
about  sixty-five  years.  Mrs.  Paul  was  an  esti- 
maljle  woman,  a  zealous  presbyterian  and  passed 
away  January  27,  1890,  when  in  the  eighty- 
sixth  year  of  her  age.  IMr.  and  Mre.  Paul 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding  in  1874  and 
continued  the  celebration  of  their  marriage  an- 
niversaiy  for  fifteen  succeeding  years. 

Robert  A.  Paul  was  reared  on  the  farm. 
After  attending  the  schools  of  his  neighborhood 
he  learned  the  trade  of  mill-wright,  which  he 
followed  for  thirteen  years.  He  was  then  en- 
gaged in  the  general  mercantile  business  at  var- 
ious places  until  1869,  when  he  came  to  Salts- 
burg,  where  he  accepted  the  superiutendency  of 
the  Kier  Bros.'  Fire-brick  works,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  for  ten  years.  He  then  resigned 
(1879)  to  engage  in  his  present  fire  insurance 
and  agricultural  implement  business.  He  is  an 
active  republican  in  politics,  was  appointed  by 
President  Harrison,  on  April  3d,  1889,  as  post- 
master of  Saltsburg,  and  has  discharged  the 
duties  of  his  office  in  a  very  creditable  manner 
ever  since. 

October  1,  1850,  Mr.  Paul  married  Mary  A. 
Cochran,  daughter  of  Hon.  Michael  Cochran, 
who  was  a  prominent  man  in  his  day,  and  who 
served,  with  great  credit,  as  associate  judge  of 
Armstrong  county  for  several  years.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Paul  have  one  child  living:  John  L.,  who 
is  engaged  in  the  fire  insurance  business  with 
his  father. 

In  1863  Mr.  Paul  enlisted  in  company  I, 
54th  regiment  Pennsylvania  Militia,  which 
helped  largely  to  capture  Gen.  John  Morgan  in 
Ohio.  Afler  an  active  service  of  ninety  days 
Mr.  Paul  was  honorably  discharged  and  re- 
turned home.    Robert  A.  Paul  is  a  member  and 


trustee  of  the  Presbyterian  churcii.  His  busi- 
ness interests  are  chiefly  at  Saltsburg,  where  he 
has  always  been  active  and  successful  in  the 
different  commercial  euterpri.ses  in  which  he  has 
been  engaged.  He  is  a  man  of  his  word  and 
has  wrought  out  for  himself  a  position  in  life 
wliich  commands  respect. 


WC.  RALSTON,  D.D.S.,  of  Saltsburg,  In- 
•  diana  county,  Pa.,  was  born  May  30,  1848, 
in  Derry  township  (near  Blairsville),  Westmore- 
land county,  Pennsylvania ;  is  a  son  of  John 
Ralston.  His  grandfather,  William  Ralston, 
came  with  his  parents  from  Ireland  when  five 
years  of  age  and  settled  in  Salem  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  was  reared  in  the  bounds 
of  Congruity,  became  a  member  of  that  church 
in  his  youth,  and  in  manhood  served  as  riding 
elder.  He  died  in  1852,  aged  si.xty-seven 
years.  His  son,  John  Ralston  (father  of  Dr. 
W.  C.  Ralston),  was  born  in  1809,  in  Salem 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  where  he 
spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life.  In  1838 
he  married  Elizabeth  Mason,  daughter  of  Thos. 
Mason  (ex-connty  surveyor  of  Westmoreland 
county).  He  purch.ased  the  old  homestead  (his 
father's  farm),  where  he  remained  for  thirty-two 
years,  and  in  the  spring  of  1884  removed  to 
Saltsburg,  where  he  died  November  9th  of  the 
same  year.  He  was  a  successful  farmer  and  a 
man  who  took  a  great  interest  in  the  cause  of 
education  and  temperance,  and  was  rewarded  by 
seeing  all  his  children  prepared  to  fill  places  of 
usefulness  in  life.  He  was  a  Presbyterian  in 
religions  faith  and  a  republican  in  politics.  His 
wife,  Elizabeth  Ralston,  was  born  July  2d, 
1815,  and  died  July  10th,  1887;  their  remains 
lie  side  by  side  in  Edgewood  cemetery,  Salts- 
burg, Pa. 

W.  C.  Ralston  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  near  Congruity  and  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  and  Elder's  Ridge  and 
Ijogan   academies,    and  also  is    a    graduate  of 


230 


BI00RAPHIE8  OF 


Duff's  college,  Pittsburgh,  Pa.  In  1879  he 
entered  the  dental  oflSce  of  Dr.  Waugamau, 
Greensburg,  Pa.,  and  pursued  the  study  of 
dentistry  for  two  years ;  he  afterwards  attended 
the  Baltimore  dental  college,  from  which  he 
graduated  March  4th,  1882,  as  one  of  a  class 
of  sixty-seven  members.  He  then  located  at 
Saltsburg,  where  he  has  remained  ever  since  in 
the  successful  practice  of  his  profession. 

On  September  11th,  1884,  he  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Annie  M.  Deery,  only  child  of 
Archie  Deery,  of  Saltsburg,  Pa.,  who  was  a 
man  of  irreproachable  character  and  high  stand-* 
ing  in  Saltsburg,  where  he  had  been  president 
of  the  First  National  bank  for  many  years  and 
until  his  death,  September  16th,  1890.  On 
December  21st,  three  months  later,  his  wife 
joined  him  in  the  eternal  world.  To  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Ralston  have  been  born  two  children: 
Sarah  E.  and  Anna  M. 

Dr.  Ralston  is  a  republican  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Saltsburg  Presbyterian  church.  He  owns 
some  desirable  real  estate,  ar)d,  besides  being  an 
e.xcellent  workman  in  his  profession,  is  a  man 
of  business  ability  who  stands  well  with  the 
public. 


ROBERT  STEWART,  a  retired  business 
man  of  Philadelphia,  now  resident  of 
Saltsburg,  and  a  very  highly  respected  citizen 
of  Indiana  county,  is  a  son  of  William  and 
Catherine  (Potter)  Stewart,  and  was  born  in 
Paisley,  Scotland,  September  .1,  1833.  Wil- 
liam Stewart  was  a  native  of  county  Tyrone, 
Ireland.  In  1830  he  moved  to  Scotland,  where 
he  remained  until  1841,  when  ho  came  to  the 
United  States,  and  located  in  Philadelpliia.  In 
1857  he  engaged  in  the  carpet  manufacturing 
business  for  himself,  at  which  he  continued 
very  successfully  until  within  a  few  years  of 
his  death,  when  he  retired  froui  the  business 
cares  and  toils  of  life  on  account  of  ill  health. 
He  died  in  1877,  aged  seventy-nine  years.     He 


was  very  successful  in  business  and  carried  on 
an  extensive  establishment.  He  and  all  of  his 
family  were  members  of  the  Covenanter  church. 
He  was  a  whig  and  afterwards  a  republican  in 
politics.  In  1827  he  married  Catharine  Potter, 
a  native  of  county  Tyrone,  Ireland,  and  by 
whom  he  had  seven  children,  five  sons  and  two 
daughters.  Mrs.  Stewart  died  in  1881,  iu  the 
eighty-second  year  of  her  age. 

Robert  Stewart  came  to  the  United  States 
with  his  father  iu  1841.  He  was  reared  in 
Philadelphia  and  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  that  city.  In  1857  he  and 
his  brother  Arthur  formed  a  partnership  with 
their  father  in  the  carpet  manufacturing  busi- 
nes.s  under  the  firm-name  of  William  Stewart 
&  Sons,  and  their  house  soon  attained  a  posi- 
tion of  influence  in  business  whicii  it  success- 
fully held  for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and 
until  the  dissolution  of  the  partnership  between 
the  brothers,  in  1885,  when  Mr.  Stewart  with- 
drew from  the  firm.  This  firm,  during  its  con- 
tinuance, manufactured  a  splendid  assortment 
of  carpets  of  every  kind  and  grade  from  the 
finest  ingrain  Venetian  carpets,  rugs  and  cur- 
tains, down  to  the  plain  and  useful  varieties. 
In  April,  1889,  Mr.  Stewart  came  to  Saltsburg, 
where  he  owns  some  valuable  property.  He 
also  owns  a  farm  of  three  hundred  and  sixteen 
acres  of  land  in  Ijoyalhanna  township,  AVest- 
moreland  county,  which  he  benight  in  1880,  and 
where  he  expects  to  make  his  permanent  home 
some  time  in  the  future.  This  farm  is  under- 
laid with  valuable  minerals  and  ranks  as  one 
of  the  finest  farms  of  that  township.  Iu  1866 
Mr.  Stewart  married  IVIary,  daughter  of  John 
Stewart,  of  Philadelphia,  and  their  union  has 
been  blest  with  three  children,  one  son  and  two 
daughters:  Elizabeth,  William  and  Catherine. 

Robert  Stewart  is  a  republican  politically, 
and  wa-s  a  .school  director  at  one  time  in  Phila- 
delphia. He  was  very  successful  as  a  business 
man  of  Philadelphia,  and  is  recognized  as  one 
of  Saltsburg's  most  enterprising  citizens. 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


231 


TAINIES  r.  WATSON,  a  leading  director  of 
^  the  Saltsburg  Glass  «mipany,  is  one  of  the 
foremost  business  men  and  most  enterprising 
citizens  of  Indiana  county.  He  is  a  son  of 
Thomas  and  Rebecca  P.  (Wilspn)  Watson,  and 
\\as  born  in  Young  township,  Indiana  county, 
Pennsylvania,  November  1!),  1857.  His  pa- 
ternal grandfather,  Matthew  Watson,  was  born 
in  county  Tyrone,  Ireland,  in  17G3,  and  set- 
tled, in  ITll.'J,  in  the  northern  part  of  Westmore- 
land county.  In  1800  he  removed  to  Cone- 
niaugli  township,  this  county,  where  he  lived  to 
be  nearly  ninety-three  years  of  age.  He  was  a 
man  of  unsullied  character,  and  "  Watson's 
Ridge"  was  named  in  honor  of  him.  His  first 
wife  died  soon  after  his  arrival  in  this  country, 
and  he  afterwards  married  Margaret  McClel- 
land, of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  and  a  daughter 
of  James  McClelland,  who  came,  in  1783,  from 
Scotland  to  Conemangh  township.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Watson  were  the  parents  of  twelve  chil- 
dren :  John,  Thomas,  Matthew,  Jr.,  Mary, 
William,  Alexander,  Robert,  James,  Jane,  Isa- 
bella, Ann  and  Margaret.  (For  a  fuller  sketch 
of  Matthew  Watson,  see  sketch  of  M.  C.  Wat-  ; 
son,  of  Indiana.)  The  second  son,  Thomas 
Watson  (father),  was  born  in  1800,  on  the  site 
of  Harrison  City,  Westmoreland  county.  He 
was  a  carpenter  and  boat-builder  by  trade, 
worked  on  the  old  Pennsylvania  canal  for 
many  years,  and  owned  a  fine  farm  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty-five  acres  of  land  in 
Young  township.  In  1872  he  came  to  Salts- 
burg, where  he  died  in  June,  1887,  when  in 
the  eighty-eighth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a 
republican  and  a  strict  presbyterian,  and  mar- 
ried Rebecca  P.  Wilson,  of  Allegheny  county,  [ 
who  was  born  in  1815,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  church  of  Saltsburg,  where 
she  now  resides  with  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Mr.  and  M-rs.  Watson  were  the  parents  of  five 
sons  and  three  daughters.  i 

James  P.  Watson  was  reared  in  Young  town- 
ship, and  received  his  education  in  the  common 


schools  and  Elder's  Ridge  academy.  Leaving 
School,  he  followed  farming  until  1888,  when 
he  came  to  Saltsburg,  where,  in  November, 
1889,  he  became  a  member  of  the  present  Salts- 
burg Glass  company.  This  company  j)urchased 
the  plant  of  tiic  old  Saltsburg  Glass  company, 
and  with  the  characteristic  energy  for  which 
they  are  noted,  immediately  remodeled,  enlarged 
and  improved  the  works.  They  now  manufiic- 
ture  fine  prescription  ware  and  bottles  of  all 
kinds.  They  give  constant  employment  to 
seventy-five  men  and  boys,  and  have  added 
largely  to  the  business  prosperity  of  Saltsburg. 
When  the  project  of  starting  the  old  glass-works 
was  discussed,  Mr.  Watson  was  the  first  to  enter 
heartily  into  the  matter,  and  wa.s  largely  instru- 
mental in  forming  the  present  company  and 
pushing  forward  the  enterprise  until  it  was  an 
assured  success. 

In  pijlitics  Mr.  Watson  is  a  republican.  In 
religious  faith  he  is  a  United  Presbyterian  and 
a  member  of  that  church  at  Saltsburg.  He 
owns  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  in  Young  township,  besides  his  business 
investments  in  Saltsburg.  In  financial  as  well 
as  business  mattere  he  has  been  prominent  for 
some  years,  and  is  now  serving  as  a  director  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Saltsburg.  James 
P.  Watson  has  contributed  as  largely  as  any 
other  citizen  of  his  native  borough  to  its  pres- 
ent prosperity.  He  is  a  respected  citizen,  a 
popular  business  man,  who  has  been  faithful  to 
every  trust  reposed  in  him,  and  ranks  high 
wherever  he  is  known  as  a  man  of  well-known 
integrity. 


ROBERT  H.  WILSON,  of  Saltsburg,  is  one 
of  the  most  scientific,  practical  and  suc- 
cessful civil  engineers  of  this  State,  and  during 
his  professional  career  had  charge  of  some  very 
important  engineering  operations  connected  with 
municipal  and  industrial  development  of  the 
county.     He  was  born  in  South  Bend  township, 


232 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  INDIANA   COUNTY. 


Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  July  9, 1851, 
and  is  a  son  of  James  D.  and  Nancy  (Wray) 
Wilson.  His  paternal  great-grandparents,  Wil- 
son, born  respectively  in  Franklin  anil  Adams  i 
counties,  were  among  the  earlier  settlers  of 
Washington  and  Allegheny  counties,  as  were 
also  his  father's  maternal  grandparents,  Hender- 
son, who  were  natives  of  Lancaster  and  Chester 
counties.  His  j)aternal  grandfather,  Hugh  M- 
Wilson,  married  Mary  Henderson,  a  grand- 
daughter of  the  Rev.  Matthew  Henderson,  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  Washington  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  a  participant  in  the  original  move- 
ment which  culminated  in  the  establishment  of  i 
Jefferson  college. 

One  of  the  sons  of  Hugh  M.  Wilson  was  ! 
James  D.  Wilson,  the  fiither  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  James  D.  Wilson  was  born  in  ! 
v\llc'gheny  county,  November  5,  1818.  On 
INfarch  24,  1847,  he  married  Nancy  Wray,  who  ' 
is  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Abigail  Wray,  and 
was  born  in  Armstrong  county,  August  11, 
1825.  In  April,  1847,  Mr.  Wilson  moved  to 
his  present  farm  of  one  huudred  and  eighty 
acres  near  Oliv^et  village,  in  South  Bend  town- 
ship, Armstrong  county,  which  was  purchased 
by  his  father  in  1838  and  then  contained  only 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  Mr.  Wilson 
has  given  his  time  chiefly  to  farming  except 
four  years  during  which  he  was  engaged  in 
milling.  He  has  served  as  a  director  of  Apollo 
Savings  bank  for  many  years  and  is  the  last 
remaining  one  of  the  original  members  of 
Olivet  U.  P.  church,  of  which  his  wife  and 
children  became  members.  Mr,  and  Mrs.  W^il- 
son  have  Ijcen  the  parents  of  six  children  : 
Robert  H.,  Mary  L.,  born  June  5,  1854  ;  Abi- 
gail, born  Sept.  18, 1856 ;  Hattie,  born  April  27, 
1864  ;  and  Hugh  and  Sarah,  born  i-e.'ipeotively 
in  1849  and  1860,  both  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy. ]Mr.  and  Mrs.  WiLson,  now  well  advanced 
in  years,  are  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  fruits  of 
their  many  years  of  honorable  and  u.seful  labor. 

Robert  H.   Wilson  was  reared  on  the  home 


farm.  He  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools,  Elder's  Ridge  academy  and  the 
Western  University  of  Pittsburgh,  in  which  he 
studied  civil  engineering.  Leaving  the  univer- 
sity, he  entered  upon  the  active  practice  of 
his  profession,  and  met  with  such  a  mea- 
sure of  success  that  eventually  his  services 
were  sought  for  by  parties  throughout  the 
entire  western  part  of  the  State.  In  1889  his 
business  had  increased  so  in  volume  that  he  was 
compelled  to  seek  assistance  in  order  to  take 
care  of  it,  and  accordingly  associated  in  partner- 
ship with  himself,  Albert  Smith,  of  this  county, 
under  the  firm-name  of  Wilson  &  Smith.  They 
have  offices  at  Saltsburg  and  Washington,  Pa. 
In  1888  Mr.  Wilson  came  to  Saltsburg,  where 
he  has  resided  ever  since. 

On  December  5,  1878,  he  married  Ellen 
Blakely,  daughter  of  James  Blakely.  To  their 
union  have  been  born  five  children  :  Florence, 
Karl,  Zora,  Irene  and  Robert. 

Robert  H.  Wilson  is  a  republican  in  politics 
and  served  as  county  surveyor  of  Armstrong 
county  from  1879  to  1882.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  U.  P.  church  and  has  served  for  many 
years  as  a  trustee  of  Elder's  Ridge  academy. 
He  has  made  a  specialty  of  town  and  city  work 
for  some  years,  and  his  firm  now  has  charge  of 
large  sewerage  and  water  sjstems  and  is  actively 
engaged  in  conducting  the  surveys  of  several 
important  coal  fields  and  the  construction  of 
some  extensive  colliery  plants.  At  this  time 
they  have  charge  of  the  sewerage  and  paving  at 
Washington  and  Monongahela  City,  Pa.,  besides 
having  just  completed  a  series  of  surveys  em- 
bracing over  six  thousand  acres  of  coal  land 
and  making  extensive  surveys  of  various  gas 
fields.  He  is  engineer  in  charge  of  the  surveys 
and  developments  of  the  Maher  Coal  &  Coke 
company  of  Blairsville,  Pennsylvania.  Mr. 
WiLson  has  kept  abreast  of  the  times  in  his 
chosen  profession  and  enjoys  the  respect  of  his 
professional  brethren  and  the  confidence  of  a 
large  and  increasing  clientelage. 


HOMER   CITY. 


Historical  and  Deseriptive. — Homer  City  is 
six  miles  south  of  the  county-seat  and  is  the 
largest  town  ou  the  Indiana  Branch  railroad 
between  Indiana  and  Blairsville  Intersection. 
It  is  situated  on  Yellow  creek,  a  short  distance 
from  the  confluence  of  that  stream  with  Two 
Lick  creek.  It  was  laid  out  in  1854,  incorpo- 
rated as  a  borough  in  1872  and  is  tlie  great 
centre  of  the  lumber  trade  of  tiie  county.  It  is 
situated  not  very  far  from  the  geographical 
centre  of  Centre  townshi[),  and  in  population 
is  the  fourth  of  the  towns  of  Indiana  county. 
Homer  City  is  in  the  Blairsville  or  Third  Great 
Coal  basin.  The  Upper  Freeport  coal  bed  of 
the  Lower  Productive  coal  measures  is  well  ex- 
posed along  Yellow  creek  and  in  the  valley  of 
that  stream  near  Homer  City  are  tlic  nearest  coal 
mines  to  Indiana.  Limestone  is  abundant,  and 
"as  here  developed,  the  Mahoning  sandstone 
furnishes  excellent  building  material,  not  only  , 
for  heavy  foundations,  but  equally  well  for  pur-  ■ 
poses  of  decoration.  This  is  fully  shown  by 
the  handsome  court-bouse  building  at  Indiana, 
in  the  erection  of  which  all  the  sandstone  em-  I 
ployed  was  taken  from  the  Mahoning  deposit 
above  Homer  City.  The  rock  is  easily  tooled, 
stands  weathering  well,  and  can  be  cheaply 
raised  in  the  Tearing  Run  region,  being  present 
in  prodigious  quantities  above  water  level." 

Homer  City  is  situated  on  land  which  is  a  | 
part  of  two  tracts;  one  patented  in  the  name  of  j 
John  Allison,  and  the  other  to  John  and  Wil- 
liam  Cummins.     About    1800    Allison    had  a 
mill  on  Yellow  creek  just   below  the  present 


dam  (1880)  in  that  stream.  He  afterwards 
built  a  second  mill,  to  which  a  saw-mill  and 
carding-machiue  was  attached.  Some  years 
after  the  mill  was  establisiied  the  site  of  the 
town  was  a  contestant  for  the  county-seat,  and 
in  all  probai)ility  would  have  l)cen  successful  if 
it  had  not  Ijeeu  for  the  liberal  offers  of  ISIr. 
Clymer  in  favor  of  Indiana.  lu  18;]2  John 
Mullin  opened  a  store  on  tlic  cast  side  of  wiiat 
is  now  Main  street.  Hugli  Devers  soon 
opened  a  second  store  and  several  houses 
were  erected.  The  town  was  laid  out  iu  1854, 
by  William  Wilson,  who  named  it  in  honor  of 
the  poet  Homer.  The  next  year  the  Indiana 
Brauch  railroad  was  completed  to  the  town  and 
it  began  to  improve  rapidly.  Stores,  mills,  shops 
and  tanneries  were  estalilished,  and  in  1872  it 
had  attained  to  a  size  sufficient  to  become  a 
borough  under  the  name  of  Homer  City.  On 
,  February  11,  1876,  the  post-office  was  changed 
'  from  Phillips'  Mills  to  Homer  City,  and  a  dec- 
ade later  many  of  its  present  industries  were 
started. 

The  first  church  was  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal, and  the  successive  churches  since  established 
have  been  the  United  Presbyterian,  Presbyterian 
and  Evangelical  Lutheran. 

The  first  physician  to  locate  at  Homer  City 
was  Dr.  James  Shields,  who  came  about  1858. 
From  that  time  until  1880among  the  physicians 
of  Homer  City  were:  D.  M.  Marshall,  1860; 
John  Evans  and  J.  C.  Morrison,  1865;  D.  Bor- 
dell,  18G7;  H.  S.  Thomas,  1873;  G.  F.  Arney, 
1878,  and  J.  G.  Campbell,  1879. 

23.3 


234 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


In  the  future  Homer  City  is  destined  to  be 
one  of  tiie  large,  prosperous  and  progressive 
boroughs  of  the  county.  Its  manufacturing  in- 
dustries, now  in  tlieir  infancy,  will  increase  in 
number  as  well  as  in  magnitude.  Its  large 
lumber  and  planing-mills  are  now  the  principal 
business  industries  of  the  town.  Homer  City 
is  one  of  the  i-ailway  towns  of  the  county,  was 
laid  out  prior  to  the  late  war  and  has  grown 
rapidly  in  size  and  numbers. 

The  census  reports  give  its  population  since 
18S0  as  follows:  1880,  381;  1890,  513. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


JOHN  GILBERT  CAINIPBELL,  M.D.,  a 
^  sufcces.sful  i>hysician  of  Homer  City,  and 
ex-member  of  the  board  of  pension  e.xaminers 
of  this  district,  is  a  son  of  Robert  and  Margaret 
(Mack)  Campbell,  and  was  born  near  Armagli, 
East  Wheatfield  township,  Indiana  county, 
Pennsylvania,  March  1,  1852.  His  grand- 
father, David  Campbell,  was  born  in  Ireland, 
in  1794,  and  came,  in  1814,  to  East  Wheat- 
field  township.  He  then  bought  a  farm  which 
he  tilled  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  One 
of  his  .son.s,  Robert  Campbell,  was  born  August 
7,  1818,  and  was  employed  during  his  early 
manhood  as  a  boatman  on  the  Pennsylvania 
canal. 

Leaving  the  canal,  he  bought  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty-seven  acres  in  West  Wheat- 
field  township,  on  which  he  resided  until  his 
death.  Robert  Campbell  was  a  member  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  church,  and  an  influential 
democrat,  having  at  different  times  been  elected 
to  the  township  offices  of  school  director,  road 
supervisor  and  overseer  of  the  poor.  He  died 
in  1882,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years.     In 


1843  he  married  Margaret  Mack,  eldest  daugh- 
ter of  Robert  and  Margaret  (McDonald)  Mack, 
of  East  Wheatfield  township.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Campbell  were  born  nine  children,  of  whom 
six  are  living:  Amanda,  wife  of  John  Lamor- 
eaux  ;  James  McClure,  a  farmer,  residing  on 
the  homestead  farm  ;  Dr.  John  Gilbert ;  Jo- 
seph, engaged  in  the  lumber  business ;  and 
Emma,  wife  of  C.  C.  Fisher,  of  Garfield.  Mrs. 
Margaret  Campbell's  father,  Robert  Mack 
(maternal  grandfather),  was  a  native  of  Indiana 
county,  and  a  substantial  farmer  of  East  Wheat- 
field  township. 

John  G.  Campbell  attended  the  public  schools 
of  East  Wheatfield  township  and  Elder's  Ridge 
academy.  For  eleven  years  he  taught  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  State.  In  1876 
he  commenced  the  stud}'  of  medicine  under  the 
instruction  of  Dr.  R.  J.  Tomb,  of  Armagh,  at- 
tended a  medical  college  in  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
for  a  short  time,  and  then  entered  the  Baltimore 
school  of  medicine,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated March  1,  1879.  He,  immediately  after 
graduation,  opened  an  office  and,  after  practic- 
ing for  some  time,  removed  to  Homer  City, 
where  he  has  built  up  a  large  and  remuner- 
ative })ractice.  He  is  erecting  a  tasteful 
dwelling  on  Main  street,  which  will  be,  when 
completed,  one  of  the  finest  residences  in  the 
borough. 

He  married  Belle  Boyd,  daughter  of  David 
and  Mary  (McCarty)  Boyd,  of  Homer  City. 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  have  one  child,  a 
daughter :  Frank  Boyd  Campbell,  who  was 
born  July  16,  1886. 

Dr.  John  G.  Campbell  is  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  holding 
the  offices  of  elder  and  trustee  of  his  church.  In 
politics  he  is  a  democrat,  and  has  been  elected 
to  various  borough  offices.  His  time  is  mainly 
devoted  to  the  study  and  practice  of  his  jirofes- 
sion.  He  is  a  genial,  courteous  gentleman,  a 
successful  physician  and  is  worthy  of  the  es- 
teem in  which  he  is  held. 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


235 


JOHN  COY,  ex-postmaster  of  Homer  City, 
and  a  ^^•ide-a\vake  inerchaut,  is  a  son  of 
John  B.  and  Margaret  (Enipfield)  Coy,  and 
was  born  in  Cherry  Hill  towushi]),  Indiana 
county,  Pennsylvania,  December  11,  1818.  His 
grandfatiier,  John  Coy,  was  a  native  and  a  life- 
long resident  of  Bedford  county,  where,  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  he  owned  a  farm  of  four 
hundred  acres  of  land.  He  was  a  man  of  great 
activifv,  and  was  quite  notable  among  the  bear- 
hunters  during  the  pioneer  days  of  Bedford 
county's  early  settlers.  He  was  an  old-line  whig, 
a  member  of  the  Evangelical  I/Utheran  church, 
and  died  in  June,  1855.  He  married  Sarah 
Bovvers,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children :  Lewis, 
Franey,  John  B.,  Adam,  Sarah,  wife  of  George 
Empfield  ;  Peter,  Nancy,  who  married  Samuel 
Stahl  ;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  AVilliam  Fowler,  and 
David.  His  second  son,  John  B.  Coy  (father), 
was  born  in  Bedford  county,  November  2, 
1814,  attended  the  subscription  sciiools,  and 
learned  the  trade  of  siioeinaUer,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  nearly  a  (juartcr  of  a  century.  In 
April,  1851,  he  removed  to  Centre  township, 
this  county,  where  he  bought  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  thirty-five  acres,  which  he  tilled 
during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  an 
elder  and  deacon  in  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church,  (if  which  he  was  for  many  years  an  ac- 
tive member.  He  was  a  republican  and  took 
quite  an  active  part  in  hjcal  politics.  He  served 
as  road  supervisor,  school  director  and  overseer  of 
the  poor,  and  at  tliis  date  (October  10, 1 800),  he 
is  living  and  enjoying  good  health.  In  1838 
he  married  Margaret  Empfield.  To  their  union 
were  born  five  children  :  Saraii  J.,  wife  of  G. 
A.  Mikcsell  ;  Benjamin,  Alexander  W .,  Peter 
and  John.  Of  these  children,  Sarah  J.  and 
John  only  are  living.  Mrs.  Coy  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Peter  Empfield  (maternal  grandfather), 
who  was  a  farmer  of  this  county  and  met  with 
several  reverses  in  business.  He  was  a  re[)ub- 
lican  in  politics. 

John  Coy  was  reared  on   his  father's  farm 


and  attended  the  public  schools.  la  early 
manhood  he  worked  on  the  farm  in  the  sum- 
mer and  on  a  saw-mill  during  the  winter  for 
several  years.  In  1872  he  came  to  Plomer 
City  and  formed  a  mercantile  partnership  with 
G.  A.  Mikesell,  under  the  firm-name  of  Coy 
&  Mikesell.  Some  eighteen  months  after- 
ward Mr.  Mikesell  sold  out  his  interest  to 
James  Fenton,  and  the  firm  became  Coy  & 
Fenton.  In  1875,  Mr.  Coy  bought  out  his 
partner's  share,  and  since  that  time  has  con- 
ducted the  business  very  successfully.  He  has 
a  large,  well-selected  stock  of  dry  goods,  gro- 
ceries, hardware  and  general  nicrchandi.se,  espe- 
cially selected  to  gratify  the  wishes  and  satisfy 
the  needs  of  his  patrons.  Attentive,  courteous 
and  obliging,  he  has  built  up  a  good  j)atronage. 
His  present  general  mercantile  establishment 
is  on  Main  street,  and  w-as  erected  in  1805  by 
his  father. 

On  September  \\),  1871,  he  married  Anna 
M.  McFeaters,  daughter  of  James  and  Eliza- 
l)eth  (Duncan)  McFeaters,  of  Indiana  county. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coy  have  three  children  :  Lela 
Thoburn,  born  May  18,  1873;  Tesora  Grace, 
born  December  14,  1876;  and  Jennie  Ethel, 
Ixirn  November  16,  1879. 

John  Coy  is  an  uncompromising  democrat, 
and  has  made  an  excellent  record  as  school 
director,  overseer  of  the  poor  and  councilman 
of  the  borough.  In  1885  he  was  appointed 
postmaster  of  Homer  City,  which  position  he 
held  until  May  24,  1889.  He  is  a  man  of 
perseverance,  sagacity  and  prudence,  and  his 
success  in  mercantile  life  is  attributable  to 
these  qualities  which  he  pos.sesses  in  so  high  a 
degree. 


DR.  JOHN  EVANS,  a  successful  physician 
of  Homer  City,  and  a  wounded  Union 
veteran  of  the  late  war,  is  a  .son  of  William 
and  Susan  (Wilkins)  Evans,  and  was  born  in 
Brush  Valley  township,  Indiana  county,  Penn- 


236 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


sj'lvania,  May  20,  1835.  The  Evanses  are  of 
Welsh  descent,  and  Hugh  Evans  (grandfather) 
was  among  the  early  settlers  of  Brush  Valley 
township.  He  came  from  Wales,  and  about 
1800  erected  a  stone  grist-mill  on  Brush  creek, 
about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  below  the  pres- 
ent site  of  Mechanicsburg.  It  was  the  first 
mill  in  Brush  Creek  Valley,  and  for  many 
years  was  a  prominent  landmark.  Besides  the 
grist-mill,  Hugh  Evans  owned  a  large  farm 
and  a  distillery.  He  was  the  first  member  of 
the  Baptist  church  who  settled  in  Brush  Val- 
ley township.  He  was  a  strong  abolitionist, 
and  died  in  1849,  when  he  was  about  seventy 
years  of  age.  He  was  married  twice.  By  his 
first  wife,  Hannah ,  he  had  eight  chil- 
dren :  Ann,  married  to  James  Stewart  ;  John, 
Hugh,  William,  Evans,  James,  Mary  and  Eliz- 
abeth. After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  he 
married  Esther  Creswell.  William  Evans 
(father)  was  born  in  1800,  and  followed  farm- 
ing tor  a  livelihood.  He  was  a  presbyterian 
and  a  whig,  and  served  as  school  director  and 
judge  of  elections.  He  has  a  well-improved  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres.  He  died 
in  1852,  in  the  fifty-third  year  of  his  age.  He 
married  Susan  Wilkins,  daughter  of  Andrew 
and  Elinor  (Robinson)  Wilkins.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Evans  were  born  eight  children :  Dr. 
John,  Andrew  W.,  Samuel  W.,  William  A., 
Nancy,  E.,  married  to  J.  Rhoads;  Susan,  wife 
of  W.  S.  McCormick  ;  Sarah  E.  and  George  W. 
Dr.  John  Evans  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  attended  the  common  schools  and 
Saltsburg  and  Jacksonville  academies.  From 
1851  to  1859  he  taught  school.  He  read  med- 
icine with  Dr.  James  ]S[cMnllen,  and  attended 
Jefferson  Medical  college,  but  left  his  class  to 
come  home  and  enlist  as  a  soldier.  On  July 
24,  1861,  he  became  a  member  of  Co.  H,  41st 
regiment.  Pa.  Vols.,  and  in  November  of  the 
same  year  was  appointed  hospital  steward.  He 
served  until  June  11,  1864,  when  he  was  hon- 
orably discharged  at  Harrisburg.     He  partici- 


I  pated  in  the  battles  of  Draiusville,  Mechanics- 
ville,  Gaines'  Mills,  Malvern  Hill,  Charles  City 
Cross-Roads,  Bull   Run,  South  Mountain,  An- 
tietam,    Fredericksburg,    Gettysburg,    Bristoe 
station,  Rappahannock  station,  Mine  Run,  Wil- 
derness, Spottsylvania,  Jericho  Ford  and  Beth- 
esda  church.     In  the  battle  of  Mechanicsville 
Dr.  Evans  was  wounded  by  a  ball.     In  1864 
!  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession 
\  at  Greenville,  but  in  1866  removed  to  Homer 
;  City,  where  he  has  enjoyed  a  lucrative  practice 
ever  since. 

On  December  21,  1868,  he  married  Isabella 
S.  Watt,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Jane  (McKen- 
nan)  Watt.  To  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Evans  have  been 
born  five  children  :  William  I.,  born  in  1871, 
and  died  in  1876;  Luella  G.,  born  in  March, 
1876;  John  J  ,  born  August  26,  1880;  An- 
drew E.  and  Jane  I.,  born  in  1888. 

Dr.  Evans  and  his  estimable  wife  have  been 
members  of  Homer  City  Presbyterian  church 
since  it  was  organized,  July  21,  1870.  On 
May  26,  1889,  he  was  appointed  postmaster  at 
Homer  City,  and  is  one  of  the  leadiug  republi- 
cans in  the  borough,  having  been  a  member  of 
the  school  board  ever  since  its  organization. 
Dr.  Evans  is  a  successful  physician  and  well 
deserves  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held. 


"  T)  EV.  CARLE  MOORE  was  born  in  Jef- 
-L*'  ferson,  Greene  county,  Pennsylvania,  in 
1848.  He  was  a  student  of  Madison  college, 
Unlontown,  Fayette  county,  Pa.,  for  four  years, 
and  read  Theology  with  Rev.  John  ]\Iorgan,  a 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  minister,  of  Union- 
town.  His  first  charge  was  over  three  Cumber- 
land Presbyterian  churches,  one  in  each  of  Ve- 
nango, Mercer  and  Crawford  counties.  After 
nearly  four  years'  labor  he  removed  to  Punx- 
sutawney,  where  he  labored  about  five  years. 
His  successive  parishes  were:  Cumberland  Pres- 
byterian church,  Mercer  county,  about  two 
years;  Brady's  Bend  Presbyterian  church,  for 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


237 


Brady's  Bend,  Iron  works;  Cumberland  Pres- 
byterian church,  in  Armstrong  county,  and 
Pleasant  Unity,  Westmoreland  county;  Beverly 
and  Lowell,  Ohio,  Congregational,  and  Green- 
field, Ohio,  new  school  Presbyterian  churches; 
Cumberland  Presbyterian,  Newburg,  Indiana, 
and  from  1869  to  1877  for  several  Presbyterian 
churches  in  northern  Indiana  county. 

"Our  subject's  wife  was  M.  J.,  daughter  of 
William  Caldwell,  of  Indiana.  Their  children 
were:  William  I.,  who  was  born  in  1847,  grad- 
uated from  the  laboratory  department  of  the 
Philadelphia  school  of  pharmacy,  opened  a 
drug  store  at  Homer  City  in  July,  1876,  and 
in  1877  married  Mary  G.  Woodford,  of  Cherry 
Tree,  by  whom  he  had  one  child,  Nellie  J.; 
James,  deceased,  and  Thomas,  deceased."  (This 
sketch  was  written  in  1880.) 


HON.  WILLIAM  L.  REED,  M.D.,  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Representatives 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  a  well-established  physi- 
cian and  influential  citizen  of  Homer  City,  is  a 
son  of  Augustus  J.  and  Mary  (Anderson) 
Reed,  and  was  born  near  Stewartsville,  in  Arm- 
strong township,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania, 
February  11,  1843.  The  Reed  family  is  of 
Scotch  descent.  William  Reed,  the  paternal 
grandfather  of  Dr.  William  L.  Reed,  was  a 
farmer  who  lived  near  Clinton  village,  in  Find- 
lev  townsiiip,  Allegheny  county.  He  was  an 
old-line  whig  and  a  strong  anti-slavery  man 
and  an  active  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  His  son,  Augustus  J.  Reed  (father), 
was  born  in  Findley  township  in  1820,  re- 
ceived a  common-school  education  and  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  1888,  when  he  removed 
to  Colorado.  He  there  bought  a  farm  of  one 
liundred  and  sixty  acres,  but,  not  liking  the 
country  and  the  rough  frontier  life  of  the  sec- 
tion in  which  he  had  located,  he  returned  to 
Allegheny  county  in  1889.  He  is  an  elder  in 
the   United   Presbyterian  church,  a  prominent 


republican  and  served  once  as  township  asse.ssor. 
In  1842  he  married  Mary  Anderson,  daughter 
of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Logan)  Anderson, 
of  Indiana  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reed  have 
been  the  parents  of  eight  children,  six  of  whom 
are  living.  Mrs.  Reed's  father,  William  An- 
derson (maternal  grandfather),  was  born  in 
Ireland,  came  in  1812  to  Ohio,  and  shortly 
afterwards  removed  to  Armstrong  county, 
where,  near  the  site  of  Taylorville,  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  four  hundred  acres.  He  was 
the  founder  of  Stewartsville  (Parkwood  post- 
office),  which  he  had  laid  out  on  New  Year's 
Day,  1848,  and  of  which  village  his  son  Sam- 
uel erected  the  first  dwelling.  William  Ander- 
son was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
and  married  Elizabeth  Logan,  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, by  whom  he  had  several  children. 

William  L.  Reed  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  attended  the  common  .schools  and 
Elder's  Ridge  academy.  He  entered  West- 
rriinster  college,  in  Lawrence  county,  from 
which  institution  of  learning  he  was  graduated 
in  1867.  On  August  31,  1861,  he  enlisted  as 
a  sergeant  in  Company  D,  62d  regiment,  Penn- 
sylvania Volunteers,  commanded  by  Col.  Black. 
He  served  three  years  and  four  months,  was 
wounded  three  times  and  was  discharged  at 
Stone  general  hos))ital,  Washington  city,  in 
December,  1864.  He  was  shot  in  the  left  leg 
at  Hanover  Court-house,  received  a  ball  in  the 
left  leg  at  Chancellorsville,  and  was  shot  in  the 
left  arm,  left  side  and  through  both  thighs  dur- 
ing the  second  day's  fight  at  Gettysburg.  After 
he  was  discharged  from  the  army  he  read  med- 
icine with  Dr.  Banks,  of  Livermore,  Westmore- 
land county,  for  six  months  and  then  taught  a 
select  school,  after  which  he  resumed  the  study 
of  medicine  with  Dr.  Robert  ^IcChesney,  of 
Shelocta.  He  attended  lectures  at  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  Cincinnati,  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1874. 
After  graduation  he  located  at  Shelocta,  where 
he  practiced  for  six  years  and  then   removed  to 


238 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Jacksonville.  In  1889  he  came  to  Homer  City 
as  a  larger  and  more  favorable  field  for  the 
jiractice  of  his  jirofession  and  is  building  up 
quite  an  extensive  practice. 

In  1867  he  married  Anna  P.  Johnson, 
daughter  of  James  and  Mary  C.  (Miller)  John- 
son, of  New  Wilmington,  I^awrence  county. 
To  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Reed  have  been  born  five 
childern :  Luhi,  born  January,  1868,  died  in 
1870;  Nola,  born  in  1870,  wife  of  a  Mr.  Scott, 
of  Westmoreland  couuty;  Nellie,  born  in  1872; 
Charles  Paul,  born  September  .30,  1877,  and 
Mary,  Ijorn  in  August,  1880.  Mrs.  Reed  is  a 
woman  of  good  education,  prominent  in  society 
and  devoted  to  her  family. 

Dr.  Reed  is  an  influential  and  leading  repub- 
lican, and  has  served  as  a  school  director  and 
biu'gess  of  Homer  City.  He  was  elected 
as  a  member  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives of  Pennsylvania,  and  served  very  cred- 
itably during  the  session  of  1888-89.  He  is  a 
courteous  gentleman  of  good  address  and  kind 
disposition,  and  has  many  friends  throughout 
the  county.  He  is  painstaking,  trustworthy 
and  successful  as  a  physician ;  useful  as  a  citi- 
zen, honorable  as  a  man  and  prominent  as  a 
republican  in  the  county  councils  of  his  party. 


JOHN  P.  ST.  CLAIR.  Among  the  busi- 
*-'  ness  men  of  Homer  City,  none  rank  higher 
than  John  P.  St.  Clair,  ex-clerk  of  the  board 
of  commissioners  of  Indiana  county  and  pro- 
prietor of  the  Homer  City  flouring  mills.  He 
is  a  son  of  Hon.  Thomas  and  Charlotte  (Pat- 
ton)  St.  Clair,  and  was  born  at  Indiana,  Indiana 
county,  Pennsylvania,  December  31,  1848.  He 
is  of  Scotch-Irish  descent  and  on  his  paternal 
side  is  descended  from  the  St.  Clair  family  of 
Scotland,  which  was  founded  during  the  middle 
ages,  by  Sir  Walderne  de  St.  Clair,  a  Norman 
Knight,  and  whose  full  history  will  be  found  in 
the  sketch  of  Hon.  Thomas  St.  Clair,  of  In- 
diana.     James    St.    Clair,    Sr.    (great-grand- 


father and  cousin  to  Gen.  Arthur  St.  Clair), 
came  from  Ireland  to  York  county  and  served 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.     His  son,  James  St. 

j  Clair  (grandfather),  came  to  this  county,  where 
he  married  Jennie  Slemmons,  of  Irish  descent 
and  reared  a  family  of  ten  children:  Margaret, 
William  S.,  Mary  W.,  James,  Samuel,  Isaac, 
John,  Robert,  Hon.  Thomas,  M.D.,  and  Hiram. 
(See  sketch  of  Ex-Senator  St.  Clair,  of  In- 
diana.) 

j  John  P.  St.  Clair  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  and  Indiana  academy. 
Leaving  school,  he  engaged  in  the  general  mer- 

;  cantile  business  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Sutton,  Lloyd  &  Co  ,  but  soon  withdrew  from 
that  firm  and  formed  a  partnership  with  W.  R. 
Laughry,  under  the  firm-name  of  Laughry  & 
St.  Clair,  which  name  was  afterward  changed 
to  Sutton,  Laughry  &  Co.,  when  Peter  Sutton 
entered  the  firm.  In  1871  Mr.  St.  Clair  ex- 
changed his  interest  in  this  latter  firm  for  a 
third  interest  in  the  old  "  Two  Lick  "  grist-mill. 
His  father  bought  the  remaining  two-thirds 
interest  and  they  operated  it  under  the  firm- 
name  of  Thomas  St.  Clair  &  Son  until  Feb- 
ruary, 1876,  when  they  sold  the  mill.  They 
then  engaged  in  business  at  Two  Lick's  station 
as  the  "  Two  Lick's  Lumber  company,  limited." 
Three  years  later  they  sold  their  property  at  the 
station  and  dissolved  partnership.  John  P.  St. 
Clair,  in  the  mean  time,  was  elected  clerk  of  the 
commissioners  of  Indiana  county,  which  office 
he  assumed  on  January  1,  1879,  and  filled  very 
creditably  for  his  term  of  three  years.  In  1 882 
he  inherited  a  third  interest  in  the  Homer  City 
mills,  and  since  that  time  has  devoted  his  atten- 
tion to  the  management  of  these  mills  and 
building  up  the  extensive  trade  which  he  now 
enjoys.  The  mill,  including  the  other  buildings 
on  the  property,  is  worth  $25,000.  It  is  one  of 
the  oldest  mills  in  the  county,  and  since  being 
improved  and  refitted   by  Mr.  St.  Clair,  has  a 

,  capacity    of   seventy-five    barrels    of  flour   per 

'  day. 


INDIANA  COUNTY. 


239 


January  4,  1872,  he  married  Martha  J.  ' 
Daugherty,  daughter  of  James  R.  and  Anna 
M.  (Hart)  Daugherty,  of  Indiana.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  St.  Clair  are  the  parents  of  seven  chil- 
dren:  Mary  C,  born  March  3,  1873;  Tliomas 
P.,  born  January  2,  1876;  Frank  D.,  born 
June  10,  1879;  John  D.,  born  July  4,  1881; 
Jennie,  born  May  11,  1884;  James  K.,  born 
August  26,  1886;  and  Anna  Joe,  born  Decem- 
ber 2,  1888.  Mrs.  St.  Clair  is  an  intelligent 
and  amiable  woman,  a  devoted  mother,  a  kind 
friend  and  an  earnest,  consistent  member  of  the 
Homer  City  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  her 
husband  was  for  years  a  trustee  and  is  now  an 
elder. 

J.  P.  St.  Clair  is  a  member  of  Indiana 
Lodge,  No.  21,  Ancient  Order  United  Work- 
men. In  politics  he  is  independent,  regarding 
a  candidate's  character  and  capabilities  for  the 
office  for  which  he  is  a  nominee,  rather  than  his 
political  views.  He  has  filled  the  office  of 
school  director  for  seven  years  and  is  a  member  j 
of  the  borough  council.  He  resides  in  a  pleas- 
ant and  tasteful  residence  in  a  desirable  part  of 
the  town  and  his  excellent  wife  has  rendered 
their  home  as  attractive  without  as  it  is  genial  i 
and  hospitable  within. 


"  A  NDREW  ALLISOX,  who  came  to  In- 
■^  diana  county  in  1788,  was  the  first  to 
settle  within  the  present  limits  of  the  county. 
He  was  born  in  Cumberland  county.  Pa.,  in  the 
year  1757.  His  father,  Robert  Allison,  came 
from  county  Dcrry,  Ireland,  in  1750,  and  set- 
tled in  CVunbcrland  county.  He  was  married 
in  1752  to  a  lady  by  the  nameof  Beckie  Beard, 
a  granddaughter  of  one  Charles  Stuart,  a  de- 
scendant of  the  house  of  Stuarts.  They  reared 
a  family  of  si.x  sons  and  one  daughter.  Andrew, 
the  third  sou,  after  having  followed  General 
Washington  through  the  most  gloomy  period 
of    the    Revolution,    returned    to    his    father's 


family,  in  Cumberland  county,  but  did  not  re- 
main there  long.  In  the  year  1785  he  again 
left  the  paternal  roof,  and,  M'ith  a  new  axe  in 
his  hand  and  a  rifle  on  his  shoulder,  crossed  the 
mountains  and  settled  in  Westmoreland  county, 
near  the  site  of  the  present  village  of  New 
Deny.  There  he  commenced  an  improvement, 
makiug  his  home  with  Joiin  Pomroy  in  time  of 
peace,  and  when  the  Indians  invaded  the  settle- 
ment he  took  refuge  in  a  fort  in  the  vicinity. 
During  his  sojourn  in  Westmoreland  county 
the  settlement  was  frequently  attacked  by  In- 
dians, and  several  men  were  killed  and  others 
wounded.  In  1788  he  sold  his  improvements 
to  Francis  Pomroy,  crossed  the  Conemaugli 
river,  and  settled  on  the  bank  of  Two  Lick,  on  the 
site  of  an  old  Indian  town,  opposite  the  present 
village  of  Homer.  Here  he  built  a  cabin  and 
cleared  some  ground  for  agricultural  purposes. 
The  cabin  was  without  a  door,  and  a  liole  in  one 
side  served  as  a  ])lace  of  ingress  and  egress. 
In  the  year  1790  his  father  came  from  Cum- 
berland county  and  took  charge  of  his  improve- 
ments, and  Andrew  penetrated  farther  into  the 
forest  and  opened  up  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Archy  Nichol,  three  miles  east  of  the  borough 
of  Indiana.  Here  he  was  the  frontier  settler, 
with  nothing  between  him  aud  the  Susquehanna 
river  but  the  howling  wilderness,  abounding 
with  wild  beasts,  and  traversed  by  hostile  sav- 
ages. In  October  of  that  year  he  was  married 
to  a  lady  by  the  name  of  Sally  Barr.  He  re- 
mained at  his  new  home  till  1792,  in  which 
year  the  Indians  renewed  their  depredations 
upon  some  of  the  border  settlements.  A  report 
having  reached  him  one  evening  that  Indians 
were  in  the  vicinity,  he  took  his  family,  con- 
sisting of  his  wife  and  oue  child,  and  fled  to 
his  nearest  neighbor,  Irwin  Adams,  who  had 
come  from  Ireland  and  located  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  G.  A.  McCiain.  After  remaining 
there  several  days  Allison  went  to  look  after 
his  farm,  and  get  some  articles  that  had  been 
left,   but  the  cabin   w^ith   all  its   contents   had 


240 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  INDIANA   COUNTY. 


been  burnt,  the  Indians  having  fired  it  during 
his  absence.  He  then  returned  to  his  father's, 
on  Two  Lick  and  Yellow  creek,  on  an  improve- 
ment made  by  Jolui  Henry  at  an  earlier  date, 
but  who,  on  account  of  the  dangers  that  sur- 
rounded him,  had  returned  to  his  former  home 
in  Virginia.  At  this  place  Allison  remained 
till  1795,  when  he  purchased  an  improvement 
made  in  1772  by  one  Joseph  Hopkins,  about 
three  miles  south  of  Indiana,  Hopkins  and  his 


family  having  fled  from  their  clearing  on  account 
of  the  Indian  troubles.  Here  again  he  was  on  the 
frontier,  with  neither  a  horse  nor  a  public  road, 
bridge,  church  or  school-house  within  ten  miles. 
It  was  truly  a  secluded  spot ;  the  silence  of  the 
forest  was  seldom  broken,  except  by  the  howl- 
ing wolves,  the  yelling  panthers  or  the  crack 
of  the  hunter's  rifle.  Here  he  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days,  and  cleared  out  a  large 
farm.   He  died  in  1815,  aged  fifty-eight  years." 


MARION. 


Historical  and  Descriptive. — Marion  (Post- 
office  Brady)  is  on  Pine  run  in  the  soutiiern 
part  of  East  Mahoning  township,  and  is  the 
largest  town  north  of  the  piirciiase  line  in  Indi- 
ana county.  It  was  laid  out  by  John  Park  in 
1842  and  incorporated  as  a  borough  in  1872. 

"  Marion  is  situated  on  a  tract  of  land  which 
originally  embraced  four  hundred  and  eight 
acres,  the  patent  of  which  was  issued  to  James 
Johnston,  a  deputy  surveyor,  on  the  31st  of 
January,  1798.  lu  the  patent  the  tract  is 
called  'Greenland,'  and  is  descril:)ed  as  situated 
on  the  waters  of  Pine  run.  In  1795  John 
Park  came  to  this  portion  of  Peunsylvania  to 
make  surveys  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  John- 
stou.  lu  1798  he  purchased  the  'Evergreen' 
body  of  land,  though  he  did  not  get  his  deed 
till  the  2d  of  December,  1803.  In  1799  he 
erected  a  log  cabin  16x20  in  what  is  now  the 
south-west  end  of  the  village,  on  the  lot  now 
owned  by  the  Rilchey  heii"s.  The  Ritchey 
house  stands  on  the  old  foundation.  This  is 
said  to  have  been  the  second  house  erected  in 
this  section  north  of  the  purchase  line.  Elisha 
Chambers,  Hugh  Thompson,  Fergus  Moorhead, 
Jacob  Shalleberger,  William  McHenry,  five 
Seneca  Indians,  a  squaw  and  a  papoose  M'ere  at 
the  raising.  The  Indians,  according  to  tradi- 
tion, would  not  work  till  the  bottle  of  whiskey 
was  passed  and  each  had  drank  a  portion  there- 
of Then,  upon  a  signal  from  the  chief,  who 
shook  energetically  a  gourd  partly  filled  with 
corn,  they  went  to  work  with  much  awkward- 
ness but  good-naturedly,  and  in  a  few  hours  the 
lone  cabin  had  risen. 


"It  is  said  that  when  Mr.  Park  first  came  to 
this  region  he  encamped  on  the  site  of  his  cabin. 
Near  it  was  a  fine  spring.  On  the  opposite  bank 
of  the  run  were  some  Indians  who  had  erected 
their  wigwams  there,  no  doubt  on  account  of 
the  spring,  as  well  as  the  abundance  of  game  in 
the  surrounding  forest.  After  the  raising  they 
all  went  to  Hugh  Thompson's  place,  about  two 
and  one-half  miles  down  Pine  run,  where  the 
Indians  and  the  whites  had  a  grand  frolic.  The 
red  men  danced  to  the  music  of  tlie  shaken 
gourd,  and  there  was  naught  to  disturb  the  har- 
mony of  the  hour." 

John  Park  was  the  life  of  the  settlement  that 
was  gathering  around  the  site  of  his  future 
town.  In  1810  he  built  a  tan-yard,  and  soon 
afterwards  built  a  horse-power  grist-mill,  which 
he  replaced  in  1834  with  a  water-power  flour- 
ing-mill,  with  a  capacity  of  thirty  bushels  per 
day.  His  son  James  had  a  cabinet  factory  and 
carpenter  shop  in  connection  with  the  mill  for 
several  years. 

"Marion  was  laid  out  by  John  Park  in 
August,  1842,  and  the  first  sale  of  lots  occurred 
in  the  succeeding  month.  The  plat  embraced 
eight  acres,  with  one  main  street  and  two  rows 
of  lots  on  either  side.  The  first  house  erected 
after  the  platting  of  the  town  was  the  residence 
of  Hezekiah  Wood,  the  pioneer  chair  and  spin- 
ning-wheel maker.  This  is  still  standing  on 
the  south  side  of  West  Main  street,  and  is  the 
property  of  John  Riddle.  Mr.  Wood  worked 
at  his  trade  in  James  Park's  shop.  The  second 
building  was  erected  by  James  Park  for  James 
McKelvey,  the  first  blacksmith.     It  stands  to- 

241 


242 


BWORAPHTES  OF 


day  on  the  east  side  of  the  Wood  residence. 
The  blacksmith  sliop  was  situated  on  the  east 
side  of  Manor  street,  one  square  below  the 
Diamond,  and  is  now  used  as  a  warehouse  by 
John  H.  Rochester.  The  next  house  was  Wil- 
liam Campbell's,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Wood 
property.  The  first  wagon  shop  was  carried  on 
in  this  building  by  Wm.  Bowers.  It  is  now 
occupied  by  Dr.  W.  S.  Shields.  The  first 
saddler  and  harness  maker  was  Wm.  Richard- 
son, who  also  kept  his  shop  and  residence  in  the 
Wood  house.  Hezekiah  Wood,  Sr.,  was  the  first 
shoemaker.  He  was  said  to  have  been  as  good 
at  the  last  as  his  son  was  at  the  bench.  The 
first  paiuterwas  Linton  Park,  whose  experience 
has  justly  entitled  him  to  be  designated  as 
the  master  of  the  craft  in  (he  Mahoning  Val- 
ley. McCracken  &  Conrad  (George)  were  the 
first  merchants.  Their  store  was  commenced 
in  1845,  and  was  located  in  the  room  now 
(1880)  occupied  by  Mrs.  Mary  Pounds  as  her 
dining-room  for  the  Exchange  hotel.  James 
Park  owned  the  building,  and  in  a  short  time 
he  built  the  front  part  of  the  building,  and  the 
store  was  transferred  to  the  room  now  used  as 
the  office.  After  a  career  of  three  years  the 
store  was  transferred  to  Gettysburg." 

The  first  hotel  was  opened  in  1844  by  James 
Park,  and  the  first  resident  justice  of  the  peace 
was  Robert  J.  Hopkins.  Kiuter  and  Ritchey 
erected  a  steam  grist-mill  in  1855,  C.  M.  Long 
built  a  woolen-mill  in  18fil,  and  James  and 
Linton  Park  erected  a  planing-miil  in  1868.  A 
cabinet  factory  was  erected  in  1869,  the  Parks  & 
Beans  window-blind  factory  went  into  operation 
in  1874,  and  about  1885  the  Marion  creameiy 
was  started. 

The  physicians  of  Marion  have  been :  J.  D. 
Baldwin,  1844-61;  J.  K.  Thompson,  1845-90; 
J.  B.  Davidson,  1851-64;  G.  J.  McHenry, 
1864;  D.  M.  Marshall,  1865-72;  D.  H. 
Snowdon,  1873-75;  W.  S.  Shields,  1874-77, 
and  A.  H.  Allison,  the  present  leading  physi- 
cian of  the  borough,  who  located  there  in  1880. 


I       The    population  of  Marion  since   1860    has 

■  been  as  follows:  1860,  137;  1870,  113;  1880, 
114;  1890,  133. 

"In  the  midst  of  an  excellent  agricultural 
section,  with  never-failing  supplies  of  water, 
witk  thousands  of  acres  of  timber  at  her  very 
doors,  with  coal  veins  oj^ened  even  within  the 

.  corporation  limits,  whose  extent  seems  inex- 
haustible, and  whose  quality  is  up  to  the  re- 
quired standard,  with  a  climate  at  ouce  exhila- 
rating and  balmy,  and  having  a  people  indus- 
trious, energetic  and  fruitful  in  invention,  there 
is  no  reason  why  ISIarion  should  not  increase 
steadily  in  numbers,  wealth  and  intelligence. 
The    academy   and    the    public    school    offer 

'.  facilities  of  no  mean  order.  The  religious 
privileges  are  the  equal  of  any  in  the  county. 
The  moral  tone  of  the  community  is  at  a 
most  healthy  stage,  and  there  seems  to 
be  a  desire  to  be  and  to  do  something  for  the 
improvement  not  only  of  the  town,  but  the 
county  and  State. 

j  "  The  Marion  subdivision  of  the  Fourth  Coal 
basin  embraces  all  that  portion  of  Indiana 
county  situated  west  of  the  Indiana  anticlinal, 
and  east  of  the  Saltsburg  and  Perrysville  sub- 
anticlinals.     On   the   Conemaugh   river  it_is  a 

'  narrow  trough  six  and  three-quarters  miles 
wide,  exteuding  from  the  Deep  hollow,  two 
miles  below  Blairsville,  to  near  White's  station, 
on  the  West  Pennsylvania  railroad.  Followed 
northeastward  from  the  Conemaugh  river  the 
width  of  the  sub-basin  is  steadily  diminished 
by  the  convergence  of  its  anticlinal  sides ;  but 
in  the  Mahoning  townships  acro.ss  the  '  Pur- 
chase Line'  the  Saltsburg  axis  is  obliterated 
altogether,  and  the  basin  there  extends  west- 
ward to  the  Perrysville  anticlinal,  thus  giving 
to  the  trough  in  this  latitude  a  width  of  nearly 
nine  miles.  Besides  the  town  (jf  Marion  this 
sub-basin  includes  the  villages  of  Covode,  Da- 
vidsville,  Marchand,  Georgeville,  Kellysburg, 
Kintersburg,  Jacksonville  and  Fillmore.  As 
much    as   two-thirds,   and   in    places,    perhaps 


INDTANA   AND  ARMSTRONG   COUNTIES. 


243 


three-fourths,  of  the  Lower  Barren  group  are 
piled  up  along  the  synclinal  axis,  giving  to  this 
section  gentle  slopes  and  fertile  soils,  profitable 
to  the  farmer  and  stock-grower. 

"  The  Lower  Productive  Coal  Measures  are 
little  known  in  the  southern  portion  of  the 
Marion  sub-basin,  and  it  is  not  until  we  have 
crossed  the  '  Purchase  Line  '  that  we  find  these 
rocks  occupying  an  extended  area  above  water 
level.  It  is  true  that  the  Frecport  group  rises 
above  the  draiuage  line  at  such  points  in  the 
valleys  of  tlie  Coneraaugh,  Crooked  creek  and 
McKee's  run,  as  lie  close  to  the  anticlinals;  and 
these  exposures,  though  of  very  limited  extent, 
are  of  great  im])ortance  to  the  surrounding 
country,  which  is  thus  supplied  with  cheap  fuel 
both  for  domestic  purposes  and  for  the  limekiln. 
North  of  the  'Purchase  Liue,'  by  the  uplift  of 
the  whole  country,  the  Lower  Productive  meas- 
ures are  the  surface  rocks  aloug  all  the  princi- 
pal streams  in  the  eastern  hiilf  of  the  trough  ; 
but  by  the  great  expansion  of  the  basin  and  the 
obliteration  of  tlie  Saltsburg  anticlinal  before 
readiing  the  Little  Mahoning,  the  western  half 
of  the  trough  in  this  region  is  composed  chiefly 
of  Lower  Barren  rocks,  which  we  find  in  the 
deep  valley  of  the  Little  Mahoning  to  the  al- 
most total  exclusion  of  the  Lower  Productive 
measures  above  the  surface.  Only  the  highest 
strata  of  the  latter  group  outcrop  above  water 
level  at  the  point  where  the  Pcrrysville  anti- 
clinal crosses  the  creek  about  three  miles  above 
the  town  of  Smi(;ksburg. 

'■'  At  Kellysburg  the  narrowly  contracted 
and  rocky  valley  of  Pine  run  expands  under 
the  disappearance  of  the  Mahoning,  which  in 
turn  gives  place  to  higher  and  softer  rocks. 
The  developments  of  Mr.  St.  Clair  Thompson 
have  fully  demonstrated  that  this  valley  is  bar- 
ren of  workable  coals  until  the  eastward  course 
of  the  raviue  has  carried  it  to  Marion,  where 
the  upper  portion  of  the  Lower  Productive 
Coal  measures  has  been  pushed  above  the  pres- 
ent drainage  line  by  the  Indiana  anticlinal  axis, 
15 


on   the  western  flank  of  which  the  town  of 
Marion  is  situated." 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


ALEXANDER  H.  ALLISON,  M.D.,  the 
pioneer  pliysi(;ian  of  Cookport  and  now 
in  active  and  successftd  practice  at  Marion,  is  a 
son  of  John  R.  and  Rebecca  (James)  Allison, 
and  was  born  in  East  Mahoning  township,  In- 
diana county,  Pennsylvania,  June  6,  1842. 
John  R.  Allison  was  born  in  Indiana  county 
and  was  an  industrious  farmer  of  East  Mahon- 
ing townshij),  where  he  died  December  7,  1853, 
aged  forty-four  years  and  seven  months.  He 
married  Rebecca  James,  a  native  of  Clarion 
county,  who  was  born  in  1814,  and  died  Jan- 
uary 25,  1884,  aged  seventy  years.  Their 
family  consisted  of  nine  children,  five  sons  and 
four  daughters.  One  of  the  sons  was  William 
R.,  who  was  a  prominent  lawyer  of  Indiana, 
served  as  district  attorney  from  1871  to  1874, 
and  died  in  1883,    aged  forty-six  years. 

Alexander  H.  Allison  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm  and  received  his  literary  education 
in  Dayton  and  Glade  Run  academics  of  Ann- 
strong  county.  At  twenty-two  years  of  age  he 
commenced  the  study  of  medicine  with  Drs. 
McEwcn  and  Annesly,  and  after  completing 
the  required  course  of  reading,  entered  Jefferson 
Medical  college  of  Philadelphia,  from  which  lie 
was  graduated  March  4,  1867.  On  May  l.'Uii, 
of  the  same  year,  he  located  at  Cookport  anil 
became  the  first  jihysician  of  that  )>lace.  lie 
was  prominently  identified  with  the  town  in  its 
growth  and  progress  for  over  thirteen  years. 
In  1880  he  left  an  extensive  and  lucrative  prac- 
tice and  a  large  circle  of  personal  friends  at 
that  place  to  establish  himself  in  another  and 
very  inviting  field  for  the  practice  of  his  i)ro- 
fession.  This  section  which  he  had  selected 
was  Marion  borough  and  vicinity.     He  located 


244 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


at  Marion  ia  1880,  where  he  soou  Iniilt  up  a 
large  practice  which,  has  continually  increased 
ever  since.  In  1881  he  opened  his  present 
well-stocked  drug-store  iu  order  to  have  pure 
and  fresh  drugs  always  convenient  for  his  prac- 
tice and  also  as  an  accommodation  to  the  pub- 
lic. During  Lee's  threatened  invasion  of  Penn- 
sylvania, in  1863,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  B,  sixty- 
second  regiment,  Pa.  Militia,  and  participated  in 
the  battle  of  Antietam. 

On  July  4,  1879,  Dr.  Allison  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Mary  Lockard,  of  Indiana,  whose 
father,  David  Lockard,  owns  the  well-known 
Lockard  flouring-raills  of  Indiana. 

Politically  Dr.  Allison  is  a  democrat.  In 
addition  to  his  practice  he  has  given  some  atten- 
tion to  agriculture  and  business  pursuits.  He 
owns  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  acres  of  the 
old  Allison  homestead  farm  in  East  Mahoning 
township,  where  he  keeps  some  of  the  finest 
thoroughbred  horses  to  be  found  in  the  county. 
He  is  proprietor  of  the  Marion  creamery,  iu 
which  from  100  to  200  pounds  of  butter  are 
made  daily  and  shipped  to  various  parts  of  the 
county.  He  is  a  genial  and  courteous  gentle- 
man. He  successfully  discharges  the  duties  of 
his  profession  with  care  and  sincerity  and  has 
well-earned  his  deserved  popularity  as  a  physi- 


cian. 


"  JOHN  PARK  was  born  in  1776,  in  the 
^  town  of  Baltiwalter,  county  Down,  Ire- 
land, and  was  the  son  of  Robert  and  Jane 
(Bailey)  Park.  The  family  removed  in  1794 
to  Philadelphia,  where  Robert  instructed  classes 
in  navigation.  He  died  about  a  year  after  his 
location,  and  his  widow  subsequently  married 
James  Johnston,  the  surveyor,  who  resided  near 
Green  Castle,  Franklin  county,  and  whose 
name  is  associated  with  the  early  surveys  of 
northern  Indiana  county.  She  died  iu 
Johnstown,  Cambria  county,  in  1 828,  and  was 
one  hundred  and  eight  years  of  age  at  the  time 


of  her  death.  Our  subject  studied  surveying 
with  his  father  and  step-father,  and  received  a 
commission  as  deputy  surveyor  for  the  western 
district  of  Pennsylvania,  from  Gov.  Snyder. 
His  location  near  the  present  site  of  Marion  is 
related  in  the  history  of  the  borough.  He  died 
August  10,  1844,  at  the  age  of  seventy.  His 
wife  was  Mary  Lang,  whom  he  married  in 
Franklin  "county,  in  1807.  She  died  in  1864, 
eighty-one  years  old.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
Rev.  James  Lang,  a  Presbyterian  minister  of 
White  Spring,  Franklin  county.  John  and 
Mary  Park's  (children  were  :  Margaret  H.,  mar- 
ried to  Samuel  Craig;  Robert,  married  first  to 
Mary  G.  Cannon,  second  to  Margaretta  Thomp- 
son and  third  to  Martha  Caruthers,  a  sister  of 
Rev.  John  (Jaruthers;  Jane  R.,  married  to 
Alexander  Sutor;  Mary  B.,  married  to  Joseph 
Brady;  James  L.,  married  first  to  Susannah 
Early,  and  second  to  Anna  Loughry;  Ann  E., 
married  to  James  Martin;  Amanda,  married  to 
Robert  Barbour;  John,  married  to  Martha 
Curtiss;  and  Lindon.  Lindon  was  for  six  years 
in  the  United  States  service,  one  year  of  which 
he  was  a  member  of  the  '  President's  Guards,' 
2d  regiment,  District  of  Columbia.  Lindon 
engraved  the  broad-axe  presented  to  Lincoln  in 
1860." 


HON.  JOHN  KEENE  THOMPSON, 
M.D.,  ex-member  of  the  Pennsylvania 
legislature,  and  ex-associate  judge  of  the 
courts  of  Indiana  county,  was  one  of  the 
oldest  and  ablest  physicians  of  western  Penn- 
sylvania. He  was  born  at  the  village  of  Ston- 
erstowu,  twelve  miles  west  of  Bellefonte,  Centre 
county,  Pennsylvania,  December  25,  1821,  and 
was  a  son  of  John  and  Lydia  (Blake)  Thomp- 
son. Among  the  many  settlers  of  Centre 
county  who  came  from  county  Derry,  Ireland, 
was  John  Thompson,  Sr.,  the  grandfather  of 
Dr.  Thompson.  He  was  a  Presbyterian  in 
religious  faith,   and    died   iu    early  life.     He 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


245 


bad  a  war  claim  from  the  war  of  1812,  and 
settled  near  the  site  of  Stonerstown,  where  he 
served  for  several  years  as  justice  of  the  peace. 
His  son,  John  Thompson  (father),  was  born  and 
reared  on  his  father's  farm,  upon  wliiuli  lie  con- 
tinuously resided  until  his  death,  in  1877,  at 
seventy-eight  yeai"s  of  age.  He  was  well  edu- 
cated for  his  day,  and  ably  sustained  the  repu- 
tation of  an  honest  and  upriglit  man.  He  acted 
as  clerk  for  the  Potter  Furnace  company,  after- 
wards became  manager  of  their  extensive  iron 
works,  but  resigned  the  latter  position  to  engage 
in  tlie  general  mercantile  business  at  Stoners- 
town, where  he  became  quite  wealthy.  He  was 
elected  sheriff  of  Centre  county,  whei'e  he  served 
one  term  with  great  credit  to  himself  and  advan- 
tage to  the  county.  He  married  Lydia  Blake,  of 
Keunett  Square,  Chester  county,  against  tiic 
wishes  of  her  parents,  who  disinherited  her  on 
aocount  of  her  marriage.  Respected  for  his 
honesty  and  integrity,  his  services  were  con- 
stantly in  demand  among  his  neighbors  in  all 
matters  of  importance,  especially  in  legal  busi- 
ness. 

John  Keene  Thompson  was  reared  at  Stt)ners- 
town,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  entered  Alle- 
gheny college,  at  Meadville,  Pa.,  in  which  he 
remaiual  for  two  years.  He  then  left  college 
and  read  medicine  with  Dr.  George  B.  Engles, 
after  which,  in  1844,  he  entered  Jefferson  Med- 
ical college  of  Pliiladelphia,  from  which  insti- 
tution he  was  graduated  in  1845.  In  March, 
1846,  he  locatetl  at  Marion,  when  Dr.  Baldwin 
was  the  only  physician  in  that  section.  Dr. 
Thompson  soon  came  into  a  wide  practice  that 
extended  over  parts  of  Jefferson,  Armstrong 
and  Clearfield  counties,  in  addition  to  his  home- 
practice  at  Marion.  In  18G3  he  removed  to 
Indiana,  but  two  years  later  he  returned  to 
Marion,  where  of  late  years  he  had  retired  from 
active  practice,  except  in  his  own  town,  or  when 
adled  in  consultation.  In  185G  Dr.  Thomp- 
son was  elected  associate  judge  of  Indiana 
county,  and   at  the   expiration  of  his   term  in 


1861,  was  re-elected,  and  served  until  1866. 
In  1874  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Pennsylvania  legislature,  and  w-as  re-elected  in 
1875.  Before  the  war  he  was  a  frce-soiler,  and 
since  1865  h.'id  been  an  active  Republican.  He 
was  a  delegate  to  the  National  Republican  con- 
vention in  Philadelphia  that  nominated  General 
Grant  for  president,  and  was  alternate  to  the 
Chicago  convention  of  1888,  that  nominated 
Benjamin  Harrison  for  president. 

Dr.  Thompson  was  serving  as  president  of 
the  Marion  school  board  and  burgess  of  the 
borough  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1890.  He 
married  Jane  Thompson,  <laug]iter  of  Robert 
Thompson.  (See  sketch  of  Robert  Thompson, 
of  Indiana).  Mrs.  Thomp.soii  died  and  lefl  one 
child :  Horace  J.,  a  successful  mcrciiant  at 
Decker's  Point.  On  Marcii  6,  188'J,  Dr. 
Thompson  was  united  in  marriage,  by  Rev.  H. 
A.  Ottnian,  of  Salamanca,  N.  Y.,  with  Mrs. 
Anna  M.  (AYeamcr)  Sylvis,  an  estimable  and 
fine-looking  woman.  Slie  is  a  native  of  Indiana 
county,  and  a  daugiiter  of  David  Weamer,  who 
was  a  merchant  at  Indiana  and  Newville,  and 
(lied  in  1877. 

In  addition  to  his  town  property,  Dr.  Tliomp- 
son  owned  about  five  liundred  acres  of  valuable 
land.  He  was  a  charter  member  and  one  of 
the  directors  of  the  Indiana  County  Deposit 
bank,  and  a  trustee  of  the  State  Normal  school 
at  Indiana.  During  the  hist  summer  (although 
it  was  not  apparent  to  any)  his  .sands  of  life 
\vere  nearly  run  out,  and  on  September  17, 
1890,  his  spirit  went  home,  wiien  he  was  well 
advanced  in  his  seventy-ninth  year.  With 
impressive  funeral  ceremonies  his  remains  were 
entombed  in  Gilgal  cemetery  amid  a  large  and 
sorrowing  assemblage  of  people.  It  has  been 
the  privilege  of  very  few  men  to  be  so  eminently 
useful  as  Dr.  Joiin  Keene  Thompson  was  in  all 
that  pertained  to  the  well-being  of  iiis  neigh- 
bors and  the  prosperity  of  his  community.  As 
a  physician  he  had  always  been  successful,  as  a 
judge  he  was  able  and   impartial,  as  a  legislator 


246 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  INDIANA   COUNTY. 


none  were  more  active  in  the  interests  of  their 
constituents,  and  as  a  man  he  stood  high  in  the 
estimation  of  his  fellow-citizens  throughout  the 
county. 


JAMES  M.  WORK,  a  well-qualified  justice 
of  the  peace  and  a  prominent  citizen  and 
leading  business  man  of  Marion  borough,  is  a 
son  of  William  and  Nancy  (Brown)  Work,  and 
was  born  about  five  miles  northeast  of  Marion, 
in  East  Mahoning  township,  Indiana  county, 
Pennsylvania,  April  8,  1832.  He  is  of  Scotch - 
Irish  lineage,  and  his  paternal  grandfather, 
William  Work,  Sr.,  was  a  native  of  eastern 
Pennsvlvania.  He  was  married,  iu  1792,  in 
Cumberland  county,  to  Miriam  Scroggs,  daugh- 
of  Alexander  and  Rachel  (Ireland)  Scroggs, 
the  former  a  native  of  Scotland  and  the  latter 
of  Irish  descent.  Soon  after  his  marriage 
William  Work,  Sr.,  removed  to  the  foot  of 
"Squirrel  Hill,"  near  the  site  of  New  Florence, 
in  Westmoreland  county.  In  1805  he  came  to 
East  Mahoning  township,  where  he  died  in 
1828,  aged  sixty-eight  years.  He  was  an  hon- 
est, honorable  man  and  a  member  of  the  Se- 
cedcr  church.  His  widow  survived  him  until 
1855,  when  she  passed  away  at  eighty-one  years 
of  age.  William  Work,  Sr.,  was  a  prominent 
man  although  no  aspirant  for  political  honors. 
He  was  among  the  first  (if  not  the  first)  teach- 
ers ill  the  Mahoning  country,  and  left  the  im- 
press of  his  excellent  character,  to  some  extent,  on 
the  veneration  that  succeeded  him  and  received 
its  education  at  his  hands.  His  children  were: 
Rachel  Hamilton,  James,  Lettice  Ewing,  Alex- 
anders., John,  William,  Hon.  Allen  N.,  who  was 
a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  legislature;  Sarah 
Steele,  Mary  S,.  Miriam  Limerick,  Moses  T., 
Susan  E.  Smith,  and  Elijah  I.  William 
Work  (father)  was  born  iu  November,  1800, 
and  died  in  1878.  He  was  reared  in  his  na- 
tive township,  where  he  always  resided,  and 
where  he  followed  forming  until  his  death.    He 


married  Nancy  Brown,  who  was  a  daughter  of 
Jeremiah  Brown,  a  farmer  and  distiller  of  this 
couuty.  After  JVIrs.  Work's  death,  Mr.  Work 
married  for  his  second  wife  Mary  T.  Hamilton. 
James  M.  Work  was  reared  on  a  farm,  re- 
ceived a  good,  practical  education  and  taught 
school  for  five  years.  At  fifteen  years  of  age 
he  learned  barn-building,  but  was  principally 
engaged  in  farming  until  1871,  although  he  de- 
voted a  portion  of  each  winter  to  lumbering. 
In  the  last-named  year  he  came  to  Marion, 
where  he  embarked  in  the  manufacture  of  fur- 
niture and  window  blinds.  After  seventeen 
years  of  successful  experience  as  a  manufac- 
turer he  disposed  of  his  factory  and  engaged  iu 
his  present  prosperous  undertaking  business. 
In  1874  he  was  elected  as  county  commis- 
sioner and  served  very  faithfully  during  his 
term.  In  1875  he  was  appointed  to  fill  out 
an  unexpired  term  as  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
rendered  such  good  satisfaction  that  he  has  been 
elected  to  that  office  three  times  in  succession 
since.  Oil  Oct.  13,  1853,  he  married  Margaret 
Hamilton,  who  died  September  7,  1874.  Mr. 
Work  was  remarried  April  17,  1879,  to  Anna 
R.  (Getty)  Morton.  By  his  first  marriage  lie 
had  six  cliildreu  :  Jeremiah  W.,  Jessie  F.,  wife 
of  James  L.  Park,  Jr.;  Elizabeth  Estella,  mar- 
ried to  Robert  C  Meanor,  editor  of  the  Cherry 
Tree  Becord  ;  Lottie  N.,  wife  of  Samuel  Rue,  of 
Ft.  Collins,  Colorado;  Maud  C,  married  to  A. 
L.  Guthrie,  a  merchant  of  Marion  ;  and  Mar- 
garet. 

In  1863  he  enlisted  in  a  regiment  of  Pennsyl- 
vania Militia,  and  served  on  the  southern  bor- 
I  der  of  the  State.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
honing United  Presbyterian  church,  and  has 
been  as  prosperous  in  his  present  as  he  was  in 
his  past  lines  of  business.  Squire  Work  has 
carefully  studied  the  principles  as  well  as  the 
practice  of  law,  and  while  an  expert  in  drawing 
up  legal  documents  in  correct  form,  is  also 
recognized  as  an  authority  in  his  section  upon 
points  of  law. 


CONEMAUGH,  BLACK  LICK,  Bl  RRELL  AND  EAST  AND  WEST 

WHEATFIELD  TOWNSHIPS. 


Historical  and  Descriptive. — The  southern 
townships  of  Indiana  connty  are  Couemaugh, 
Bhick  Lick,  Bnrrell  and  East  and  West  Wheat- 
field,  on  whose  territory  the  earliest  settlements 
in  the  county  were  made. 

Conemauf/h  towtwhip  is  in  the  southwestern 
part  of  the  county,  was  organized  from  Arm- 
strong township  about  1803,  and  received  its 
name  from  the  river  whicli  separates  it  from 
Westmoreland  county. 

Settlements  were  made  in  the  township  as 
early  as  1779,  and  by  1807  it  contained  two 
hundred  and  thirty  eight  taxables,  as  returned 
in  the  following  assessment  list  of  that  year  : 

John  Barr,  tanner;  Charles  Barr  and  Sam- 
uel Barr,  weaver;  Samuel  Barr,  cooper;  Thos. 
Bell,  weaver;  John  Bell,  David  Blakely,  Jas. 
Black,  saddler;  Alexander  Barkley,  Nancy 
Bollman,  widow;  James  Brown,  David  Black, 
James  Bums,  ^\'iiliam  Crawford,  Thomas  Cini- 
uingham,  Samuel  Coulter,  Andrew  Cunning- 
ham, John  Cuuninnham,  William  Croazer, 
shoemaker;  George  Cunningham,  Tlios.  Curry, 
John  Coleman,  William  Coleman,  Nicholas 
Coleman,  Hugh  Cunningham,  John  Crosier, 
Ann  Canning,  widow;  Thonuus  Carey,  James 
Curry,  Robert  Dunlap,  reedmaker;  Fred- 
erick Deemer,  Thomas  Duncan,  shoemaker ; 
John  Davis,  James  Elder,  Robert  Elder,  David 
Elder,  Mary  Elder,  widow;  John  Ewiug,  Rob- 
ert Ewing,  blacksmith ;  Thomas  Elder,  James 
Elder,  fuller;  Benjamin  Edwards,  shoemaker; 
Abb  Findley,  Robert  Fulton,  John  Flemming, 


William  Flemming,  James  Flemming,  Alex- 
ander Flemming,  James  Gailey,  cooper;  John 
Garey,  John  Gray,  Jas.  Gibson,  Andrew  Cietty, 
John  Getty,  joiner;  Wm.  Gains,  Anna  Gibson, 
widow  ;  Robert  Henderson,  David  Henderson, 
joiner;  Robert  Henderson,  Joseph  Henderson, 
Edward  Hutchison,  David  Hutchison,  George 
Hutchison,  James  Hutchison,  John  Hutchison, 
Francis  Harbison,  tailor ;  Jos.  Harbison,  tailor; 
Robert  Harbison,  John  Hopkins,  Moses  Hart, 
Rosannah  Haselet,  widow;  John  Henry,  Robert 
Henry,  Thomas  Hood,  James  Hamilton,  Eliza- 
beth Hutchison,  widow;  Joseph  Hutchison, 
Catherine  Hindmau,  widow;  Eiiphlet  Irwin, 
Hannah  Irwin,  widow;  Beza  Irwin,  school- 
master ;  Thos.  Kier,  David  Kerr,  Jacob 
Keener,  Samuel  Kelly,  Samuel  Kilpatrick, 
Henry  Kilpatrick,  weaver;  Robert  Kelly, 
John  Long,  Tobias  Long,  carpenter;  Jacob 
Long,  Tobias  Long,  Abraham  Lowman,  John 
Lewis,  Hugh  Lynn,  John  Laird,  Zachariah 
Loughrey,  IVIargaret  Loughrey,  widow;  Sam- 
uel Lyon,  Robert  Lafferty,  John  Lalferty, 
Alexander  Little,  Jacob  Libengood,  Robert 
Little,  James  Leach,  John  Lepley,  wagonmaker; 
Allen  McComb,  James  McNeal,  Susanna  Mill- 
irons,  widow;  James  Millen,  Joseph  Millcn, 
carpenter;  Christian  Miller,  stiller;  ilathias 
Miller,  blacksmith;  R.  McCready,  R.  Miller, 
J.  Mardanand,  J.  McCreight,  J.  McKissock,  J. 
Mit<'hell,  Margaret  Marshall,  widow;  John 
McClelland,  Daniel  McClelland,  Matthew  Mo- 
Cowell,  James  McDowell,  Francis  McClellam, 

247 


248 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Kobert  McKissock,  John  Marshall,  Archibald 
Marshall,  James  Marshall,  John  McKee,  hatter ; 
Alexander  MeCurdy,  Alexander  McLean,  James 
McLean,  Esq.,  Samuel  McMean,  John  Mc- 
Lean, Samuel  Marshall,  Archibald  Mar- 
shall, William  Marshall,  tanner;  Robert 
Miller,  Samuel  Miller,  John  Matthews,  James 
Mattiiews,  Rev.  John  Matthews,  Samuel  Mil- 
ler, Joseph  Marshall,  William  McEliianey, 
blacksmith;  Samuel  Mitchell,  Andrew  "Mo- 
Curdy,  Joseph  Mitchell,  Andrew  McCreery, 
Samuel  McCreery,  Robert  Mitchell,  siioemaker; 
Isabella  Martin,  widow ;  Thomas  McClelland, 
shoemaker;  Jane  Madre,  widow ;  Robert  Mc- 
Conib,  John  McNeal,  blacksmith;  William 
Newel,  Jolui  Neal,  Wm.  Neal,  Rosannah 
Neal,  John  Nisbet,  Jonathan  Nisbet, 
Mary  Nisbet,  widow;  Agnes  Oliver, 
widow;  James  Oliver,  John  Pattersou,  Alex- 
ander Patterson,  William  Patterson,  Josepii 
Pitts,  Joseph  Pierce,  cooper;  Samuel  Reed, 
merchant;  Thomas  Reed,  John  Reed,  shoe- 
maker; Robert  Robinson,  Sr.,  George  Randies, 
John  Robinson,  Robert  Robinson,  Jr.,  Rebecca 
Rosborough,  widow;  Joseph  Ross,  John  Ru- 
therford, James  Smith,  weaver;  Thomas  Smith, 
James  Smith,  Robert  Shields,  Robert  Shirley, 
John  Shirley,  James  Simmons,  weaver;  Nich- 
olas Snow,  blacksmith;  Mary  Thompson, 
widow;  Moses  Thompson,  cabinetmaker ;  Moses 
Thompson,  Sr.,  Adam  Thompson,  Alexander 
Thompson,  Alexander  Templeton,  Jas.  Thomp- 
son, Wm.  Thompson,  Jane  Thompson,  widow; 
John  Thompson,  Robert  Virtue,  Samuel  Vir- 
tue, Adam  Wreath,  weaver;  Matthew  Watron, 
Jacob  Wimmer,  Robert  Wilson,  Daniel  Wray, 
Robert  Wray,  John  Wray,  Joseph  Wray,  John 
Wright,  Francis  Riddle,  weaver;  Joseph  Yates; 
James  Alexander,  weaver. 

In  1880  a  gentleman  who  was  well  acquainted 
with  the  township  gave  the  following  facts  in 
connection  with  its  surface  minerals  and  early 
settlers : 

"  The  soil  is  a  rich  loam,  well  adapted  to  ag- 


ricultural purposes.  The  principal  minerals 
are  coal,  iron  ore  and  lime-stone.  The  surface 
is  hilly.  It  is  well  watered  by  the  Black  Legs 
creek  and  numerous  other  streams  that  empty 
into  the  Conemaugh  and  Kiskirainetas  rivers, 
bordering  on  the  south. 

"The  first  settlers  in  this  locality  were   prin- 
cipally Scotch  and  Irish,  who  came  from  the 
old  counties  of  the  State,  and  were  a  very  sober 
and  industrious   j)eople.     From   1770  to  1794 
the  settlers  were  quite  insecure  on   account  of 
the  hostility  of  the    Indians.     A   block-house 
was  erected  on  the  Dixon   farm  as  a  means  of 
defense.     One  of  the   Indian    war-paths    was 
along  the  Loyalhanna.     There  was  an   Indian 
town  about  one  mile  below  Saltsburg,  on  the 
left  bank  of  the  Kiskiminetas.     Notwithstand- 
ing the  frequent  interruptions  by  the  Indians, 
the  settlement  was  rapidly  extended.     Among 
the  early  settlers  here  were  the  Wilsons,  Wrays, 
Millers,   Marshalls,  Lemons,    Pattons,   Loves, 
Drums,    Johnstons,     Robinson.s,    Hendersons, 
McBrides,  Colemans,    Thompsons    and  others. 
A  number  of  these  had  been  raised  under  Pres- 
bvterian  influence,  and  they  brought  with  them 
the    Bible   and  held  family   worship.     Robert 
Robinson,  Sr.,  came  to  this  locality  in  1766  and 
built  a  cabin  in  sight  of  the  river  opposite  Coal- 
port,  and  soon  after   built   his  residence,  which 
is  still  standing  upon  the  farm  now  owned  by 
W.  J.  Sterett,  where  he  lived   and  died.     The 
Rev.  James    Power,   afterward    D.D.,    became 
pastor    of     Mount     Pleasant    and    Sewickley 
churches,  and  began  to  preach  as  stated  supply 
at  Unity.     Unity,  fourteen  miles  distant,  was 
the    nearest   point   from   Saltsburg    for    public 
worship  prior  to  1783,  the  close  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary war.     From  that  time  the  Presbytery 
of  Redstone,  which  then  embraced  all  of  this 
region  in  its  field,  sent  out  numerous  supplies 
into    the    thinly    settled    districts,    by    whom 
churches  were  organized.     There  were  no  set- 
tled pastors  until  1790.     On  the  22d  of  No- 
vember of  that  year,  old  Salem,  Congruity  and 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


249 


Polk  Run  obtained  under-shepherds — Mr.  I 
John  MePherrin  being  ordained  and  installed 
pastor  of  the  first  (in  connection  with  Unity) 
and  Mr.  Samuel  Porter  of  the  other  two.  The 
Rev.  Joseph  Henderson  was  «illed  to  the  con- 
gregation of  Ebenezer,  April  9th,  1799,  and 
became  their  pastor.  To  those  points  where 
tents,  and  afterwards  rude  log  houses  of  worship, 
had  been  erected,  our  forefathers  from  the  sur- 
rounding country  gathered  with  their  families 
for  public  worsiiip. 

"  A  log  grist-mill  was  erected  on  Johnson's 
Point  at  a  very  early  day,  to  which  the  settlers 
packed  their  grain  to  be  prepared  for  food. 
From  the  Indiana  side  they  came  from  five  to 
ten  miles  across  a  region  of  country  but  thinly 
settled,  and  winding  through  unbroken  wood- 
land to  the  very  edge  of  the  river;  they  forded 
it  at  a  point  just  above  the  junction  of  Loyal- 
hanna.  Later  there  was  an  oil-mill  and  still- 
house  built  upon  the  point,  and  business  began 
to  centre  here.  Flat-boats  were  laden  at  the  j 
point  with  home  products  for  New  Orleans. 
This  was  the  only  source  of  communication  for 
trade  until  the  opening  of  the  Pennsylvania  I 
canal  in  March,  1829,  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  Coneniangh,  which  did  away  with  tlat-boats. 
From  this  date  there  were  no  niore  bills  of 
shipment  made  out  at  Johnson's  Point.  The 
line  of  trade  passed  by  on  the  other  side  and  i 
touched  at  Saltsburg.  The  early  rising  town  [ 
faded  in  the  disappointment  and  went  down, 
and  to-day  a  lone  rude  dwelling — the  oldest  in  i 
all  the  country  around — marks  the  place.  The 
early  discovery  and  manufacture  of  salt  in  this 
locality  is  accredited  to  one  William  Johnson, 
who  came  from  Franklin  county  in  1800,  and 
settled  upon  the  point.  In  1813  or  '14  he 
bored  the  first  well,  in  the  pursuit  of  salt,  in 
the  bed  of  the  Coneraaugh,  about  two  miles 
above  its  junction  with  the  Loyalhanna.  At 
the  depth  of  287  feet  he  found  an  abundant 
fountain,  strongly  impregnated  with  salt.  He 
was  soon  in  the  full   tide  of  successful  experi- 


ment, making  about  thirty  bushels  per  day,  all 
of  which  found  a  ready  market;  and  some  of  it 
at  first  sold  as  high  as  $4  per  bushel.  Others 
soon  embarked  in  the  business,  and  the  manu- 
factory of  salt  was  carried  on  quite  extensively 
for  twelve  or  fourteen  years,  when  the  low  price 
discouraged  its  production.  There  are  but 
three  wells  in  operation  at  the  present  time. 
These  are  from  one  to  five  miles  above  Salts- 
burg. The  deepest  of  these  wells  is  1,000  feet. 
In  1825  a  salt  well  was  sunk  on  the  left  bank 
of  the  river  a  short  distance  above  the  mouth 
of  the  Black  Lick  ;  but  to  the  grief  of  all  the 
parties  interested,  it  only  poured  forth  a  stream 
of  useless  dirty  looking  oil.  They  filled  up  the 
well  and  abandoned  it.  Of  late  search  has 
been  made  to  find  the  oily  well,  but  in  vain." 

The  Saltsburg  axis  passes  nearly  through  the 
centi-al  part  of  the  township,  and  divides  into 
two  parts,  of  which  the  western  one  lies  in  the 
Saltsburg  sub-basin  and  the  eastern  one  in  the 
Marion  sub-basin  of  the  Fourth  Great  basin. 
The  eastern  part  is  entirely  in  the  Lower  Bar- 
ren measures  which  carries  the  Upper  Freeport 
coal,  while  the  western  part,  west  of  Black 
Legs  creek,  is  principally  in  the  Upper  Coal 
measures,  and  carries  the  Pittsburgh  coal-bed — 
which  has  not  yet  been  fully  developed — up  to 
the  Armstrong  county  line.  The  geologists 
say  that  the  Pittsburgh  coal-bed  appears  as  a 
slaty  and  much-parted  seam  in  the  Saltsburg 
basin.  Including  its  partings  and  roof  coal,  it 
ranges  from  8  to  11  feet  in  thickness,  main- 
taining these  dimensions,  with  trifling  varia- 
tions, from  the  Coneraaugh  river  to  West  Leb- 
anon. The  coal  is  very  rich  in  hydrocarbon 
gases — richer  by  from  3  to  7  per  cent,  than 
the  coal  from  the  same  bed  at  Blairsville. 
And  the  few  analyses  made  of  it  show  also 
that  it  is  here  less  pyritous  than  at  the  latter  place. 

The  coal  makes  a  broad  distinct  bench  on 
nearly  every  slope  over  which  it  runs.  By 
means  of  this  bench,  and  with  the  aid  of  the 
geological    map    of  the  county,  the    observer 


250 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


iu  the  field  will  have  no  difficulty  in  tracing 
the  bed  across  the  numerous  ravines  by  which 
the  basin  is  gashed,  to  the  northernmost  end 
of  this  coal  in  Indiana  county. 

Moreover  the  bed  has  been  so  frequently 
opened  up  in  this  basin  that  allusion  here 
can  only  be  made  to  such  mines  as  were  ex- 
amined, and  in  which  measurements  of  the  bed 
were  made.  Generally  speaking,  only  the 
lower  half  of  the  seam  is  wrought  in  the 
Saltsburg  basin,  tlie  roof  coal  being  so  much 
parted  by  thin  bands  of  slate  that  there  is 
little  inducement  to  taUe  it  dmvn  in  mining. 
Moreover  the  shales  over  tliis  roof  coal  are  so  \ 
soft  and  friable  that  they  render  this  plan  of 
mining  almost  imperative,  without  an  elaborate 
and  expensive  system  of  timbering. 

Ill  the  Saltsburg  basin  the  Pittsburgh  bed 
exists  in  tiiree  belts  of  nearly  equal  size.  All 
of  these  have  their  western  limits  across  the 
borders  of  Armstrong  county,  but  the  great 
bulk  of  this  coal  area  is  in  Indiana  county. 
The  first  of  these  bolts  extends  from  the  Con- 
eniaugh  river  to  Big  run,  a  small  stream 
which  empties  into  Black  Legs  creek,  near 
Clarksburg;  the  second  belt  extends  from  Big 
run,  northeast  to  Whiskey  run,  while  the  third 
area  embraces  the  region  between  Whiskey 
run  and  the  headwaters  of  one  branch  of 
Gobbler's  run  at  West  Lebanon.  Beyond  this 
latter  place  there  are  a  few  small  detached 
outliers  of  Pittsburgh  coal,  but  as  before 
stated,  this  seam  docs  not  cross  the  main  val- 
ley of  Gobbler's  run,  two  miles  northeast  of 
AVest  Lebanon. 

The  deep  ravines  dividing  this  coal  area  in 
separate  belts  furnish  long  lines  of  outcrop, 
by  means  of  which  all  the  coal  in  this  basin 
could  be  easily  and  cheaply  mined.  The 
strata  are  nearly  horizontal,  the  gentle  rise 
from  the  synclinal  only  assisting  the  operations 
of  the  miner. 

At  present  the  bed  is  worked  in  this  basin  only 
in  a  small  way  to  supply  the  home  market. 


Many  years  ago  the  coal  was  quite  exten- 
sively mined  on  the  Rhea  property,  near  Coal- 
port,  but  developments  here  terminated  when 
the  canal  ceased  to  be  used.  Further  down 
the  river  the  bed  is  now  being  mined  be- 
low Loyalhanna  station,  in  Westmoreland 
county,  by  the  Loyalhanna  Coal  and  Coke  com- 
pany. 

The  outcrop  of  the  Pittsburgh  coal  bed 
skirts  the  high  western  bluif  of  Black  Legs 
creek.  In  the  vicinity  of  Clarksburg,  on  Black 
Legs,  five  miles  above  Saltsburg,  several  mines 
have  been  opened  on  the  Pittsburgh  seam. 
The  village  of  Clarksburg  is  in  Lower  Barren 
rocks,  200  feet  below  the  Pittsburgh  coal, 
nearly  all  the  intervening  measures  being  ex- 
posed in  the  little  valley  of  Harper's  run, 
which  joins  Black- Legs  at  Clarksburg. 

In  the  Conemaugh  valley  there  are  several 
salt  wells,  from  which  is  manufactured  au  ex- 
cellent quality  of  salt.  About  the  year  1812 
or  1813  an  old  lady  named  Deemer  discov- 
ered an  oozing  of  salt  water  at  low-water 
mark  on  the  Indiana  side  of  the  ''/onemangh 
river,  about  two  miles  above  the  present  site 
of  Saltsburg.  Prompted  by  curiosity,  she 
gathered  some  of  the  water  to  use  for  cook- 
ing purposes,  and  with  a  portion  of  it  made 
mush,  which  she  found  to  be  quite  palatable. 
This  discovery  very  soon  led  to  the  develop- 
ment of  one  of  the  most  important  business 
interests  in  the  county.  About  the  year  181.3 
William  Johnston,  an  enterprising  young  man 
from  Franklin  county,  commenced  boring  a 
well  at  the  spot  where  Mrs.  Deemer  made  the 
discovery,  and  at  the  depth  of  two  hundred  and 
eighty-seven  feet  found  an  abundance  of  salt 
water.  The  boring  was  done  by  tramp  or 
treadle,  the  poles  being  connected  with  open 
mortice  and  tongue,  fastened  with  little  bolts. 
The  salt  was  manufactured  by  boiling  the  water 
in  large  kettles,  or  graimes,  using  wood  for  fuel, 
until,  with  the  opening  of  additional  wells, 
some  fifty  or  sixty  acres  of  woodland  had  been 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


251 


consumed  for  this  purpose.  Originally  the 
pumping  was  done  by  blind  horses,  and  the  salt 
sold  at  five  dollars  per  biisiiel  retail,  but  as  tiie 
wells  multiplied  the  price  came  down  to  lour 
dollars.  With  the  increase  of  the  trade  came 
new  maciiinery  and  appliances  in  tlie  manufac- 
tui-e  of  the  salt.  The  unwieldy  kettles  were  dis- 
pensed with,  and  large  pans  of  half-inch  iron, 
some  twenty  feet  long,  ten  to  eleven  feet  wide 
an<l  eight  inches  deep  were  used  instead ;  coal 
was  used  as  fuel,  and  the  blind  hor-ses  were  put 
aside,  and  tiie  steam-engine  introduced  for  l>oth 
b(iring  and  pumping.  The  place  was  called  the 
tJreat  ("oneu'augh  salt  works,  from  the  name  i)f 
the  river  upon  which  they  were  located,  and  a 
post-office  with  that  name  was  established  there. 

The  seven  wells  along  the  river,  on  the  West- 
moreland side,  were  all  put  down  prior  to  1820 
and  1822,  and  from  that  date  till  1830  the 
gi'oup  of  hills  on  both  sides  of  the  river  was 
like  a  great  bee-hive;  yet  the  expenses  of  pro- 
duction, in  many  instances,  exceeded  the  income. 
The  coal  and  machinery  had  to  be  hauled  from 
Pittsburgii  by  wagon,  or  brought  by  tiie  river 
in  keel-boats — both  expensive  means  of  trans- 
portation. 

The  population  of  Conemaugh  township  at 
each  census,  from  1860  to  1890,  has  been  as 
follows:  1748,  1701,  1493,  1346  and  1530. 

The  principal  townsof  the  towship  are:  Salts- 
burg,  Kelly's  station,  where  John  Kelly  made 
the  first  improvement  prior  to  the  Revolution- 
ary war;  Clarksburg,  situated  iu  the  Pittsburgh 
coal  field,  with  200  population,  and  Tunnel- 
ton. 

Black  Lick  Toiniship. — This  township  lies 
north  of  Black  Lick  creek,  and  the  Indiana 
axis  divides  it  into  two  nearly  equal  parts;  the 
western  part  is  in  the  Marion  sub-basin  of  the 
Fourth  Great  basin,  and  the  eastern  part  lies  in 
the  Blairsville  or  Third  Great  basin.  Between 
two  tributary  streams  of  Black  Lick  creek  is 
an  area  of  the  Pittsburgh  coal-bed. 

Crossing    Black    Lick    and    ascending    the 


northern  slope  of  the  valley,  the  Pittsburgh  bed 
first  apj)ears  in  a  small  knob  on  the  Camjibell 
farm  at  the  summit  of  the  slopes.  Here  it  is 
exposed.  Then  in  a  knob  of  similar  size,  but 
separate  and  distinct  from  the  Campbell  out- 
crop, and  to  the  northwest  of  the  latter  farm 
it  again  appears.  But  the  most  important  area 
north  of  Black  Jjick  creek  is  that  embracing 
the  Doty  and  .1.  Dixon  farms,  which,  with  a 
small  oul-lier  in  the  S.  Dixon  property,  termi- 
nates the  Imsin. 

The  coal  as  opened  on  the  Doty  farm  is  55 
feet  higher  in  level  than  in  Coleman's  ;  this 
being  nearly  along  tlie  strike  of  the  rocks  ex- 
presses the  gentle  rise  in  the  synclinal  towards 
tlie  northeast — -the  rise  that  thrusts  the  Pitts- 
burgh coal  from  the  basin  and  covers  the  coun- 
try beyond  with  Ijower  Barren  rocks. 

In  the  Doty  mine  the  coal  is  very  uniform 
and  regular,  and  is  decidedly  more  free  from 
pyrites  than  where  exposed  at  any  other  point 
in  the  basin.  It  carries,  however,  considerable 
slate,  especially  near  the  floor,  the  bottom 
bench  being  almost  worthless  in  its  lower  part. 

The  geological  structure  of  Black  Lick  Val- 
ley M-ill  be  further  noticed  in  East  and  West 
Wheatfield  townships. 

The  township  was  formed  from  Armstrong 
township  in  1807,  and  its  chief  productions  are 
wheat,  corn,  oats,  coal  and  limestone.  The 
surface  is  moderately  hilly,  and  its  citizens  give 
particular  attention  to  raising  fine  (-at tie. 
Among  the  early  settlers  were  George  Ault- 
mau.  Rev.  Henry  Baker,  Patrick  McGee,  Gen. 
Charles  Campbell  and  Jacoi)  Bricker.  Mollie 
Furnace,  who  came  with  the  Dixons,  frcipient- 
ly  told  of  having  nursed  Gen.  George  ^\'ash- 
ington.  Gen.  Charles  Campbell  and  five  others 
of  the  early  settlers  were  captured  by  the  In- 
dians and  held  as  prisoners  for  five  years. 
John  Dixon,  who  died  iu  1843,  at  seventy-two 
years  of  age,  was  the  first  white  child  which 
was  born  in  the  township. 

Newport,  the  first  town  in  Indiana  county, 


252 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


was  founded  half  a  mile  below  the  junction  of  j 
Black  Lick  creek  and  the  Conemaugh  river,  by 
Alexander  Deunison,  some  time  between  1785 
and    1790. 

A  block-house  was  erected  and  the  town  pros- 
pered for  a  few  jeai-s.  Stores  were  opened,  two 
taverns  were  started,  and  among  other  build- 
ings erected  were  a  church,  mill,  carding  fac- 
torv,  tannery,  hatting  shop  and  scythe  factory. 
A  new  county  was  agitated  at  that  time,  and 
Newport,  being  in  the  centre  of  its  proposed 
territory,  expected  to  become  its  future  county- 
seat.  The  Conemaugh  being  made  the  bound- 
ary line  of  Westmoreland  destroyed  all  possi- 
bility of  the  new  county,  and  Newport  went 
down,  until  to-day  not  a  vestige  of  any  of  its 
buildings  are  to  be  seen. 

We  give  the  following  list  of  taxable 
inhabitants  resident  within  the  bounds  of 
Black  Lick  township,  in  the  county  of  Indi- 
ana, as  returned  on  the  assessment  lists  for 
1807: 

Robert  Anderson,  weaver;  Philip  Altman, 
Jacob  Altman,  blacksmith ;  George  Altman, 
John  Anderson,  James  Brunson,  mulatto ; 
John  Burns,  Mary  Bell,  spinster;  George 
Bell,  tailor;  Jeremiah  Brown,  Thomas  Bell, 
David  Byers,  weaver;  Tobias  Byers,  Henry 
Byers,  Jacob  Bricker,  Benjamin  Closson,  con- 
stable; Philip  Cribs,  John  Casaday,  Charles 
Campbell,  judge;  ^Michael  Campbell,  Josiah 
Closson,  Richard  Closson,  George  Cribs,  Sr., 
John  Conkle,  John  Cowen,  James  Caldwell, 
John  Caldwell,  James  Craig,  George  Cribs, 
Jr.,  Samuel  Coulter,  David  Campbell,  weaver; 
John  Compton,  shoemaker;  Jean  Dean,  spin- 
ster; Samuel  Dixon,  Esq.,  Andrew  Dickson, 
James  Dickson,  Davis  Davis,  William  Davis, 
Sr.,  William  Davis,  Jr.,  William  Downey, 
Samuel  Downey,  John  Downey,  ilary  Downey, 
spinster;  Thomas  David,  William  Deviney, 
Esq.,  Andrew  Deviney,  Samuel  Douglas,  cabi- 
net-maker; Steward  David,  shoemaker ;  George 
Daugherty,  Abraham  Dehavens,  William  Dona- 


hew,  Henry  Ebrick,  carpenter;  Mary  Elder, 
spinster;  Joseph  Elder,  Elizabeth  Elder,  raan- 
tuamaker;  John  Fair,  Peter  Fair,  James  Fer- 
guson, Sr.,  James  Ferguson,  blacksmith;  David 
Fergiison,  Hance  Ferguson,  Alexander  Fails, 
Susanna  Glenn,  spinster;  James  Gordon,  John 
Gibson,  Hugh  Gibson,  Samuel  Gray,  tailor; 
William  Green,  Michael  Heir,  weaver;  Robert 
Hunter,  shoemaker;  James  Hunter,  George 
Hays,  doctor;  John  Hamilton,  weaver;  Henry 
Frederick,  John  Herrold,  Sr.,  John  Herrold, 
Jr.,  Daniel  Herrold,  David  Herren,  Ruban 
Jewel,  Patrick  Jack,  Rev.  John  Jameson,  Wil- 
liam Jameson,  John  Jameson,  painter;  Isaac 
Jennings,  Samuel  Keton,  Archibald  Kelly, 
Charles  Kenning,  Joseph  Kenning,  James 
Kelly,  stonemason;  Patrick  Kelly,  coverlid 
weaver;  Amos  Laurence,  William  Laurence, 
Reynold  Laughlin,  James  Lyon,  Alexander 
Lyon,  Jacob  Lepley,  wagon-maker;  Henry 
Livingston,  wagon-maker;  Conrad  Lintner, 
tavern-keeper;  Andrew  Lowers,  James  Lock- 
erd,  Jos.  Loughry,  cooper ;  Nicholas  Loughry, 
William  Loughry,  Daniel  Levear,  John  Miller, 
James  McConnal,  David  Mercer,  John  Meri- 
man,  wheelwright;  Archibald  McEwen,  Pat- 
rick McGee,  distiller;  Rebochah  Moorhead, 
weaver;  Jonathan  Martin,  stone-mason;  James 
McComb,  assemljly;  George  McComb,  tanner; 
William  McFarlaud,  John  McFarland,  miller; 
William  Martin,  Hugh  Mclntire,  Andrew 
McCartney,  carpenter ;  Arthur  McGufF,  John 
McCready,  John  Meason,  trader;  William 
Mecum,  tavern-keeper;  Joshua  McCracken, 
shoemaker ;  Robert  McElhaney,  Jane  McClure, 
spinster;  Robert  ilurdurgh,  Peres  Means,  Eli- 
zabeth McCartney,  spinster;  John  McCrea, 
William  McFarland,  James  Mitchell,  Robert 
Nixon,  merchant;  Robert  Nixon,  Jr.,  mer- 
chant; John  O'Conner,  school-master;  Robert 
Patten,  Peter  Palmer,  Charles  Palmer,  Susan- 
nah Palmer,  spinster;  John  Palmer,  Sarah 
Reed,  weaver;  Samuel  Reed,  Jane  Rapine, 
spinster;  James  Rapine,  Daniel  Rapine,  John 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


253 


Rapine,  mill-wright;  William  Rankin,  George 
Rankin,  Andrew  Rankin,  James  Reed,  Chris- 
topher Rapine,  George  Rapine,  fuller;  Agnes 
Rain,  spinster;  Christian  Riich,  John  Robins, 
shoemaker;  Catherine  Rhees,  spinster;  Robert 
Rhees,  Michael  Buch,  Joseph  Smith,  Daniel 
Smith,  blacksmith  ;  William  Smith,  shoemaker; 
David  Still,  James  Shields,  Garvin  Sutton, 
Joseph  Shields,  cooper;  John  Scott,  shoe- 
maker; Thomas  N.  Sloan,  Esq.,  John  Spires, 
Jane  Smith,  negro,  jobber;  Catherine  Thomas, 
spinster;  Joseph  Turner,  wheelwright;  Sam- 
uel Talmage,  doctor:  Michael  Tarry,  Daniel 
Ulam,  Aaron  Wear,  Hugh  Wear,  George  Wear, 
wheelwright;  Joseph  Wear,  Abraham  Wear, 
AVilliam  Wallace,  Samuel  Wallace,  tailor; 
James  Williams,  Catherine  Wolf,  tavern-keep- 
er ;  James  Wilson,  Hugh  Wiley,  cooper ;  John 
Wiley,  miller;  Adam  Walker. 

The  population  of  Black  Lick  township  at 
each  census  from  1850  to  1890  has  been  :  2043, 
1130,  1016,  798  and  924. 

Burrell  Toicnship  is  in  the  Blairsville  basin 
and  lies  between  the  Chestnut  Ridge  axis  on 
the  east  and  the  Indiana  axis  on  the  west. 
About  one-third  of  the  eastern  part  of  the 
townshi|>  lies  in  the  Lower  Coal  measures, 
while  the  remainder  is  situated  in  the  Lower 
Barren  measures,  which  carries  the  Upper 
Freeport  coal.  A  small  area  of  tiie  Pittsburgh 
Coal-bed  extends  north  from  Blairsville  towards 
Black  Lick  creek,  while  in  the  extreme  south- 
east the  Mauch  Chunk  Red  Shale,  XI,  Pocono 
Sandstone,  X,  and  Catskill  formation,  IX, 
crosses  the  township.  In  the  northeastern  part 
the  Red  Shale  again  appears. 

The  fire-clay  deposit  of  Burrell  township  has 
acquired  some  commercial  celebrity,  and  justly 
so,  because  the  clay  when  carefully  selected, 
and  the  two  varieties  properly  mixed,  produces 
a  brick  of  liigh  refractory  power.  It  exists  in 
great  abundance,  is  easily  mined  and  is  favor- 
ably situated;  moreover,  it  loses  nothing  in 
thickness   or    in    character    in   ascending    the 


stream,  remaining  in  all  respects  even  and  reg- 
ular. It  has  been  traced  as  far  up  the  creek  as 
Berry's  house,  where  it  has  been  worked,  but 
beyond  this  point,  aside  from  its  outcrop,  it  is 
not  known,  having  hitherto  been  overlooked  in 
the  explorations  on  Dr.  Simpson's  property. 

TJie  plastic  day  immediately  underlying  the 
coal  is  not  worked,  sufficient  clay  of  this  variety 
and  of  better  quality  being  obtainable  just  be- 
low the  band  of  hard  clay,  an  interval  of  about 
one  foot  separating  the  two  deposits. 

This  deposit  of  fire-clay  resting  immediately 
on  top  of  Formation  XII  is  one  that  is  widely 
outspread  in  the  bituminous  coal  regions.  It 
is  this  clay  that  is  worked  by  -Mr.  Hawes,  at 
Mineral  Point,  in  Cambria  county,  aud  it  is 
likewise  this  deposit  that  supplies  the  brick- 
works along  the  line  of  the  Tyrone  and  Clear- 
field R.  R.,  in  Clearfield  county. 

Burrell  township  was  formed,  in  1853,  from 
Black  Lick,  and  was  named  in  honor  of  Judge 
J.  M.  Burrell.  The  township  has  a  very  irreg- 
ular boundary',  as  may  be  seen  from  the  map. 
The  surface  is  an  alternation  of  hill  aud  dale, 
grove  and  meadow,  wiiich  is  divided  into  farms, 
most  of  which  are  highly  productive.  The 
minerals  are  coal,  iron  ore,  fire-clay  and  stone- 
ware clay,  and  limestone.  The  surrounding 
hills  are  teeming  with  bituminous  coal,  large 
([uantities  of  which  are  mined  and  shipped  east. 
Chestnut  ridge,  extending  from  Westmoreland 
county  into  the  eastern  portion  of  this  town- 
ship, is  cut  at  this  point  by  the  Conemaugh 
river,  w^hich  separates  Indiana  aud  Westmore- 
land counties,  leaving  "Pack  Saddle"  upon  the 
left  bank,  and  "Oakes  Point,"  which  is  an  ele- 
vation of  about  1200  feet  above  the  river,  upon 
the  right  bank.  This  eminence  affords  one  of 
the  finest  views  in  all  the  country  around.  The 
bank  of  the  river  about  half  a  mile  above 
Blairsville,  is  very  high  and  precipitous,  and  is 
known  ;is  the  "Alum  Bank."  There  is  here 
an  upright  wall  of  nature's  own  masonry,  in 
some  places  fifty  or  sixty  feet  high,  and  below 


254 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


this,  an  abrupt  descent  of  about  one  hundred 
feet,  to  the  water's  edge,  covered  with  forest 
trees.  This  cliif  is  a  mile  or  more  iu  length,  i 
Several  veins  of  iron  ore  and  coal  have  been 
opened  upon  its  face.  There  is  also  an  exten- 
sive vein  of  fire-clay,  and  an  alum  deposit. 

The  population  of  Burrell  township  at  each 
decennial  census  from  1860  to  1890  has  been  : 
1251,  1374,  1770  and  1450. 

"Among  the  manufacturing  interests  of  In- 
diana county  the  Black  Lick  Manufacturing 
company,  of  Burrell  township,  de.serves  especial 
mention.  Its  works  are  located  about  seven 
miles  north  of  '  Black  Lick  Intersection,'  on 
the  Indiana  branch  of  the  West  Penn  railroad, 
one  and  one-quarter  miles  east  of  Black  Lick 
station,  and  connected  with  the  station  by  a 
tram  railway.  They  were  erected  in  1869  for 
the  purpose  of  making  fire-brick  and  tile.  The 
firm  was  composed  of  E.  Roliinson,  C.  Hadley 
and  F.  McKinter.  The  works  at  this  time 
consisted  of  a  clay-mill  driven  by  an  engine  of 
thirty-five  horse- power,  and  a  yard  capacity  of 
four  thousand  brick  per  day,  with  two  kilns  of 
each  thirty  thousand  capacity.  In  May,  1872, 
Ml-.  Robinson  .sold  his  interest  to  J.  M.  Guth- 
rie, of  Indiana,  and  in  July  of  the  same  vear 
E.  \V.  Giddings  and  E.  J.  Mildren,  of  Johnsr 
town,  Cambria  county,  bought  the  establish- 
ment. They  immediately  doubled  the  size  of 
the  yard,  also  the  capacity,  by  running  day  and 
night.  In  November,  1873,  Mr.  Mildren,  the 
present  proprietor,  purchased  the  interest  of 
Mr.  Giddings,  and  in  addition  to  the  manufac- 
ture of  brick  and  tile,  commenced  making 
'  Bessemer  Tuyers,'  on  what  is  known  as  the 
'Ostrander  machine.'  In  1874  Mr.  Mildren 
added  another  clay-mill  driven  by  a  twenty- 
five  h'or.se-power  engine,  and  a  powerful  steam 
'  Tuyer  machine.'  In  connection  with  fire-brick 
he  manufactures  nozzle-.stoppers,  chimney-tops, 
fire-clay  dust,  gas-retorts  aud  settings.  In 
1875  the  two  old  kilns  were  removed  aud  two 
crown-kilns    were    built,    with    a   capacity  of 


forty-five  thousand  each.  At  these  works  are 
employed  upwards  of  one  hundred  men  and 
boys." 

mieatfield  township  was  formed  in  1779,  and 
at  one  time  embraced  all  of  what  is  now  Indi- 
ana county,  .south  of  the  purchase  line.  Old 
Wheatfield  might  well  be  called  the  mother  of 
the  county,  for  within  her  limits  the  early  set- 
tlements began,  and  sixteen  townships  are  now 
embraced  within  what  were  once  her  original 
boundaries.  In  1859  AVheatfield  was  divided 
into  East  and  West  Wheatfield  townships.  The 
name  is  .said  to  have  been  derived  from  the 
"  barrens,"  or  places  destitute  of  timber,  afford- 
ing a  good  soil  for  wheat,  hence  the  "  wheat 
fields." 

The  first  settler  was  undoubtedly  George 
Findley,  who  had  come  to  the  Pumroy  and 
Wilson  settlement  in  1764,  and  in  the  following 
year  had  "  tomahawked "  a  tract  of  land  iu 
what  is  now  East  Wheatfield  township,  and  his 
home  was  spoken  of.  May  29,  1769,  as  the 
"  Findley  cabbins,"  in  some  application  warrants 
of  that  year.  There  were  many  early  settlers 
whose  graves  were  .scattered  in  out-of-the  way 
places  through  the  township,  of  whom  no  ac- 
count is  given,  save  that  they  were  pioneers. 
William  Clark  was  prominently  mentioned 
among  the  pioneers.  His  improvement  was 
not  surveyed  till  June  22, 1776,  and  is  described 
as  situated  on  the  "  path  between  Conemaugh 
and  Black  Lick,  adjoining  George  Findley,  and 
including  AVipey's  cabbin." 

Shoupstown  was  laid  out  about  1807,  by 
Henry  Shoup,  on  the  old  Frankstown  road.  It 
was  situated  on  the  hill  opposite  the  present 
residence  of  John  Schrock.  At  one  time  it 
boasted  of  a  store  and  a  half-dozen  cabins.  The 
[)ike's  erection  gave  it  a  death-blow,  and  there 
is  not  to  day  a  single  vestige  of  its  existence  left 
on  the  hill  to  tell  the  story  of  its  downfall. 

The  first  grist-mill  in  the  town.ship  was  the 
William  Bracken  mill,  erected  about  1772  to 
1774,  as  it  is  mentioned  in  the  surveys  of  1772 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


255 


-74,  and  called  the  "  Bracken  mill."  This  was 
situated  on  a  run  which  flows  into  Black  Lick. 
During  that  stormy  period,  although  deserted  for 
several  years,  and  many  buildings  in  this  section 
were  destroyed,  it  escaped  all  damages,  save 
that  from  Time's  ruthless  hand,  and  upon  the 
return  of  Bracken  was  again  put  in  order,  and 
did  a  large  amount  of  work  for  the  new-comers 
who  arrived  after  the  war.  The  Bracken  mill 
was  succeeded  by  the  William  Clark  mill,  a 
better  arranged  mill  than  its  predecessor.  The 
present  saw-mill  of  David  Tomb  is  the  third 
mill  that  has  occupied  its  site.  The  next  grist- 
mill was  the  George  Fiudley  mill,  on  Laurel 
run.  The  first  was  erected  in  1784-85,  and 
was  a  small,  rude  log  mill,  using  a  ten-foot 
undershot  wheel,  and  had  only  one  run  of  stones. 
The  second  was  worn  out  in  1817,  and  was  then 
using  a  breast  wheel,  and  it  too  had  only  one 
run  of  stones.  The  third  was  erected  in  1817, 
and  had  two  run  of  stones,  and  used  an  overshot 
wheel,  sixfeen  feet  in  diameter.  The  Isaac 
Rogers  mill  was  erected  by  Robert  Work,  a 
noted  wheelwright,  about  1 784-85,  on  the  Con- 
emaugh.  It  was  the  only  "dry  weather"  mill 
in  this  section,  and  was  resorted  to  by  the  peo- 
ple living  distant  eveu  forty  miles.  It  was  the 
most  noted  of  all  the  early  mills,  and  when  its 
mates  were  prostrate  with  drought,  it  went  on 
its  way  merrily  grinding  night  and  day.  Old 
settlers  speak  of  camping  near  it,  and  waitiug 
even  three  or  four  days  for  the  chance  to  get 
their  grist.  The  present  mill  is  the  fourth  on  its 
site. 

"Among  those  who  are  known  to  have  first 
settled  along  that  part  of  the  Conemaugh  river 
which  bounds  West  Wheatfield  township  on  the 
south,  were  James  Clark,  "  Billy  "  Woods,  David 
Inyard,  William  Bennet,  Archibald  McGuire, 
Ben  Sutton,  Neil  Dougherty,  David  Lackens 
and  James  Galbraith.  On  and  near  "  Tub- 
mill  "  creek  there  were  the  ancestors  of  the 
numerous  families  of  Bradys  now  living  in  the 
northern  part  of  Indiana  county.     It  is  claimed 


to  have  been  the  home,  for  many  years,  of  the 
great  Indian  hunter.  Captain  Samuel  Brady. 

"  William  P.  Brady,  after  the  disposal  of  his 
property,  together  with  "  Big  Joe "  Brady, 
"  Little  Joe  "  Brady,  "  Big  Peggy  "  Brady, 
John  Brady,  and  numerous  Hughs,  Sams  and 
Jims,  becoming  disgusted  (as  did  also  Ben  Sut- 
ton, Billy  Woods,  Davy  Inyard,  William  Ben- 
nett, Sr.,  William  Bennett,  Jr.,  and  others  too 
numerous  to  mention)  with  the  scarcity  of  bears, 
wolves,  panthera,  etc.,  as  well  as  Indians  left  in 
search  of  homes  more  prolific  of  their  accus- 
tomed surroundings.  Some  went  to  the  north 
part  of  this  county  and  others  migrated  to  west- 
ern Virginia  and  the  Ohio  coimti-y,  where  Cup- 
tain  Samuel  Brady  achieved  the  most  exciting 
exploits  ever  recorded  in  the  history  of  Indian 
warfare." 

We  give  the  following  list  of  the  taxable  in- 
habitants of  Wheatfield  township,  Indiana 
county,  which  was  returned  for  1 807  : 

Henry  Auberts,  innkeeper;  James  Anderson, 
distiller;  Valentine  Amsbough,  Adam  Ams- 
bough,  Henry  Amsbough,  Thomas  Askins, 
John  Armstrong.  William  Alexander,  Thomas 
Bracken,  Sr.,  Samuel  Bratteu,  John  Bruce,  cab- 
inet-maker ;  Frederick  Brantlinger,  Alexander 
Barr,  Jr.,  innkeeper  ;  Archibald  Beckwith, 
Thomas  Bracken,  Jr.,  Ruth  Bracken,  widow  ; 
John  Bowler,  George  Bowler,  Jacob  Bowser, 
Mary  Boner,  widow  ;  John  Bennett,  shoemaker  ; 
George  Bowers,  Nathaniel  Bryan,  Jr.,  Henry 
Bowers,  John  Bowers,  Thomas  Barr,  Francis 
Boals,  William  Boals,  David  Boals,  David 
Campbell,  blacksmith ;  Alexander  Carnahan, 
cooper;  Samuel  Carnahan,  James  Campbell, 
shoemaker;  James  Campbell,  James  Crawford, 
Moses  Crawford,  Alexander  Campbell,  Samuel 
Cochran,  John  Campbell,  Elizabeth  Carney, 
widow;  Thomas  Clarke,  William  Clarke,  Jr., 
Ruth  Clarke,  spinster;  Findley  Can^eron,  Dan- 
iel Cameron,  Hugh  Cameron,  Andrew  Camp- 
bell, Mark  Campbell,  William  Clarke,  Esq., 
Robert    Craig,    William    Campbell,    Andrew 


256 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


Campbell,  Jr.,  John  Crisswell,  Francis  Chap- 
man, Thomas  Craven,  John  Carney,  Jacob 
Craig,  weaver  ;  John  Craven,  John  Coleman, 
shoemaker ;  James  Campbell,  stonecutter ;  Mary 
Dempsey,  widow  ;  Chris.  Dumars,  shoemaker  ; 
Peter  Dike,  blacksmith  ;  John  Davis,  Joseph 
Davis,  William  Davis,  Matthew  Dill,  Sr.,  Mat- 
thew Dill,  Jr.,  wheelwright ;  Richard  Dill, 
Thomas  Dias,  Sr.,  Richard  Dias,  Robert  Davis, 
tobacconist ;  John  Davis,  Nathaniel  Davis, 
James  Dunwoody,  Isaac  Dicker,  Job  Dicker, 
William  Erwiu,  innkeeper ;  John  Ekler, 
George  Empfield,  millwright;  Jacob  Empiield, 
millwright ;  Joseph  Evans,  Hugh  Evans,  Rob- 
ert Elkins,  John  Evans,  John  Ewings,  Eliza- 
beth Faloon,  widow ;  George  Finley,  James 
Finley,  Isabella  Ferrier,  widow ;  Andrew 
Fee,  John  Fink,  carpenter  ;  Joiin  Fleaker,  car- 
penter ;  William  Fowler,  Lawrence  Fox,  Wil- 
liam Ferguson,  Jr.,  William  Ferguson,  Sr., 
James  Grimes,  Sr.,  innkeeper;  Joseph  Grimes, 
William  Grimes,  Jr.,  Allen  Grimes,  John 
Grimes,  William  Grimes,  Sr.,  Isaac  Griffith, 
William  Gamble,  George  Glassford,  Sr., 
George  Glassford,  Jr.,  Alex.  Glassford,  Leon- 
ard Gooshoru,  blacksmith  ;  John  Grimes,  Sr., 
James  Grimes,  Jr.,  Charles  Gibson,  Hugh 
Junkins,  mason ;  Robert  Hill,  John  Hopkins, 
Henry  Heis,  George  Heis,  William  Heis, 
Thomas  Hull,  Barbara  Heater,  widow;  Rob- 
ert Holmas,  tailor ;  William  Johnston,  Sr., 
William  Johnston,  Jr.,  Mary  Johnston,  widow; 
Archibald  Jarae.son,  Sr.,  blacksmith  ;  Archibald 
Jame.son,  Jr.,  Allen  Jameson,  Sr.,  William 
Jameson,  John  Jameson,  Allen  Jameson,  Jr., 
shoemaker  ;  Alexander  Jameson,  David  Jen- 
kins, John  Jones,  mason ;  David  Kennedy, 
weaver;  William  Kennedy,  Thomas  Laps- 
ley,  Mary  Lapsley,  widow ;  Francis  Lath- 
ers, Robert  Liggett,  Elizabeth  Likens,  widow  ; 
Samuel  Logan,  weaver ;  James  Longstreth, 
William  Lee,  James  Luke,  Archibald  Louth- 
ers,  William  McBroom,  weaver ;  Henry  Mc- 
Broom,  Robert   McBroom,   carpenter;    James 


McLean,    Robert    Muck,    Joseph    McDonald, 
Archibald  McCochran,  tailor ;  James  McCocli- 

'  ran,  Robert  Marshall,  tanner ;  Archibald  Mat- 
thews, distiller;  William  Mayben,  George  Mc- 
Garrow,  David  McKown,  Robert  Maffet,  Rob- 
ert Michael,  distiller;  William  Murphy,  Pat- 
rick McCoru)ick,  James  McDonald,  James  Mc- 
Nitt,  Joseph  McCartney,  Sr.,  treasurer ;  Joseph 
McCartney,  Jr.,  John  McCartney,  John  Mecuue, 
Sr.,  John  Mecune,  Jr.,  John  McDowell,  Neal 
Manamau,    George    McEutire,   distiller ;  John 

(  McCarland,  weaver;  Samuel  Parker,  cabinet- 
maker; William  Parker,  cabinet-maker;  Hugh 
Parker,  Frederick  Persian,  John  Patterson, 
Thomas  Patterson,  Joseph  Patterson,  Samuel 
Patterson,  Archibald  Patterson,  William  Patter- 
son, Benjamin  Pitman,  Joseph  Pitman,  Thomas 
Pettigrew,  David  Reed,  Esq.,  Aaron  Robinson, 
Isaac  Rodgers,  miller  ;  Robert  Rodgers,  Daniel 
Reynolds,  Adam  Ritchie,  iVEatthew  Rhea,  Aaron 
Rose,  Philip  Smires,  Hugh  St.  Clair,  James 
Shaw,  Robert  Sutton,  Adam  SideS,  Thomas 
Sanderson,  Esq.,  Samuel  Stevens,  Benjamin 
Stevens,  John  Stillwell,  Shedrick  Stevens,  Dan- 
iel Sleppey,  Thomas  Selfridge,  Christopher 
Stinemen,  James  Strong,  weaver  ;  John  Thorn, 
David  Tomb,  constable  ;  Henry  Taylor,  George 
Turner,  Henry  Treece,  Alexander  Tilford, 
Jesse  Talkington,  Thomas  Taylor,  David 
\¥akefield,  wlieelwright ;  James  Wakefield, 
Thomas  Wakefield,  Robert  Wakefield,  Ephraim 
Wallace,  Robert  Wallace,  John  Wallace,  Rich- 
ard Wilson, speculator;  Andrew  Wilkins,  Alex- 
ander Wilson,  Joseph  Wilson,  weaver  ;  Richard 
Williams,  Robert  Wier,  William  Wilson,  dis- 
tiller ;  Archibald  Woodsides,  Henry  ^yyke, 
John  Wolf,  Jeremiah  Wakefield. 

In  1859  Wheatfield  township  was  divided 
into  East  and  West  Wheatfield  townships.  East 
Wheatfield  town.ship  lies  between  the  Nolo  and 
the  Laurel  Hill  axis,  while  the  larger  part  of 
West  Wheatfield  township  is  between  the  Nolo 
and  the  Chestnut  Ridge  axis.  The  southeastern 
part  of  East  Wheatfield  and  the  northern  and 


INDIANA    COUNTY. 


257 


western  parts  of   West  Wheatfielcl   are  in  the 
Lower  Coal  measures. 

The  Pennsylvania  geological  report  of  1880 
gives  the  following  description  of  both  town- 
ships : 

Between  the  Conemaugh  river  and  Black 
Lick  creek,  in  the  Ligonier  Basin,  ranges  a  belt 
of  smooth  high  land,  the  surface  of  which, 
deeply  gashed  in  places  by  ravines  extending 
north  and  south,  is  composed  of  Ijower  Bari-cu 
rocks,  excepting  along  the  flanks  of  Laurel 
hill  and  Chestnut  ridge.  The  region  so  in- 
cluded embraces  the  Wheatfield  townships,  a 
name  at  once  suggestive  of  deep  fertile  soils, 
which  are  the  product  of  the  disintegration  of 
the  prevailing  surface  rocks. 

Through  the  centre  of  these  townships  and 
along  the  highest  land  runs  tlie  Indiana  and 
Cambria  turnpike,  which,  from  Mr.  Clark's 
house  on  the  east  slope  of  Ciicstnut  ridge,  to 
the  Ling  property  east  of  Armagh,  traverses 
Lower  Barren  rocks.  At  one  point,  namely,  at 
the  Stone  House  between  Armagh  and  Ling's, 
the  road  is  nearly  four  hundred  feet  al)Ove  the 
Upper  Freeport  coal  bed. 

The  course  of  Black  Lick,  though  not  exactly 
parallel    to  the   Conemaugh,    is  yet    in    effect 
the    same,    both     streams     flowing    generally 
west   and    northwest    across    the    basin.       But  | 
in  spite   of   the  similarity  in  the  direction   of 
the  two  sti'eams,  the  geology  displayed  along 
Black  Lick  differs  in  many  respects  from  that  \ 
along   the   Conemaugh.      Precisely    the  same  ; 
rocks  compose     both  valleys;     the    difference  i 
in  tide  water  level  between  the  surfaces  of  the  j 
two  .streams  is  everywhere  trifling  in  this  basin ; 
yet  certain  points  along  Black  Ijick  correspond-  | 
ing  in  position  to  the  shallowest  parts  (geologi- 
cally) of  the  Conemaugh  Valley  are  the  deepest 
along  the  first  named  stream,  while  certain  other 
points  among  the  deepest  on  the   Conemaugh 
correspond  in  position  to  the  shallowest  parts 
of  Black   Lick.     To  verify  this  statement,  the 
reader   has   only   to   compare   the   geology   at 


Baker's  furnace  with  that  exhibited  at  the  old 
Black  Ijick  furuac*,  the  latter  being  scarcely 
more  than  three  miles  northeast  of  the  former, 
and  along  the  strike  of  the  rocks.  Under  such 
circumstances  one  would  naturally  expect  to  see 
the  conditions  of  the  one  place  repeated  at  the 
other;  but  so  great  is  the  fall  of  the  Laurel 
Hill  anticlinal  in  this  distance  of  three  miles, 
a  fall,  moreover,  participated  in  by  the  rocks  at 
the  base  of  the  mountain,  that  a  difference  of 
uearly  four  hundred  feet  exists  between  the 
geological  horizons  of  the  two  places,  and  in- 
stead of  the  Conglomerate  and  Lower  Product- 
ive hillsides,  prevailing  at  Baker  furnace,  we 
find  at  the  old  Black  Lick  furnace  Barren 
Measure  slopes  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in 
height;  near  the  base  of  these  slopes  is  the 
Black  fossiliferous  limestone,  itself  two  hundred 
feet  above  the  highest  coal  of  the  Lower  Pro- 
ductive measures.  This  explains  the  absence  of 
workable  coal  beds  above  \^■at('r  level  in  the 
region  of  Black  Lick  furnace,  and  why  it  is 
that  all  efforts  to  find  sucii  in  the  interval  be- 
tween the  old  furnace  and  Dilltown,  either  on 
the  hills  extending  southwest  towards  the  pike, 
or  northeast  into  Buffingtou  township,  have 
been  and  must  be  unavailing. 

Again,  to  compare  the  country  between  Cen- 
treville  and  Lockport  with  that  between  the  old 
Buena  Vista  furnace  and  the  month  of  Brush 
creek  on  the  Black  Lick  is  to  discover  that  of 
the  Lower  Barrearocks,  of  which  the  hills  are 
entirely  composed  alTthe  first  named  locality, 
scarcely  a  vestige  remains  on  the  creek,  and 
what  is  there  left  of  them  is  forced  to  the  very 
highest  land,  thus  giving  place  to  the  Lower 
Productive  Coal  measures,  and  even  to  the 
Conglomerate  of  XII.  Instead,  therefore,  of 
the  smooth  arable  slopes  at  Centreville,  steep 
rugged  hillsides  prevail  at  the  Buena  Vista 
furnace,  and  the  country  ha.s  remained  a  wilder- 
ness, excepting  along  the  uplands,  which  are 
covered  by  Lower  Barren  rocks. 

This  last  change  in  the  geology  has  no  imrae- 


258 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


diate  connection  with  Laurel  Hill,  but  has  been  | 
effected  by  the  Nolo  anticlinal,  the  sub-anticlinal 
axis  of  the  Ligonier  Basin,  an  axis  whose  force, 
gradually  weakening  southward,  was  nearly 
exhausted  before  reaching  the  Conemaugh,  and, 
in  consequence,  was  there  unable  to  push  the 
lower  rocks  upwards  to  the  same  level  that  they 
are  found  on  Black  Lick,  along  which  waters 
the  anticlinal  exercises  a  potent  influence,  and  is 
one  of  the  main  features  of  the  valley. 

The  section  of  Lower  Barrens  exposed  along 
Black  Lick  between  the  Cambria  county  line 
and  Dilltown  embraces  over  four  hundred  feet 
of  rocks,  in  which  are  included  three  small  coal 
beds  and  sevei-al  limestone  layers.  Besides 
these,  there  is  a  band  of  carbonate  iron  ore, 
which  ranges  near  the  top  of  the  section,  and 
which  is  known  generally  by  the  local  name  of 
the  "  Black  Lick  ore."  This  ore  stiatura  was 
at  one  time  extensively  worked,  supplying  not  , 
only  the  Black  Lick  furnace  with  material  for  j 
smeltino-  but  also  the  Buena  A'^ista  furnace 
below  Dilltown,  and  even  the  Baker  furnace  on 
the  Conemaugh.  The  Morgautown  sandstone 
is  the  highest  rock  (geologically)  in  this  valley;  \ 
it  leaves  the  basin  at  Dilltown,  being  forced 
into  the  air  liy  the  Nolo  anticlinal,  but  it  ex- 
tends southwest  from  the  creek  along  the  centre 
of  the  basin,  and  is  consjiicuous  on  the  Cambria 
pike,  near  the  Stone  House  east  of  Armagh. 
It  is  a  heavy,  compact  rock,  often  conglomeritic 
and  at  least  fifty  feet  thick. 

Though  the  Lower  Productive  Coal  measures 
outcrop  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  valley,  in  the 
ravines  at  the  base  of  Laurel  hill,  these  rocks 
can  be  studied  to  better  advantage,  because 
more  frequently  exposed,  at  the  western  end  of 
the  trough,  namely  at  Heshbon,  where  all  the 
coals  of  the  Lower  Productive  series  have  been 
developed  by  the  farmers. 

The  coal  once  mined  by  Mr.  Clark  near  the 
headwaters  of  Laurel  run,  which  is  crossed  by 
the  Cambria  pike  at  the  foot  of  Laurel  hill, 
came  from  a  bed  near  the  base  of  the  Lower 


Productive  group.  The  same  bed  was  long 
afterwards  developed  to  supply  the  Black  Lick 
furnace  with  fuel.  It  is  said  to  exist  as  a 
double  seam  parted  by  a  thick  band  of  soft 
clay ;  the  upper  bench,  however,  is  now  all  that 
is  visible  at  the  old  works.  It  measures  four 
feet  thick  and  is  overlaid  by  a  heavy  mass  of 
black  slates.  These  conditions  would  indicate 
the  presence  of  bed  B  at  this  place. 

On  the  unexplored  hillside  rising  westward 
above  the  mine  come  in  all  the  higher  coals  of 
the  Lower  Productive  series.  Advancing  iu 
the  direction  of  the  dip,  the  uppermost  coal  of 
the  group  appears  on  Mr.  Ling's  farm,  where  it 
ha-s  been  explored,  measuring  3J  feet  thick. 
Still  further  west,  the  Lower  Barrens  make  up 
the  country  rock. 

It  was  shown  in  the  Report  of  Progress  for 
1875  that  the  Lower  Productive  Coal  measures 
are  above  water  level  at  the  old  Ritter  furnace, 
which  stands  at  the  forks  of  Black  Lick,  on 
the  dividing  line  between  Indiana  and  Cambria 
counties.  It  was  further  stated  in  that  report 
that  the  iron  ore  band  once  worked  at  the  forks 
of  the  creek,  for  the  supply  of  Ritter  furnace 
is  at  the  top  of  the  Lower  Productive  Coal 
measures.  The  .stratum  must  not,  however,  be 
confounded  with-  the  "  Black  Lick  ore  "  of  the 
Black  Lick  furnace  resrion. 

After  crossing  the  Indiana  county  line 
Black  Lick  flows  a  nearly  due  west  cour.se  for 
about  a  mile,  and  the  Lower  Productive  rocks 
disappear  under  the  creek  bed.  Bending  then 
to  the  southwest  it  runs  along  the  strike  of  the 
rocks  to  Black  Lick  furnace,  the  geology  of  the 
valley  in  this  distance  undergoing  little  change. 
Below  the  furnace,  at  which  point  the  synclinal 
axis  crosses  the  valley,  the  creek  flows  west  and 
northwest  to  Dilltown,  the  rocks  rising  in  the 
.same  direction  towards  the  Nolo  anticlinal. 
This  forces  the  Lower  Barrens  above  water 
level  and  Lower  Productive  rocks  appear  below 
Dilltown. 

The  Lower  Barren  rocks  have  been  thorough- 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


259 


ly  explored  on  the  Kern  property   below  the  j 
Black  Lick  furnace,  and  again  on  the  Stevens 
farm  near  Dilltown.  | 

Mr.  Kern  has  failed  to  discover  a  single 
workable  bed  of  coal  above  water  level  on  his 
farm,  and  it  is  unlikely  that  a  bed  of  minable 
dimensions  exists  there.  Several  seams  have 
been  found  at  various  intervals,  but  none  exceed 
one  foot  in  thickness.  This,  moreover,  is  the 
size  of  the  Elk  Lick  bed,  for  which,  however, 
on  the  Stevens  farm  a  thickness  of  thi'ce  feet  is 
claimed.  The  lower  coals  of  the  section  have 
been  mined  at  Dilltown  on  both  sides  of  the 
creek,  but  these  are  below  water  level  on  the 
Kern  farm. 

The  black  fossiliferous  limestone  has  been 
finely  exposed  by  Mr.  Kern,  together  with  a 
smaller  but  much  purer  stratum  which  occurs 
about  seventy  feet  higher  in  the  measures. 

The  "Black  Lick  ore"  was  benched  on 
nearly  every  hillside  close  to  the  furnace.  It 
ranges  as  a  persistent  deposit,  varying  from  six 
inches  to  two  feet  in  thickness ;  resting  in  shale 
it  can  be  cheaply  mined,  and  a  sufficient  amount 
of  ore  was  easily  obtained  near  at  hand,  for  the 
supply  of  the  small  furnaces  once  dependent 
upon  it  for  support.  The  ore  is  rather  coarse 
grained,  of  a  bluish  cast,  and  to  all  appearances 
rich  in  iron. 

Advancing  to  Dilltown,  the  lowest  Barren 
Measure  coals  as  yet  explored  in  this  region  are 
visible  at  the  grist-mill  on  the  Stevens  property. 
These  coals,  measuring  respectively  two  and 
three  feet  tiiick,  and  separated  by  thirty  feet  of 
rock,  have  been  mined  by  Mr.  Stevens,  and 
have  further  been  explored  on  the  J.  Tomb 
property  to  the  south  of  the   Dilltown  bridge. 

The  black  fossiliferous  limestone  has  been 
exposed  on  the  Stevens'  hill,  as  also  the  Black 
Lick  ore,  the  latter  stratum  appearing  near  the 
top  of  the  hill,  and  measuring,  according  to 
Mr.  Stevens,  two  feet  thick. 

A  test  hole  for  oil  was  drilled  some  years  ago 
to  a  depth  of  nearly  1,200  feet  below  the  level 
Itj 


of  the  creek  at  Dilltown  bridge.  The  record 
of  this  drilling,  which  started  at  the  top  of  the 
Lower  Productive  Coal  measures,  and  exteudetl 
downward  nearly,  if  not  quite,  to  the  base  of 
No.  X,  is  no  longer  obtainable. 

The  northwest  rise  of  the  rocks  brings  the 
Upper  Freeport  coal  (bed  E)  to  daylight  about 
one-half  mile  below  Dilltown,  whence  to 
Heshbon  the  outcrop  line  of  this  coal  follows 
along  both  sides  of  the  creek.  It  runs  np  all 
the  small  ravines,  which  widen  into  the  Black 
Lick  Valley;  and  it  preserves  an  unbroken 
line  across  the  Nolo  anticlinal,  shooting  out 
finally  into  the  air  on  the  flank  of  Chestnut 
ridge. 

Dill  mine.  The  bed  is  exposed  on  several 
farms  below  Dilltown.  It  .shows  on  both  sides 
of  the  creek  at  McCartney's  mill,  being  here 
quite  extensively  developed  on  the  north  bank 
of  the  stream  by  Mr.  J.  C.  Dill. 

Still  further  west  a  bed  of  coal,  similar  in 
appearance  and  dimensions  to  the  above,  is 
mined  on  the  D.  Killcn  farm.  This  is  also 
most  likely  the  Upper  Freeport  bed,  which,  at 
the  Killen  mine,  is  160  feet  above  the  creek 
level. 

About  one-half  mile  below  Armagh  a  bed  of 
coal  and  slate  four  feet  thick  was  opened  at  the 
level  of  tlie  run  on  the  A.  Campbell  farm. 
Thirty  feet  higher  in  the  measures  there  is 
another  coal  seam  3  feet  thick.  Neither  of 
these  beds  correspond  with  that  mined  by  Mr. 
Killen,  although  the  mines  are  nearly  on  a 
level,  and  along  the  .strike  of  the  rocks.  The 
rapid  rise  of  the  Nolo  anticlinal  to  the  north- 
east sufficiently  explains  the  difference  in  the 
horizons,  the  coals  at  Mr.  Campbell's  corre- 
sponding doubtle-ss  with  the  beds  (Philsou  and 
Coleman)  once  worked  by  Mr.  Stevens  at  the 
grist-mill  near  Dilltown. 

Buena  Vista  furnace  stood  on  the  right  bank 
of  Black  Lick,  about  one-half  mile  below  the 
mouth  of  the  Armagh  run.  The  ore  supply  at 
this  place  seems  to  have  been  inconstant  and 


2G0 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


irregular,  and  the  furnace  was  long  ago  aban- 
doned on  account  of  ill  success. 

The  Lower  Productive  rocks  make  up  the 
hillsides  bordering  the  creek  at  the  furnace,  the 
Conglomerate  of  XII  also  rising  above  water 
level  for  a  short  distance  at  the  centre  of  the 
Nolo  anticlinal,  which  crosses  Black  Lick  be- 
tween the  furnace  and  the  mouth  of  Brush 
creek,  the  country  between  being  an  unexplored 
wilderness,  from  which  the  valuable  timber  has 
in  large  part  been  cut. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Heshbou,  one  mile  and  a 
half  below  the  mouth  of  Brush  creek,  the 
entire  Lower  Productive  group  is  above  water 
level.  Three  coal  beds  only  of  this  series  have 
been  developed  to  any  extent  at  Heshbon,  these 
being  the  three  lowest  seams  of  the  section. 

The  Johnstown  Cement  bed  has  a  long  line 
of  outcrop  at  Heslibon  ;  and,  existing  here  as 
a  good  limestone  upwards  of  five  feet  thick,  it 
furnishes  the  farmer  with  abundance  of  fertili- 
zer. Hitherto  little  attention  has  been  paid  to 
the  deposit,  but  recently  active  steps  have  been  ' 
taken  to  explore  the  limestone  and  to  make 
practical  use  of  it.  The  dominating  rock  of  the 
Lower  Productive  measures  at  Heshbon  is  sand- 
stone. 

The  Lower  Productive  Coal  measures  at 
Heshbon  are  a  trifle  over  three  hundred  feet 
thick.  They  include  in  the  aggregate  about  the 
same  amount  of  coal  as  at  Bolivar,  altiiough 
neither  Bed  E  nor  Bed  B  is  so  thick  on  the 
Black  Lick  as  on  the  Conemaugh.  But  Beds 
A  and  C  fully  make  up  the  difference,  these 
coals  at  Heshbon  being  more  than  double  their 
dimensions  at  Bolivar. 

The  Conglomerate  of  XII  is  divided  into 
three  membei-s  along  Black  Lick,  and  in  this 
respect  corresponds  with  its  condition  on  the 
Conemaugh.  It  measures  at  least  seventy-five 
feet  from  top  to  base,  its  full  thickness  being, 
perhaps,  slightly  in  excess  of  that  figure.  Its 
lowest  memljer  rises  above  the  creek  below  the 
grist-mill,   and    is    a   compact,   heavy,    coarse- 


grained sandstone.  The  Piedmont  sandstone, 
the  top  layer  of  the  deposit,  is  partially  ex- 
posed on  Mr.  Hoskinson's  land,  between  the 
mill-dam  and  the  village,  the  rock  there  skirt- 
ing the  water  in  a  vertical  cliff  twenty  feet 
high.  It  is  fine-grained,  of  a  greenish  color, 
and  much  current- bedded.  Between  this  sand- 
stone and  the  lowest  member  of  the  XII  oc- 
curs an  interval  of  concealed  rock,  which  out- 
crops in  the  bank  at  the  mill,  and  there  fills  a 
space  twenty-five  feet  high. 

Bed  A,  The  lowest  workable  coal  bed  of  tiie 
Lower  Productive  series  here  comes  in  almost 
immediately  on  top  of  the  Piedmont  sandstone. 
The  coal-bed  is  exposed  on  Mr.  Hoskinson's 
land,  and  measures  four  feet  thick. 

Sandy  shales  and  sandstone  fill  the  interval 
to  bed  A',  which  occurs  sixty- eight  feet  higher 
in  the  measui'es.  This  is  the  small  coal  seam 
that  outcrops  in  the  bed  of  the  run  on  the  A. 
Campbell  farm  to  the  south  of  the  village.  It 
is  only  one  foot  thick. 

Bed  B.  Continuing  upwards  in  the  column, 
thirty  feet  of  shales  and  sandy  clay  bring  us 
to  bed  B,  which,  though  onl}-  three  feet  thick, 
has  nevertheless  been  quite  frequently  explored 
by  the  neighboring  farmers. 

Three  coal  beds  of  the  Lower  Productive 
series  are  of  workable  thickness  at  Lockport, 
and  together  aggregate  fifteen  feet  of  coal. 
These  beds  are  E,  D',  and  B ;  coals  D  and  C 
being  of  little  importance  in  this  vicinity.  Lime- 
stone al)ounds  in  the  hills,  the  Lower  Productive 
series  containing  alone  as  much  as  seventeen  feet 
of  this  kind  of  rock,  while  the  portion  of  the 
Lower  Barren  group  present  in  the  hills  above 
Lockport  hold  nearly  as  much  more.  Some 
of  these  limestone  layers  have  been  developed 
close  to  Lockport,  and  used  for  fertilizing,  but 
as  yet  little  attention  has  been  paid  to  them. 

The  developments  of  Bolivar,  a  small  village 
at  the  eastern  end  of  Packsaddle  gap,  and  about 
one  mile  below  Lockport,  are  chiefly  confined 
to  the  fireclay  bands,  one  of  which  is  a  member 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


261 


of  the  Freeport  group  of  rocks,  and  the  other 
underlies  coal  bed  A,  at  the  base  of  the  Lower 
Productive  Coal  measures,  this  whole  series 
being  above  water  level  in  the  hills  at  Bolivar. 

Several  clay  works  have  been  established  at 
this  village  on  the  fii-eclay  deposits,  the  clay 
being  good,  abundant,  and  close  at  hand,  while 
the  bricks  and  retorts  made  from  it  are  highly 
esteemetl.  Moreover,  the  cla}'  woi'ks  at  Lock- 
port  derive  their  supply  of  clay  almost  entirely 
from  the  Bolivar  hills,  the  plastic  variety  being 
underneath  the  river  bed  at  Lockport,  while 
the  Freeport  deposit  is  there,  thin  and  worth- 
less. 

The  fireclay  belonging  to  the  Freeport  group, 
is  from  15  to  20  feet  below  bed  E.  It  is  con- 
veniently situated  for  mining,  and  has  been 
worked  on  nearly  all  the  hills  close  to  the  vil- 
lage. The  deposit  is  very  variable  in  thick- 
ness, varying  from  3  to  8  feet  in  height,  and 
yields  a  smooth  even  clay  quite  free  from  im- 
purities. It  is  overlaid  by  shale  and  rests  upon 
a  similar  rock. 

The  principal  towns  of  East  Wlieatfield 
township  are  Armagh,  the  second  town  founded 
in  the  county;  Nineveh  and  New  M'^ashington. 
The  population  of  the  township  from  18(30  to 
1890  at  each  U.  S.  census  has  been:  1420, 
1104,  937  and  775.  The  principal  town  of 
West  Wheatfield  is  Ceutreville,  on  the  Cone- 
maugh,  which  was  founded  by  \yilliam  Log- 
gett  in  1828  on  land  on  which  Ephraim  Wal- 
lace had  settled  in  1800.  The  township  also 
contains  Clyde,  a  village  of  50  inhabitants. 

The  population  of  West  Wheatfield  township 
at  each  census  from  1860  to  1890  has  been: 
1408,  1318,  1359  and  1G99. 

Armagh,  in  East  Wheatfield  township,  "the 
second  and  the  oldest  of  all  the  existing  towns 
in  the  county  (Newport  being  the  first),  was 
founded  in  September,  1792,  by  Margaret  Jane 
Graham,  the  wife  of  James  Graham.  The 
first  settlers  were  a  portion  of  a  ship-load 
of    emigrrants    from    Ireland,    most    of  them 


being  from  the  counties  Armagh  and  An- 
trim, Avho  arrived  in  America  on  the  21st  of 
July,  1792.  They  located  in  western  Peim- 
sylvania,  eight  families  arriving  on  the  present 
site  of  Armagh  in  the  early  portion  of  August 
oftiiatycar.  These  eight  families  were  from 
an  A&sociate  Reformed  church,  in  the  county 
Armagh,  and  were  composed  of  James  Graham, 
Margaret  J.,  his  wife,  and  four  children  by  a 
former  husband ;  a  Mr.  Parker,  David  TomI) 
(a  brotlier  of  Mrs.  Graiiam),  wife,  ou<^  child  and 
a  sister,  Mary  Tomb;  .James  Anderson  and 
wife;  A.  Fee,  wife  and  one  child,  Elizabeth; 
Alexander  Carnahan,  wife  and  four  children; 
James  Leslie  and  wife;  James  Luke  and  wife; 
and  Hugh  .Junkins  and  wife.  The  site  of 
Armagh  was  partially  covered  with  a  thin  and 
scrubby  growth  of  oaks,  and  was  like  in  ap- 
pearance to  an  old  field  on  a  hill.  Armagh, 
Armaghada,  in  the  Irish  dialect,  means  a  field 
on  a  hill,  hence  its  name." 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


HON.  JEREMIAH  MURRY  BURRELL, 
in  honor  of  whom  a  township  in  each  of 
the  counties  of  Indiana,  Armstrong  and  West- 
moreland was  named,  was  tiie  third  president 
judge  of  the  courts  of  Indiana  county. 

"Jeremiah  M.  Burrcll  was  born  at  Murrys- 
ville,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  September  1, 
1815.  He  was  the  .son  of  Dr.  Benjamin  Bur- 
rell,  who  came  from  an  eastern  county  and 
settled  at  Murrysville  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  and  in  1814  married  Sarah  Murry, 
daughter  of  Jeremiah  Murry,  lOsq.,  a  merchant 
and  large  landholder.  Jeremiali  wa.s  the  only 
child  of  this  marriage,  and  after  receiving  such 
elementary  education  as  the  village  school  af- 
forded, entered  a  classical  school  taught  by  a 
Rev.  Mr.  Gill,  about  three  miles  from  his  native 
village,  and  in  which  he  studied  Latin  and  the 


262 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


mathematics,  and  prepared  for  entering  college. 
After  a  full  course  of  collegiate  training  at  Jef- 
ferson Cc)llege,  Cannonsburg,  Washington 
county,  Pa.,  he  graduated  with  honor.  His 
father  having  died,  and  young  Burrell  having 
decided  to  enter  into  the  legal  profession,  his 
mother  removed  to  Greensburg,  where  he  en- 
tered the  office  of  Richard  Coulter,  afterwards 
a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State,  and 
after  the  due  course  of  reading  was  admitted  to 
the  bar,  and  rapidly  made  progress  into  a  good 
practice,  which  became  a  large  one.  He  pos- 
sessed splendid  powers  of  oratory,  which  im- 
pressed his  audiences  in  the  very  beginning  of 
his  careei'.  While  studying  law  he  had  stumped 
the  county  as  a  democratic  politician,  com- 
manding great  admiration,  and  making  count- 
less profitable  acquaintanceships,  which  served 
him  wlien  he  entered  upon  professional  practice. 
He  conducted  the  practice  of  the  law  with 
a.ssiduity,  faithfulness,  and  constantly  increasing 
success  for  some  years. 

"  Some  time  about  1839  he  bought  the  Penn- 
sylvania Argus,  and  became  its  editor.  In  the 
hot  political  campaign  of  1840  he  established 
his  name  as  a  writer  of  high  ability,  and  made 
a  State  reputation  for  the  paper.  Some  of  his 
articles  on  political  topics  were  copied  in  otiier 
papers  all  over  the  Union.  Horace  Greeley  in 
the  Log  Cabin,  on  the  side  of  the  opposition, 
took  issue  with  some  of  the  articles,  and  gave 
them  still  wider  circulation  by  replying  to 
them  in  the  fulminating  style  which  later  made 
him  one  of  the  most  celebrated  political  jour- 
nalists of  the  age.  In  the  campaign  of  1844  ; 
he  was  one  of  the  most  efficient  speakers  and 
writers  in  the  State  in  behalf  of  Colonel  Polk, 
his  political  friends  pitting  him  against  such 
men  as  Thomas  Williams,  who  was  afterwards  } 
selected  by  Congress  to  deliver  the  eulogium 
upon  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  was  subsequently 
elected  to  the  State  Assembly.  Here  he  soon  j 
distinguished  himself,  and  there  was  a  heated 
rivalry  between  him  and  Thomas  Burnside,  Jr., 


a  son  of  Judge  Burnside  of  the  Supreme  Court, 

and  a   son-in-law   of  Simon  Cameron,    then  a 

democi-at,  for    the    position    of  leader   of   the 

:  Democratic  party  in  the  House.     In  this  com- 

'  petition  Burrell  was  victorious,  and  it  is  admit- 

I  ted  by  both  friends  and  political  opponents  that 

lie  was  the  ablest  partisan  and  the  most  eminent 

orator  in  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature. 

"In  1847  he  was  appointed  judge  of  the 
Tenth  Judicial  District  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
in  February,  1852,  took  his  seat  as  judge  of  the 
same  court  under  election  (as  elsewhere  stated  in 
detail),  and  held  the  post  till  1855,  when  he 
was  appointed  by  President  Pierce  judge  of  the 
Territorial  District  of  Kansas.  Leaving  his 
family  in  Greensburg,  he  went  to  Kansas  and 
entered  upon  his  professional  duties  in  a  time  of 
great  excitement  over  the  slavery  question. 
Judge  Burrell  entertained  what  was  known  as 
Douglass'  '  Squatter  Sovereignty  '  policy  in  re- 
gard to  that  territory,  and  which  involved  the 
proposition  of  the  right  of  citizens  of  any  State 
to  take  with  them  into  the  territories  south  of 
the  Missouri  Compromise  line,  without  interfer- 
ance  or  opposition  by  others,  whatever  was 
regarded  as  property  in  their  own  State.  If 
this  policy  was  a  mistaken  one,  it  must  be 
remembered  that  it  was  entertained  by  many 
able  statesmen  of  the  times,  which  were  those 
of  great  political  distress  in  the  land,  when  no 
man  was  found  wise  and  prophetic  enctugh  to 
foresee  what  one  of  the  several  conflicting  propo- 
sitions or  policies  of  that  day  would  prove  the 
best  or  most  expedient  for  the  country,  or  be, 
all  things  considered,  actually  the  most  just. 
Judge  Burrell's  instincts  and  education  in- 
clined him  to  refined  consideration  for  the 
rights  of  all  men,  and  nothing  but  a  supreme 
reverence  for  tiie  Constitution  of  his  country 
could  have  allured  him  to  lose  sight  for  the 
moment  of  the  great  question  of  positive  and 
equal  justice  to  and  among  all  races  of  men. 

" Suffering   from  malarial    fever  in  Kansas, 
Judge  Burrell  returned  to  Greensburg  in  1856, 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


263 


and  after  a  sickness  of  some  months'  duration, 
died  at  his  home,  surrounded  by  his  family,  on 
the  21st  day  of  October  of  that  year. 

"  He  married  Miss  Ann  Elizabeth  Richard- 
son, daughter  of  William  H.  and  Henrietta  D. 
(Hubley)  Richardson,  of  Greensburg.  Of  this 
union  were  six  children, — Sarah  M.,  William 
Richardson,  deceased  ;  Henrietta  H.,  BLiijamiu, 
Mary  R.  and  Jeremiah  M." 


"  n  EN.  CHARLES  CAMPBELL,  of  Black 
^  Lick  township,  was  of  Scotch-Irish 
parentage,  and  a  native  of  the  Conecocheague 
Valley.  He  migrated  to  what  was  afterward 
known  as  Campbell's  mills,  in  this  township, 
about  1772. 

The  data  at  our  command  are  so  meagre 
that  adequate  justice  cannot  be  done  to  his 
memory.  A  scant  record  exists  of  his  captivity 
among  the  Indians  and  British.  The  positions 
of  trust  and  responsibility  which  he  held  in  the 
county  and  on  the  frontier  indicate  in  some  de- 
gree the  estimation  in  which  he  was  held  by 
the  citizens  and  State  authorities.  He  died  in 
1828,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two.  For  mauy 
years  he  was  an  elder  in  Bethel  Presbyterian 
church. 

His  connection  with  the  militia  of  the 
county  and  district  was  both  honorable  and 
effective.  He  died  as  he  lived,  respected  by  ail 
who  know  him.  His  first  wife  was  Margaret 
Clark,  and  his  second  was  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Ram- 
sey. The  children  were:  Barbara,  Michael, 
Rebecca,  Sarah,  Mary,  Jane,  James,  ^largaret, 
Fennwell,  Eliza,  Charles  and  Thomas. 

"Mrs.  Mary  (Cummins)  Campbell  has  several 
tea-spoons  over  one  hundred  years  old,  that 
were  used  by  Gen.  Campbell.  Matilda,  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  Charles  Campbell,  has  Gen.  Camp- 
bell's gold  watch ;  this  is  an  unique  specimen 
old  mechanism.  It  is  marked  '  M.  and  A.  No. 
5106.'" 


RICHARD  W.  H.  DAVIS,  a  pioneer  in  the 
field  of  brick-making  machinery,  is  des- 
tined soon  to  be  widely  known  as  an  inventor 
through  his  valuable  machine  for  pressing  brick, 
which  is  l)eing  rapidly  and  successfully  intro- 
duced throughout  the  coiuitry.  He  was  born  at 
Brady's  Bend,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, Ajtril  28,  1851,  and  is  a  son  of  Richard 
and  Alice  (Williams)  Davis.  His  parents  were 
natives  of  Wales  and  came  to  Brady's  Bend  in 
1840.  Richard  Davis  was  a  cabinet-maker  by 
trade,  but  after  arriving  at  Brady's  Bend 
was  employed,  for  eight  years,  as  a  furnace 
mauager  liy  the  Brady's  Bend  Iron  company. 
In  1849  he   went  to  the   then  new  discovered 

:  gold  fields  of  California,  where  not  meeting 
with  the  degree  of  success  which  he  anticipated, 
he  embarked  for  Australia.  Landing  in  that 
great  island-continent,  he  was  variously  em- 
ployed until  1854,  when  he  was  drowned  in 
crossing  a  river  and  liis  body  was  never  re- 
covered. His  widow  survived  him  until  1876, 
when  she  passed  away. 

j  Richard  W.  H.  Davis  received  his  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  Brady's  Bend  town- 
ship and  a  college  of  Alliance,  Ohio.  Leaving 
college,  he  was  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  mercan- 
tile house  at  Alliance,  in  which  he  remained  for 
twelve  years.  In  January,  1887,  he  came  to 
Indiana  county,  where  he  was  employed  as 
general  manager  of  the  Black  Lick  Manufactur- 
ing company,  which  position  he  has  held  ever 
since.  In  February,  1890,  he  was  elected  justice 
of  the  peace  and  has  already  in  the  rightful  en- 
forcement of  the  laws  become  a  terror  to  evil- 

i  doers. 

At  Alliance,  Ohio,  in  1874,  he  united  in 
marriage  with  Louisa  Slialfcr.  They  have  two 
children  living:  Howard  and  Stella. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Davis  is  a  republican.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  is 
a  cousin  of  Capt.  Jones,  the  great  inventor,  of 
Braddock,  Pa.,  who  was  realizing  $75,000  per 
year  out  of  his  inventions  at  the  time  of  his 


2n4 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


tleath.  Mr.  Davis  has  given  some  time  and  at- 
tention to  the  consideration  of  useful  inven- 
tions, and  has  succeeded  in  pei'fecting  a 
machine  for  pressing  brick  which  is  a  great 
labor-saving  invention.  On  November,  1889, 
a  patent  (No.  328,899)  was  issued  to  him  for 
this  machine,  which,  on  account  of  its  excellent 
work  and  its  great  saving  of  time  and  labor,  is 
destined  to  soon  become  an  indispensable  adjunct 
to  every  first-class  brick-making  establisliment 
in  the  United  States.  This  machine  has  been 
severely  and  successfully  tested  and  has  re- 
ceived merited  commendation  after  each  and 
every  trial.  The  man  who  has  felled  a  forest 
or  has  tilled  a  field  has  not  lived  in  vain,  yet 
often  a  comparatively  simple  invention  repre- 
sents all  the  possible  labor  of  many  life-times. 
The  machine  invented  by  Mr.  Davis  for  press- 
ing brick  will  perform  the  labor  of  many  men, 
fills  a  long-felt  want  in  an  important  industry 
and  will  soon  come  into  universal  use  through- 
out the  United  States. 


JOHN  E.  KELLY,  one  of  the  useful  citizens 
and  a  prosperous  merchant  of  the  progres- 
sive town  of  Black  Lick,  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Anna  (Evans)  Kelly,  and  was  born  in  Brush 
Valley  township,  Indiana  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, April  11,  1841.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, James  Kelly,  was  a  native  of  Ireland 
and  settled  in  Centre  township  at  an  early  day 
in  the  history  of  Indiana  county.  His  maternal 
grandfather,  Hugh  Evans,  was  born  in  Wales, 
and,  after  attaining  his  majority,  came  to  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  settled  in  Indiana  county. 
John  Kelly  (father)  was  born  and  reared  in 
Centre  township,  in  which  he  resided  until  his 
death,  in  1847.  He  was  a  steady  and  indus- 
trious farmer,  as  was  his  father  before  him,  and 
married  Anna  Evans,  who  was  a  native  of  the 
county. 

John  E.  Kelly  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  re- 
ceived three  months'  schooling.     He  has  made 


up  largely  for  his  lack  of  educational  privi- 
leges by  reading  and  self-study.  He  learned  the 
trade  of  shoemaker  at  Mechanicsburg,  where  he 
established  a  shop  at  the  expiration  of  his  ap- 
prenticeship, and  was  engaged  in  the  shoemak- 
ing  business  uutil  1873.  In  that  year  he  came 
to  Black  Lick,  where  he  operated  a  shoe-shop 
uutil  1886.  In  1880  he  embarked  in  the  gen- 
eral mercantile  business,  which  he  has  success- 
fully pursued  ever  since.  He  has  continually 
increased  his  mercantile  investment  until  he 
now  carries  a  well-selected  stock  of  goods  which 
is  worth  over  three  thousand  dollars.  His 
trade  has  rapidly  increased  since  1880,  and  he- 
iu)w  does  a  business  of  twelve  thousand  dollars 
per  year.  He  is  a  democrat  in  politics  and 
served,  for  several  years,  as  constable  of  Me- 
chanicsburg. He  was  commissioned  as  post- 
master at  Black  Lick  by  President  Cleveland, 
and  held  that  position  for  some  time.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  chiu'ch,  has  always  been 
interested  in  religious  affairs  and  contributes  to 
the  support  of  his  own  and  other  churches.  In 
addition  to  his  store,  he  owns  a  valuable  house 
and  lot.  By  untiring  industry,  fair  dealing  and 
good  management  he  has  been  able  to  secure  a 
competency. 

In  1860  Mr.  Kelly  married  Britania  Hile- 
man,  of  Mechanicsburg.  To  their  union  have 
been  born  four  children,  three  sons  and  one 
daughter:  Thomas  B.,  Alonzo  B.  (born  June  1, 
1869,  and  now  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness with  his  father),  John  E.,  Jr.,  and  Frances. 


EDWARD  J.  MILDREN.  The  fact  that 
most  of  the  great  resources  of  Indiana 
county  are  being  developed  with  home  capital, 
and  by  citizens  of  the  county,  is  a  matter  of 
gratification  to  Indianians.  One  of  the  leading 
and  most  imjjortant  indu.stries  of  Indiana 
county  and  Pennsylvania  to-day  is  the  manu- 
focture  of  fire-brick,  and  a  representative  man- 
ufacturer in  that  line  of  business  is  Edward  J. 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


265 


Mildreu,  the  proprietor  of  the  Black  Lick  Man- 
ufacturing company.  He  was  born  in  Sheffiekl, 
Cornwall  eouiity,  England,  in  March,  1837, 
and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Jane  (Jennings)  Mil- 
dren.  Jacob  Mildren  was  born  March  2,  1808, 
in  Cornwall  county,  England,  where,  on  No- 
vember 29,  1834,  he  married  Jane  Jennings, 
daughter  of  Edward  Jennings,  and  in  1848 
came  to  Armstrong  county  and  puichased  his 
j)rcsent  farm  near  Brady's  Bend.  He  has  always 
followed  farming  and  met  with  good  success 
in  that  line  of  business.  He  is  now  in  the 
eighty-second  year  of  his  age,  while  his  wife  has 
seen  her  seventy-ninth  birthday,  and  both  are 
in  good  health.  He  is  a  son  of  Richard  Mil- 
dren (born  September  9,  1750),  who  married 
Mary  Ijory,  and  whose  father  (Richard)  was  a 
son  of  Richard  Mildren,  Sr.,  whose  father 
(James)  was  a  son  of  Richard  Mildren,  who  was 
a  very  wealthy  and  influential  man  in  Cornwall 
county  about  1650. 

Edward  J.  Mildren  was  reared  on  a  farm 
and  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  England  and  the  common  schools  of  Penn- 
sylvania. At  twenty  two  years  of  age  he  was 
manager  for  one  year  of  an  iron  and  blast  fur- 
nace owned  by  the  Tennessee  Iron  and  Coal 
company.  Pie  then  returned  to  Pennsylvania 
and  went  to  Cambria  county,  where  he  took  a 
contract  for  hauling  ore  out  of  one  of  the  large 
coal  mines  of  that  county.  He  worked  from 
forty  to  one  hundred  mules,  and  held  this  con- 
tract for  fourteen  years,  when  he  resigned  it,  in 
1873,  to  succeed  the  firm  of  Kinter,  Hadlaije 
&  Guthrie,  in  tlie  proprietorship  of  the  Black 
Lick  Manufacturing  company.  The  works  are 
one  and  one-fourth  miles  east  of  Black  Lick 
station,  with  which  they  are  connected  by  a  tram 
railway.  They  were  erected  in  1860  for  the 
purpose  of  manufacturing  fire-brick  and  tile. 
After  Mr.  Mildren'  came  in  possession  he  en- 
larged the  yard  to  twice  its  original  size  and 
increased  the  capacity  of  the  works.  In  1874 
he  added  another   clay-mill  and  a  twenty-five 


horse-power  engine.  The  next  year  he  erected 
two  crown  kilns,  and  since  then  has  been  con- 
tinually enlarging  and  improving  his  works. 
A  large  machine-shop  and  a  thoroughly-equip- 
ped foundry  have  been  attached  to  the  works, 
which  arc  used  exclusively  for  the  manufacture 
of  (ire-brick.  Mr.  Mildreu  employs  from  one 
huiulrcd  to  one  hundred  and  .seventy- five  hands, 
and  does  over  $100,000  worth  of  business  per 
year.  These  works  are  fully  equipped  with  all 
the  latest  machinery  and    apparatus   necessary 

1  for  the  prosecution  of  the  business,  which  is 
conducted  in  all  of  its  l)ranches  by  experienced 
and   skilled   workmen.     The   fire-brick   of  the 

{  Black  Lick  Manufacturing  company  are  of  the 
finest  quality.  They  are  used  for  building 
purposes  and  in  blast  furnaces,  glass-houses, 
coke-ovens  and  iron  and  steel-works  all  over 
this  county,  and  are  shipped  to  Mexico,  where 
they  are  in  great  demand  for  their  durability 
and  excellence.  The  capacity  of  the  works  at 
the  present  time  is  forty  thousand  bricks  per 
week.  Mr.  Mildren  brings  to  his  aid,  in  con- 
ducting this  enterprise,  years  of  business  ex- 
perience, as  well  as  an  intimate  knowledge  of 
the  wants  of  his  numerous  patrons.  He  is 
favorably  located  to  secure  low  freights  and 
to  make  prompt  shipments  to  every  part  of 
the  country.  The  reasonable  inducements 
which  he  offers  to  the  public  have  secured  him 
the  present  extensive  patronage  which  he  eu- 
joys  in  his  line  of  business.  In  1873  he 
opened  his  present  mercantile  establishment,  in 
which  he  always  carries  a  stock  of  from  five 
to  eight  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  goods. 

In  1859  he  married  Mary  Davis,  daughter 
of  Richard  Davis,  formerly  of  Brady's  Bend, 
Armstrong  county.  They  have  one  atlopted 
daughter,  Edna,  who  is  the  wife  of  L.  H. 
Shannon.  Mrs.  ilildren  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  while  Mr.  Mildren  was 
reared  in  the  episcopalian  faith. 

Edward  J.  ^lildren  is  a  republican  in  poli- 
tics.    In  Masonry  he  has  passed  through  lodge 


2fi6 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


and  chapter,  and  is  a  Knight  Templar.  He 
possesses  a  high  sense  of  lienor  and  a  marked 
individual  independence,  and  has  always  been 
true  to  himself  and  his  engagements.  He  is 
distinguished  for  promptness  and  fearlessness 
in  the  discharge  of  every  duty  devolving  upon 
him. 


" "ROBERT  EOBINSON,  SR.,  of  Cone- 
-»-*'  maugh  township,  was  born  in  county 
Antrim  (Mahara),  Ireland,  in  the  year  1739. 
In  November,  1769,  he  married  Rachel  Wier, 
who  was  born  in  the  same  county  in  1738. 
They,  with  his  father  and  mother,  two  brothers, 
two  sistere  and  brothers-in-law,  emigrated  to 
America,  landed  at  Philadelphia  in  July,  1770, 
and  in  a  short  time  moved  to  Marietta,  later 
going  up  to  Harrisburg  with  all  his  family. 
He  was  one  of  the  masons  who  built  the  .John 
Harris  '  House,'  (now  Cameron  House)  Har- 
risburg. In  a  short  time  he,  with  the  balance 
of  his  family,  moved  up  to  Franklin  county, 
to  Conococheague  (Conikagig)  creek,  where  he 
helped  to  build  a  mill  (now  a  tub  factory). 
Some  time  from  1777  to  1778  he,  with  his 
family,  moved  west  of  the  mountains,  to  'Big 
Sewickley,'  Westmoreland  county. 

"Soon  after  1780  they,  with  their  three  sons 
and  two  daughters,  moved  from  Sewickley  to 
the  north  side  of  the  Kiskiminetas  river,  in 
Armstrong  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
near  the  mouth  of  Lick  Run,  on  lands  called 
'  York,'  in  the  midst  of  numerous  Indians- 
While  living  in  that  insecure  cabin  the  writer's 
father  got  his  first  schooling,  at  night.  Mr. 
John  McDowell  was  the  teacher.  In  a  short 
time  they  made  their  way  north  one  mile  (no 
roads),  put  up  a  building  twenty-four  by  twen- 
ty-eight feet,  two  stories  high,  and  used  it  as  a 
stockade.  No  windows  or  doors  were  there  for 
a  time.  The  second  log  from  the  puncheon 
floor  had  four  feet  of  it  cut  out  for  an  entrance. 
The  building  is  still  standing,  having  been  built 
nearly  one  hundred  years.     It  is  situated  on 


part  of  the  '  York '  lands.  The  aged  parents 
lived  there  till  1820,  when  they  went  to  their 
sou  John's  on  a  visit,  half  a  mile  north,  on  the 
'Iconium'  lands.  Ou  Friday,  October  31, 
1823,  she  died,  in  her  eighty-fifth  year.  She 
was  buried  in  the  Robinson  river-hill  grave- 
yard. On  Thursday,  June  23,  1836,  he  died 
of  palsy,  in  his  ninety-seventh  year,  and  was 
buried  in  the  same  river-hill." 


ROBERT  ROGERS,  one  of  the  early 
2iioneers  of  East  Wheatfield  town- 
ship, came  from  county  Donegal,  Ireland, 
to  the  Conococheague  Valley,  Pennsylvania, 
and  there  met  George  Findley,  who  had 
had  for  a  few  years  an  improvement  in  the 
Conemaugh  Valley,  the  same  as  now  occupied 
by  George  F.  Mathews.  Together  they  went 
to  this  portion  of  what  is  now  Indiana  county. 
The  date  is  unknown,  but  the  warrant  of  the 
original  tract  of  fifty-seven  and  one-fourth 
acres  is  dated  September  29,  1772,  and  was 
surveyed  October  28,  1774,  and  was  described 
as  situated  'on  the  north  side  of  Conemaugh, 
on  the  path  leading  to  Black  Lick,  two  miles 
from  Robert  Gibbs',  in  Westmoreland  county.' 
Mrs.  Martha  Rogers,  widow  of  Isaac  Rogers, 
a  grandson  of  Robert,  the  pioneer,  is  residing 
on  the  original  homestead.  Robert  Rogers' 
wife  was  Sarah  Kyle,  and  their  only  child  was 
Isaac,  who  died  in  1822.  Mrs.  Martha  Rogers 
has  Robert  Rogers'  old  Bible;  it  was  printed 
at  Berwick,  England,  in  1711.  The  tract  of 
land  upon  which  Rogers'  mill  is  situated  was 
warranted  March  11,  1786,  and  the  survey  w-as 
made  September  7,  1786,  the  number  of  acres 
being  three  hundred  and  thirty -eight  and  three- 
fourths." 


ALFRED     K.     STONEBACK.       Indiana 
county's  future  success  is    largely  based 
on  her  rich  farming  lands,  her  wealth  of  tim- 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


267 


ber  and  her  immense  deposits  of  coal,  iron  ore 
and  limestone.  Among  tiiose  who  are  earnestly 
engaged  in  developing  her  material  resources  is 
Alfred  K.  Stoneback,  justice  of  the  peace  and 
a  leading  real  estate  agent  of  Black  Lick.  He 
was  born  at  Zieglersville,  Montgomery  count}', 
Pennsylvania,  November  18,  1863,  and  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Ottillia  (Beerer)  Stoneback. 
John  Stoneback  was  born  in  Montgomery  coun- 
ty in  1834,  is  a  son  of  David  Stoneback,  who 
was  a  member  of  the  State  legislature,  from 
Montgomery  county,  in  1859-61,  and  came  to 
Black  Lick  in  1871.  He  has  always  been  ac- 
tively engaged  in  business  pursuits,  and  at  the 
present  time  owns  several  hundred  acres  of 
valual^le  timber  and  farming  land  in  this  and 
adjoining  counties.  He  married  Ottillia  Beerer, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Beerer,  of  Montgomery 
county,  a  native  of  France.  They  are  the  parents 
of  five  children,  one  son  and  four  daughters. 

Alfred  K.  Stoneback  was  reared  in  Mont- 
gomery county  and  at  Black  Lick.  He  at- 
tended the  common  schools  of  Montgomery  and 
Indiana  counties,  and  entered  Blairsville  acad- 
emy, where  he  remained  for  four  years.  Leav- 
ing school,  he  engaged  in  his  present  business 
of  farming  and  lumbering.  He  is  a  democrat, 
has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  politics,  and 
during  1888  served  as  mercantile  appraiser. 
In  1887  he  was  elected  as  justice  of  the  peace 
of  Burrell  township  for  a  term  of  five  years, 
and  so  far,  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  his 
office,  has  given  general  satisfaction.  In  addi- 
tion to  five  hundred  acres  of  land  which  he  and 
his  father  own  in  Indiana  county,  he  owns  over 
four  hundred  acres  of  choice  mineral  land  in 
Cambria  county.  He  has  bought  and  sold  a 
great  deal  of  real  estate,  making  a  specialty  of 
mineral  and  timber  lands.  He  has  won  his 
way  to  an  honorable  place  in  the  ranks  of  the 
progressive  and  successful  business  men  of  this 
part  of  the  State,  and  is  one  of  the  youngest,  if 
not  the  youngest,  justice  of  the  peace  in  Indi- 
ana county. 


POUND    FAMILY. 

The  Pound  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  and 
best  families  in  we.'tern  Pennsylvania,  and  is 
descended  from  Thomas  Pound,  of  Saxon  or 
Scandinavian  parentage,  from  north  Holland  or 
Denmark,  who  came  in  1635,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years,  from  Amsterdam,  Holland, 
to  London,  England,  and  from  thence  to  Plym- 
outh Colony.  He  and  his  wife,  one  of  the 
children  who  came  in  the  3Iayjiower  in 
1620,  had  among  their  descendants  Adonijah 
Pound,  of  Tarrytown,  Westchester  county,  New 
York,  who  evidently  lost  his  life  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war.  Adonijah  Pound  was  married 
to  Hamiah  Collier,  evidently  sister  of  Sarah 
(Collier)  Harper  and  Thomas  Collier,  and  a 
direct  descendant  of  William  Collier,  a  London 
merchant,  who  came  to  Plymouth  Colony  in 
1633,  and  was  assistant  governor  for  thirty 
years.  Adonijah  and  Hannah  (Collier) 
Pound  were  the  parents  of  Joseph  Pound,  a 
soldier  of  distinction  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
Josej)h  Pound  was  born  in  1750  and  died  April 
4,  1813.  He  married  Sarah  Tichinger,  who 
was  born  in  1757  and  died  April  8,  1813.  She 
was  a  sister  of  Dr.  Thomas  Tichinger  and 
Rachel  (Tichinger)  Collier,  wife  of  Thomas 
Collier.  Joseph  and  Sarah  (Tichinger)  Pound 
were  the  parents  of  six  children  :  Stephen,  born 
in  1777,  married  to  Catherine  Stiffitch  ;  Sarah, 
Hanna,  Eunice,  wife  of  John  Eggen,  Hardin 
county,  Ky. ;  Elsie,  wife  of  Thomas  IMcIntyrc, 
Armstrong  county.  Pa.,  and  Joseph.  At  the 
close  of  the  Revolutionary  war  they  came  from 
Basking  ridge,  ^Morris  cotmty.  New  Jersey,  to 
Derry  township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa., 
near  Salem  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  they 
became  members,  and  where  their  youngest  son 
was  born.  They  finally  located  on  "Tunnell 
Hill." 

Joseph  Pound  was  born  December  21,  1795, 
and  died  October  2,  1881.  He  was  a  man  of 
strong  character,  highly  respected  and  without 


■•68 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  INDIANA  COUNTY. 


a  known  enemy.  In  early  life  he  boated  salt 
from  the  Conemaugh  river  to  Cincinnati,  but 
his  distinctive  occupation  was  farming.  He  was 
an  ardent  democrat  of  the  Jacksonian  school. 
Joseph  Pound  was  a  member  of  Salem  Presby- 
terian church  for  nearly  seventy  years,  and  per- 
sistently declined  to  ever  hold  any  office  in  the 
church.  He  was  married  to  Mary  Drummond, 
who  was  born  in  1807  and  died  February  26, 
1845.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children  : 
Joseph,  born  May  12,  1830;  Mary,  born  Sep- 
tember 9,1831,  died  July  16,  1832;  Sarah, 
born  May  11,  1833;  John  D.,  born  December 
13,  1834;  Ellen, born  September  18, 1836,and 
is  the  wife  of  John  Drummond  ;  Hannah,  born 
March  10,  1838;  Mary,  born  December  21, 
1839,  died  January  15, 1889;  Stephen  G.,born 
July  25,  1841,  and  William,  born  April  6, 
1843,  died  October  19,  1876.  Joseph  is  a  suc- 
cessful farmer  of  Centre  township,  Indiana 
county.  Pa. ;  he  was  married  first  to  Jane  Rob- 
bins,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Nancy  (Reynolds) 
Robbius;  second  to  Julia  Wilson,  daughter  of 
Daniel  and  Letitia  (Henderson)  Wilson,  and 
third  to  Ellen  Coad,  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Diana  (Blackler)  Coad.  Sarah  married  Alex- 
ander McCurdy,  son  of  Alexander  H.  and  Mary 
(Doty)  McCurdy,  and  among  their  children  are  , 
Rev.  Irwin  Pound  McCurdy,  pastor  of  South- 
western Presbyterian  church  of  Philadelphia, 
and  Joseph  A.  McCurdy,  a  successful  lawyer  of  j 
Greensbnrg.  John  D.  and  Hannah  still  reside 
on  the  old  homestead  on  "  Tunnell  Hill."  John 
D.  is  a  successful  business  man  and  farmer,  and 
Avas  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  in 
Captain  Weaver's  comj)any  (A),  54th  regiment. 
Pa.  Vols.  Stephen  Collier  was  a  soldier  in  the 
■war  of  the  Rebellion,  and  served  successfully 
in  Capt.  H.  L.  Donnelly's  company  (G),  135th 


regiment,  Pa.  Vols.,  in  Capt.  William  Seanor's 
company  (I),  54th  regiment.  Pa.  Vols.,  and  in 
Capt.  George  Tanner's  company  (H.  D.),  1st 
Pa.  A^ols.  Mary  Drummond,  wife  of  Joseph 
Pound,  was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Mary 
(Bullmau)  Drummond,  and  granddaughter  of 
Joseph  and  Theresa  (Byard,  now  Bayard)  Bull- 
man,  of  New  Jersey.  John  Drummond  was  a 
son  of  William  and  Ellen  (Cannan,  now  Ca- 
naan and  Keenan)  Drummond,  of  New  Jersey, 
the  latter  a  direct  descendant  of  John  Cannan, 
who  came  to  Plymouth  Colony  from  London, 
England,  in  1621,  and  his  wife  one  of  the  ladies 
that  came  in  the  "  Mayflower." 

William  Drummond  died  of  wounds  received 
while  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and 
was  a  direct  descendant  of  the  great  Drummond 
family  of  Scotland.  AVilliam  and  Ellen  (Ca- 
naan) Drummond  were  tlie  parents  of  John  and 
tieorge  Drummond  and  Nancy  Drummond)Cox, 
of  Ohio.  John  and  Mary  (Bullman)  Drummond 
were  the  parents  of  William,  Gowin  and 
Joseph  Drummond,  Ellen,  wife  of  John  McCrac- 
ken^  John  Drummond,  Sarah,  wife  of  Archibald 
Cunningham,  and  Nancy  Drummond.  John 
Drummond  manufactured  salt  for  many  years 
on  the  Conemaugh  river,  was  a  man  of  strict 
integrity  and  owned  a  large  farm  in'Conemaugh 
township,  Indiana  couuty.  He  was  born  in 
1763  and  died  in  1843. 

The  Pound.s,  Tichingers,  Colliers,  Bullmans, 
Cannans  and  Bayards  came  prior  to  the  Revo- 
liouary  war  from  New  England  (mostly  from 
Plymouth  Colony)  to  northern  New  Jersey, 
from  whence  a  number  of  them  came  to  western 
Pennsylvania,  among  whom  was  John  Pound 
(a  nephew  of  Adonijah  Pound),  who  came  to 
Indiana  county,  where  his  descendants  may  still 
be  found. 


RAYNE,  WHITE,  CENTRE,  CHERRY  HILL,  BRUSH  VALLEY, 
GREEN,  PINE  AND  BUFFINGTON  TOWNSHIPS. 


Historical  and  Descriptive. — The  first  five 
townships  named  constitnte  the  central  part  of 
Indiana  county,  while  the  last  three  enumer- 
ated are  the  eastern  townships  of  the  county. 

Rayne  township  is  drained  by  the  waters  of  I 
Crooked  creek  and  lies  within  the  Blairsville 
liasiu  and  the  Marion  and  Saltshnrg  sub-basins 
of  the  Fourth  Great  basin.  The  larger  part 
of  the  township  is  in  the  Marion  sub-basin.  It 
is  situated  in  the  barren  measures  excepting 
two  small  areas  of  the  Lower  Coal  measures  on 
Crooked  creek — one  at  Kintersburg  and  the 
other  at  Chambersburir. 

In  the  geological  report  of  187.S    no  detailed  ! 
account  is  given  of  the  valley  of  Crooked  creek,  j 

Rayne  Townshij)  was  formed  from  Washing- 
ton and  Green  in  1847  and  received  its  name 
from  Robert  Rayne,  an  early  settler  on  Rayne's 
run.  The  soil  is  a  sandy  loam  well  adapted  to 
farming  and  stock-raising,  and  its  most  valu- 
able minerals  are  coal  and  iron  ore.  There  is 
but  little  account  to  be  had  of  its  early  settlers. 
Among  those  who  came  in  an  early  day  was 
Robert  Thompson  and  Hugh  Cannon,  who  set- 
fled  near  Kellysburg.  The  "  Old  Block  Mouse,"  ' 
in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  township,  was 
erected  in  1790  and  torn  down  in  1811.  Kel- 
leysburg  (Home  P.  O.),  a  place  of  about  125 
inhabitants,  was  laid  out  in  1838  by  Daniel 
Stanard  and  named  in  honor  of  Meek  Kelley. 

Chambersburg,  with  a  population  of  60,  was 
laid  out  by  William  Swan  in  Oct.,  1848,  and 
named  for  Elisha  Chambers,  who  purchased  in 


1789  the  tract  of  land  upon  which  it  is 
situated. 

Kintersburg  (Gilpin  P.  O.)  is  a  town  of  100 
inhabitants  and  was  named  for  Isaac  Kinter, 
who  opened  a  store  there  in  1854.  John  Bu- 
chanan made  the  first  improvement  about  1800 
on  the  si(e  f>f  the  village.  Its  population  at 
each  census  from  1850  to  1890  has  been  :  1184, 
1595,  1735,  1958  and  1924. 

White  Township  was  formed  in  1843  from 
Centre,  Washington,  Green  and  Armstrong 
townships  and  was  named  for  Judge  Thomas 
White.  It  contains  the  county-seat  and  there 
are  said  to  have  been  an  Indian  encampment  or 
village  within  its  borders.  Geologically  it  lie.s 
within  the  same  basin  as  Rayne  township,  but 
only  has  one  bed  of  the  Lower  Coal  measures, 
which  is  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  township, 
on  Two  Lick  creek.  For  a  description  of  Two 
Lick  creek  see  Cherry  Hill  township.  The 
[wpulation  of  White  township  since  1850  to 
1890  at  each  census  has  been:  1288,  1749, 
2146,  1716  and  1612. 

Centre  Toirn.ship  was  formed  from  Arm- 
strong in  1807  and  is  irregular  in  shape,  but  it 
is  an  impossibility  to  trace  its  boundaries  from 
any  State,  county  or  geological  map  of  Indiana 
county  which  we  have  seen  up  to  this  writing. 
It  lies  in  the  Marion  sub-basin  and  the  Blairs- 
ville basin  and  contains  (in  the  eastern  part)  four 
large  areas  of  the  Lower  Coal  measures.  Of 
the  middle  area  Prof  Piatt  says  that  Tearing 
run  affords  access  to  nearly  all  the  coal  beds 

269 


270 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


and  other  strata  of  the  Lower  Productive  j 
group,  and  its  northern  slope  will  be  the  starting- 
point  of  extensive  drifts,  if  ever  such  be  estab- 
lished here  on  these  coals.  All  the  seams  of 
the  lower  group  run  uninterruptedly  from  this 
point  to  the  Yellow  Creek  Valley,  offering  tiius 
an  unbroken  expanse  of  coal,  above  water  level, 
of  more  than  one  mile  in  width,  while  length- 
wise in  a  northwest  and  southeast  direction  the 
coal  spreads  in  great  sheets  up  and  down  the 
mountain  flank.  A  large  part  of  this  section 
of  country  is  owned  in  fee  simple  by  the  Indi- 
ana Coal  company,  which  company  holds  also 
in   addition  extensive  mining  rights. 

The  Upper  Freeport  coal  bed  is  underneath 
the  waters  of  Tearing  run,  as  high  up  the  ravine 
as  Coy's  saw-mill.  But  after  its  emergence 
above  the  water  line  it  rises  rapidly  on  the 
slopes  towards  the  east  and  soutiieast,  and  has 
been  explored  on  nearly  every  farm  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  valley. 

It  is  now  most  extensively  mined  on  the 
property  that  goes  by  the  name  of  the  "  Bracken 
farm."  It  is  there  roofed  by  a  high  hill,  in 
which  the  Mahoning  sandstone  as  a  heavy 
compact  rock  is  the  most  conspicuous  feature. 

As  here  developed,  the  Mahoning  sandstone 
furnishes  excellent  building  material,  nut  only 
for  heavy  foundations,  but  equally  well  for  pur- 
poses of  decoration.  Sandotone  land  has  been 
much  overworked  and  often  stands  in  need  of 
fertilizing  material.  The  deposit  outcrops  20 
feet  below  the  base  of  the  coal  on  the  Bracken 
farm.  An  outcrop  of  apparently  good  fire  clay  j 
was  observed  immediately  above  the  limestone. 

The  Lower  Freeport  coal  (bed  D')  is  a  small  | 
and  unimportant  seam  in  this  neighborhood, 
just  as  it  is  along  Yellow  creek.  Its  outcrop 
is  very  distinct  on  the  township  road  a  siiort 
distance  east  of  the  Bracken  mine,  from  which 
it  is  here  separated  vertically  by  an  interval  of 
60  feet.  From  indications  here  and  also  on 
Yellow  creek,  it  would  appear  that  the  Lower 
Freeport  bed  is  accompanied  throughout  this 


region  by  its  usually  attendant  stratum  of  lime- 
stone. But  this  is  not  certain,  the  exposures 
being  very  imperfect  at  this  horizon. 

Below  tliis  there  are  no  rock  exposures  along 
Tearing  run  for  an  interval  of  115  feet,  which 
most  likely  brings  us  to  bed  B,  this  being  the 
seam  exposed  a  few  feet  above  water  level  on 
the  Bracken  farm.  Coals  C  and  D  are  there- 
fore concealed  here,  as  is  also  the  Johnstown 
Cement  bed,  nothing  whatever  being  seen  of 
these  strata  anywhere  in  the  valley.  But  they 
were  all  found  along  Yellow  creek,  and  are 
simply  hidden  on  Tearing  run,  the  rock  expo- 
sures occurring  there  being  less  complete  than 
on  Yellow  creek. 

Bed  B  on  the  Bracken  farm  shows  four  feet 
of  very  soft  and  inferior  coal.  Only  the  out- 
crop has  been  exposed  at  this  place,  but  ascend- 
ing the  run  we  find  this  same  coal  opened  and 
mined  on  Mrs.  McAdoo's  property,  just  above 
the  forks  of  Tearing  run.  From  water  level  at 
the  Bracken  farm  it  has  risen  to  a  point  50  feet 
above  that  line  at  Mrs.  McAdoo's.  This  bed 
is  considered  identical  with  the  so-called  "  four 
foot "  seam  at  Fiudlay's  and  at  Lewis',  on  the 
opposite  flank  of  the  anticlinal,  but  barely  two 
miles  distant  from  the  exposures  above  described. 

Along  Tearing  run  bed  B  is  overlaid  by  20 
feet  of  black  slates  and  fissile  shale,  while  at 
only  a  few  feet  beneath  the  coal  sandstone  shows 
in  the  bed  of  run,  thus  concealing  bed  A  and 
keeping  it  below  water  level  in  this  valley 
across  the  Chestnut  Ridge  anticlinal. 

The  northern  areas  of  Two  Lick  and  Yellow 
Creek  are  thus  described  : 

CVossing  Black  Lick  creek  to  proceed  north- 
east along  the  base  of  Chestnut  Ridge  by  the 
Homer  road  from  Bell's  mills,  there  is  no  change 
to  record  in  the  general  geology  of  this  region 
as  compared  to  that  described  in  the  last  chapter. 
The  Lower  Productive  Coal  measures  continue 
to  occupy  the  summit  and  flank  of  the  ridge  ; 
and  the  same  rocks  are  crossed  by  all  the  streams, 
large  and  small,  descending  into  Two  Lick,  and 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


271 


also  by  the  Two  Lick  itself",  but  only  as  far 
down  the  latter  valley  as  the  "  Two  Lick  upper 
mills,"  beyond  which  to  (he  west,  past  Homer, 
and  beyond  this  to  its  junction  with  Black  Lick, 
Two  Lick  flows  over  Lower  Barren  rocks.  This 
latter  fact  is  of  considerable  importance,  inas- 
much as  the  high  Two  Lick  bluffs  overlooking 
Homer  are  thereby  condemned  as  uou-coal- 
bearing.  These  bluffs,  supporting  the  rich  pas- 
ture lands  of  western  Centre  and  Black  Lick 
townships,  have  been  searched  again  and  again 
by  the  farmers  for  coal  beds  of  workable  dimen- 
sions, but  always  without  success.  They  yield 
abundance  of  good  limestone  that  would  serve 
well  to  enrich  the  stiff  clay  soils  that  sometimes 
overspread  the  surface  in  this  vicinity. 

The  outcrop  of  the  Upper  Freeport  coal  is 
crossed  a  few  hundi'ed  yards  north  of  Bell's 
mills,  the  road  then  rising  quickly  above  it  into 
the  Mahoning  sandstone,  whicli  covers  the  sur- 
face and  makes  the  country  rock  at  the  school 
house  one-half  mile  north  of  the  village.  At 
Mr.  J.  Rugh's  house  the  Upper  Freeport  coal 
bed  is  only  a  short  distance  beneath  the  surface, 
its  outcrop  being  plainly  defined  by  a  high  bench 
which  rises  rapidly  on  the  slopes  east  of  the 
house. 

The  coal  appears  above  water  level  in  the 
shallow  valley  of  a  small  nameless  run  that  joins 
Two  Lick  at  the  Lutiicran  church.  The  lower 
part  of  this  ravine  is  occupied  by  the  Mitchell 
and  Col.  Shephard  properties  (Zach  farm),  on 
both  of  which  the  bed  has  been  opened. 

The  bed  on  the  mountain  flank  is  six  feet. 
In  this,  however,  is  included  a  damaging  slate 
parting  that  ranges  within  about  one  foot  of  the 
roof,  and  virtually  reduces  the  seam  to  a  bed 
four  feet  thick,  inasmuch  as  it  renders  the  upper 
bench  of  coal  worthless  for  all  practical  pur- 
poses, the  slate  parting  being  too  thick  to  be 
profitably  taken  down.  Moreover,  this  system 
of  mining  is  here  rendered  obligatory  because  of 
the  great  weakness  of  the  roof  slates  of  the  coal. 

As  on  the  Conemangh  at  Bolivar,  so  along 


the  lower  waters  of  Two  Lick  and  Yellow  creek, 
this  great  parting  of  clay  and  slate  is  the  most 
conspicuous  and  distinctive  feature  of  the  Upper 
Freeport  coal  bed.  It  is  so  persistent  and  con- 
tinuous throughout  the  Homer  region  as  to  ren- 
der the  bed  easily  identifiable  there.  Not  a 
single  section  of  the  seam  as  exposed  in  the 
numerous  drifts  along  the  lower  waters  of  Two 
;  Lick  and  Yellow  Creek  but  what  shows  this 
I  [)arting  always  in  the  same  position  and  nearly 
always  of  about  the  same  thickness. 

There  were  in  the  township  several  block- 
houses in  olden  times,  to  which  the  people  were 
in  the  habit  of  congregating  for  mutual  protec- 
tion from  the  ravages  of  the  Indians.  One  was 
on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Peter  Fair.  The 
logs  with  marks  of  port-holes  still  remain. 
Among  the  earlier  settlers  of  the  county  who 
fled  to  this  block-house  were  Thomas  AVilkin, 
Daniel  McKesson,  James  Mitchell,  Andrew 
Dixon,  Samuel  Dixon,  G.  Doty,  Thomas  Mc- 
Cray,  Samuel  Todd — the  latter  was  owner  of 
the  land  on  which  the  building  .stood.  Thomas 
Wilkins  carried  apple  trees  on  his  back  from 
Franklin  county  and  planted  them  on  the  farm 
now  owned  by  Robert  McGee.  The  family 
were  forced  to  flee  and  while  they  were  away 
the  Indians  came  and  pulled  up  all  the  trees, 
except  three,  which  are  still  .standing.  The 
family  returned  again  several  years  afterward. 
Thomas  Burns  settled  on  the  farm  now  owned 
by  Thomas  and  William  Burns  in  the  year  1791. 
He  brought  apple  trees  from  Chambersburg  and 
planted  them  ;  they  are  yet  living.  The  oldest 
organized  church  in  Indiana  county  is  in  Centre 
township.  It  bears  the  name  of  Bethel.  The 
Psalm  book  used  by  the  Rev.  J.  \Y.  Henderson 
is  still  in  existence.  Mr.  Henderson  was  the 
first  Presbyterian  preacher  in  the  county,  and 
was  made  pastor  of  the  Bethel  church  at  the 
time  of  its  organization.  The  a.s.sociation  called 
"  The  Whiskey  Boys  "  had  their  headquarters  at 
the  house  now  owned  by  Robert  Hamil.  John 
Allison  built  the  first  grist-mill  in  Centre  town- 


272 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


ship,  the  site  of  which  is  located  on  the  laud 
now  owned  by  John  H.  Devers. 

The  following  list  of  taxable  inhabitants  of 
Centre  township  was  returned  in  1807  : 

Adam  Altimes,  blaclismith ;  Andrew  Allison, 
John  Armitage,  Robert  Allison,  Jr.  ;  Robert 
Allison,  Sr. ;  Thomas  Allison,  surveyor  j  John 
Allison,  miller ;  John  B.  Allison,  carpenter ; 
John  B.  Allison,  Robert  Allison,  carpenter ; 
Gavin  Adams,  John  Armstrong,  Robert  Adams, 
James  Adams,  John  Arthurs,  Beany  Adear, 
James  Alcorn,  James  Alexson,  miller ;  John 
Allison,  Sr. ;  Peter  Brieker,  William  Brown, 
carpenter ;  Thomas  Burns,  George  Byers,  Jolui 
Clyde,  William  Cain,  Jacob  Cribs,  NA'illiam 
Cummins,  John  Cummins,  David  Cummins, 
Jean  Cummins,  Moses  Chambers,  Solomon 
Chambers,  James  Canon,  mason ;  Ann  Camp- 
bell, John  R.  Cummins,  mason  ;  James  Dixon, 
Andrew  Dixon,  William  Dickie,  blacksmith  ; 
Martha  Dean,  Martha  Dean,  Jr. ;  John  Davis, 
James  Donald,  Moses  Donald,  William  Don- 
ald, Andrew  Dickon,  Robert  Eggy,  Jona- 
than Eggy,  Daniel  Elgin,  Jacob  Fluke, 
William  Fleming,  George  Frederick,  William 
Fulton,  schoolmaster;  Robert  Gordon,  John 
GrifSn,  Lydia  Gibson,  Robert  Gordon,  John 
Gourley,  shopkeeper  ;  James  Gardner,  tailor  ; 
William  Hamilton,  Esq. ;  Robert  Hutchinson, 
William  Hall,  John  Hawk,  Joseph  Henderson, 
minister;  Christopher  Harold,  James  Huston, 
Robert  Jordon,  Meek  Kelly,  carpenter ;  Pati-ick 
Kelly,  James  Kelly,  John  Laughlin,  James 
Laughery,  John  Lowery,  Samuel  Lowery, 
William  Lowery,  John  Lytic,  Daniel  Leny, 
cooper;  Randolph  Laurence,  Mary  Latta,  John 
Laughery,  mason ;  Fergus  Moorhead,Sr.;  Fer- 
gus Moorhead,  tanner;  Daniel  McKisson,  John 
McLanahan,  James  McLanahan,  Robert  Mc- 
Lanahan,  James  McKnight,  Esq. ;  Charles 
Morrow,  James  McGenity,  John  Murphy, 
William  McKee,  Michael  McAnulty,  James 
Montgomery,  Daniel  McGlaughlin,  James  Mc- 
Laue,  prothouotary  ;   Joseph  Moorhead,  Esq. ; , 


James  Moorhead,  carpenter ;  Samuel  Moorhead, 
carpenter;  Thomas  Moorhead,  James  McFarlin, 
Thomas  McCartney,  sheriff;  John  Micksell, 
John  Matson,  carpenter ;  Jean  McCouaughey, 
James  McKisson,  Daniel  McQuelkiu,  black- 
smith ;  James  O'Harra,'  Charles  O'Harra,  Mary 
Pattou,  James  Patton,  Adam  Pilson,  John  Pil- 
son,  Mary  Pilson,  John  Pounds,  Adonijah 
Pounds,  Benj.  Pard,  shopkeeper;  Armor  Phillips, 
Ann  Quigley,  John  Ross,  carpenter ;  John 
Ross,  Alexander  Rea,  Samuel  Rea,  John 
Rankin,  Philip  Rice,  Conrad  Rice,  John  Rediek, 
Robert  Rea,  James  Reynolds,  schoolmaster  • 
James  Stuukard,  James  Simpson,  Andrew 
Speddy,  John  Sines,  Charles  Stewart,  James 
Stewart,  Richard  Stewart,  David  Semple,  James 
Scrapie,  Peter  Sutton,  innkeeper  ;  Thomas  Sut- 
ton, carpenter;  Daniel  Stauard,  lawyer;  William 
Shields,  Matthew  Steel,  William  Smith,  Alex- 
ander Taylor,  William  Tremble,  Samuel  Todd, 
James  Thompson,  John  Thompson,  Joseph 
White,  Samuel  W^iggins,  Thoma.s  Wiggins, 
William  Wiggins,  James  Wilkins,  James  Wil- 
kins,  Sr. ;  William  Wilkins,  John  Wilson. 

The  population  of  Centre  township  at  each 
census  from  1850  to  1890  has  been:  1193, 
1397,  1555, 1265  and  1277. 

Cherry  Hill  Township  is  in  the  Blairsville 
and  Ligouier  basins.  It  is  irregular  in  shape 
and  is  in  the  Lower  Barren  measures,  except 
the  Yellow  and  Two  Lick  creek  valleys,  which 
carry  the  Lower  Coal  measures,  and  a  small  area 
of  Pottsville  conglomerate  near  Mitchell's  Mills 
P.O. 

The  developments  along  so  much  of  the 
valley  of  Yellow  Creek  as  falls  within  the 
limits  of  the  present  discussion  are  almost  wholly 
confined  to  the  Upper  Freeport  coal  bed,  of 
which  there  are  frequent  exposures.  Some  of 
the  mines  are  worked  quite  extensively,  this 
being  the  nearest  point  to  the  county  seat  of  any 
workable  coal  bed  above  water  level.  And 
while  large  quantities  of  this  coal  are  yearly  con- 
sumed in  the  country  round  about,  it  confessedly 


INDIANA  COUNTY. 


273 


does  not  rank  as  high  as  the  coal  from  the  Pitts- 
burgh bed,  and  for  domestic  use  cannot  compete 
successfully  with  the  latter  in  the  Indiana  mar- 
ket, although  the  Pittsburgh  coal  has  to  be 
brought  at  a  considerable  cost  of  transportation 
from  either  Blaii'svilleor  West  Lebanon,  near  the 
Armstrong  county  line.  In  the  chemical  compo- 
sition of  the  coals,  especially  iu  the  case  of  that 
coming  from  the  Pittsburgh  bed  at  Blairsville, 
there  is  little  or  no  diiference. 

Tiie  conditions  for  cheap  aud  easy  mining  are 
vei"y  favorable  along  the  Yellow  Creek 
valley.  Gangways  could  be  driven  along  the 
strike  of  the  rocks,  southwest  to  Tearing  run, 
or  northeast  to  Two  Lick  ;  and  such  gangways 
would  command  enormous  fields  of  coal.  The 
projected  Homer  and  Cherry  Tree  R.  R.  would 
furnish  the  region  with  an  outlet  to  market. 

Ascending  Yellow  creek  from  its  mouth,  the 
Mahoning  sandstone,  in  the  same  compact  and 
massive  condition  tliat  characterizes  it  along 
Tearing  run,  is  the  county  ruck  for  nearly  a 
mile.  It  is  the  upper  part  of  this  deposit  that 
shows  in  the  left  bank  of  the  stream  at  the 
Homer  bridge.  As  the  rock  slowly  rises  above 
the  water  line  it  grows  more  and  more  conspic- 
uous on  the  slopes,  over  which  fragments  and 
boulders  of  coarse  and  fine-grained  sandstone 
are  strewn  in  great  abundance. 

The  Upper  Freeport  coal  bed,  as  exposed  in 
this  valley  by  Messrs.  McDonald,  Markle,  Shep- 
hard,  Griffith  and  Porterfield,  is  a  double  bed  of 
uniform  thickness,  yielding  in  all  about  six  feet 
of  coal,  of  which  the  lower  bench  makes  up  nearly 
two-thirds.  The  section  is  the  same  iu  all  the 
mines,  and  about  identiad  with  that  given  for 
the  same  bed  on  Tearing  run. 

The  little  valley  of  Dixon's  run  leads  from 
the  Two  Lick  creek  to  the  top  of  the  divide 
between  Two  Lick  and  the  Mahoning.  Asceud- 
iug  the  little  valley  of  the  run  from  Two  Lick 
we  start  iu  rocks  at  or  near  the  base  of  the  Low- 
er Productive  system,  and  slowly  rise  in  these 
measures  uutil  finally  the  slope  of  the  stream  bed 


carries  it  above  them  into  the  Lower  Barren 
group. 

The  coal  mined  at  present  in  this  valley 
comes  entirely  from  the  Lower  Freeport  bed. 
The  scam  varies  somewhat  in  thickness  at  dif- 
ferent points,  but  invariably  yields  a  good  clean 
coal.  The  existence  of  other  coal  beds  botii 
above  and  below  that  now  worked  is  well 
known,  but  there  is  no  inducement  to  further 
investigate  them. 

What  little  limestone  has  been  used  by  the 
farmers  in  fertilizing  the  soil  has  been  taken 
from  the  Freeport  deposit,  here  an  important 
and  valuable  stratum  yielding  excellent  lime- 
stone, easily  raised,  and  giving  oil'  its  carbonic 
acid  quickly  iu  the  kiln. 

The  lower  part  of  the  valley,  that  is,  from 
the  school-house  at  Woodisou's  to  the  mouth  of 
the  run,  has  been  very  little  explored  for  its 
mineral  contents.  The  developments  begin  at 
Woodison's  and  extend  beyond  Dixonville, 
where  the  Lower  Freeport  coal  is  close  to  water 
level. 

Bed  D  was  once  luicovered  near  the  grist-mill ; 
it  showed  18  inches  of  coal.  Underneath  it 
was  the  Johnstown  Cement  bed,  four  feet  thick, 
and  according  to  Mr.  Woodison,  who  exposed 
these  strata,  made  up  of  good  stone. 

About  50  feet  above  this  exposure  the  Lower 
Freeport  coal  outcrops. 

Cherry  Hill  was  formed  from  Green  and 
Brush  Valley  townships  in  1854  and  was  named 
from  "Cherry  Hill  Manor,"  which  was  surveyed 
to  the  Peuus.  The  soil  is  a  sandy  loam  and 
the  main  minerals  are  coal,  lime  and  iron  ore. 
Among  the  early  settlers  were  the  Mortons, 
Evanses  and  Hustons.  Diamondville  (Mitchell's 
Mills  P.  O.)  was  laid  out  by  Dr.  Robert 
Mitchell  between  1823  and  1825.  Greenville 
(Penu  Run  P.  O.)  was  founded  in  1838  by 
William  Evans,  and  Hustonville  derives  its 
name  from  Robert  Huston,  who  built  a  house 
and  blacksmith  shop  on  its  site  in  1850. 

The  population  of  Cherry  Hill  township  at 


274 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


each  census  from  1860  to  1890  has  been  :  1758, 
1976,  2243  and  1794. 

Brush  Valley  Township  was  formed  in  1835 
from  Wheatfield  and  derived  its  name  from  the 
vallo}'  of  Brush  creek.  It  lies  in  the  Ligonier 
basin  and  is  included  principally  in  the  sub- 
basin  between  the  Nolo  and  the  Chestnut  Ridge 
axis. 

The  ravine  of  Brush  creek  is  important  as 
unfolding  the  geology  of  Brush  Valley  town- 
ship. The  creek  heads  in  the  high  laud  about 
Mechanicsburg  and  flows  south  to  meet  Black 
Lick  at  Ash's  saw-mill,  one  mile  and  a  half 
above  Heshbon. 

It  is  sufficiently  clear  that  the  Lower  Pro- 
ductive Coal  measures  are  in  the  hills  at  the 
mouth  of  Brush  creek.  A  portion  of  these 
rocks,  however,  but  only  a  small  portion  of 
them,  is  there  below  water  level,  the  tops  of  the 
ravine  being  crowned  l)y  Lower  Barren  meas- 
ures, in  which  the  Mahoning  sandstone  is 
prominent. 

As  Brush  creek  is  ascended  the  ravine  grows 
rapidly  shallower  by  the  slope  of  the  stream 
bed.  This  gradually  conceals  the  Lower  Pro- 
ductive coal  rocks  as  the  valley  becomes  more 
and  more  narrow,  until  finally  the  tops  of  the 
ravine  join  and  spread  out  on  a  wide  sheet  of 
Lower  Barrens,  on  which  the  town  of  Mechan- 
icsburg is  built.  These  same  rocks  cover  nearly 
the  whole  of  the  surface  of  Brush  Valley  town- 
ship, by  which  is  explained  the  total  absence  of 
workable  coal  beds,  not  only  at  Mechanicsburg, 
but  everywhere  on  the  uplands  of  tliis  town- 
ship. The  sheet  of  Barrens  extends  west  of 
Mechanics! jurg  nearly  to  the  summit  of  Chest- 
nut ridge,  and  eastward  it  sweeps  across  the  top 
of  the  Nolo  anticlinal.  But  in  the  deep  valleys 
skirting  the  township  on  the  north  and  south 
range  the  Lower  Productive  coal  beds,  nearly 
all  of  which  are  of  workable  thickness. 

The  few  developments  made  in  the  ravine  of 
Brush  creek  illustrate  what  has  just  been  said 
with  regard  to  its  geology. 


Thus  two  coal  beds  and  two  limestone  bands 
have  been  exposed  near  the  mouth  of  the  creek. 
The  lower  of  the  coals  was  discovered  in  sink- 
ing a  well  on  the  Mock  farm,  and  is  reported  as 
a  parted  seam  three  feet  thick ;  it  is  not  else- 
where known  in  the  ravine. 

Ascending  the  creek  to  Overdorff's  mill,  the 
upper  seam  is  at  water  level. 

Ascending  the  stream  still  higher  and  ad- 
vancing to  the  Wilson  property,  about  one-half 
mile  above  Overdorff's  mill,  two  limestone  lay- 
ers, thirty  feet  apart  vertically,  make  their  ap- 
pearance on  the  left  side  of  the  ravine.  The 
lower  of  these  is  a  very  ferruginous  rock,  which 
calcines  only  under  the  hardest  burning  and 
yields  then  au  impure  reddish  lime.  The  up- 
per stratum,  likewise  partly  opened  by  Mr. 
Wilson,  is,  on  the  other  hand,  an  unusually 
pure  limestone  for  the  coal  measures ;  it  is 
streaked  with  thin  veins  of  calcite,  and  slakes 
down  readily  into  a  white  lime.  These  lime- 
stone bands  were  identified  as  belonging  to  the 
Upper  and  Lower  Freeport  deposits,  neither  of 
which  coals,  however,  have  yet  been  opened 
hereabouts. 

Mechanicsburg  was  laid  out  by  John  Taylor 
for  Robert  McCormick  in  September,  1833, 
and  as  it  was  a  place  for  mechanics  it  was  called 
Mechanicsburg.  Heshbon  is  a  place  of  36  pop- 
ulation and  Suncliff  has  26  inhabitants.  Brush 
Valley  at  each  census  from  1850  to  1890  con- 
tained the  following  population:  1481,1733, 
1606,  1365, and  1179. 

Green  Toionship  was  formed  from  WHieat- 
field  about  1816  and  was  named  on  account  of 
the  gi-een  color  of  its  heavy  forests.  It  is  in 
the  Ligonier  basin  between  the  Nolo  and  the 
Chestnut  Ridge  axis.  The  Lower  Coal  meas- 
ures extend  along  the  north  fork  of  Two  Lick 
in  the  western  part  of  the  township. 

Cookport  was  named  for  William  Cook  and 
the  first  house  was  erected  by  Lewis  Shaw  in 
1858.  Dixon ville  was  established  in  1860  and 
Kesslerville  (Beringer  P.  O.)  was  laid  out  by 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


275 


Peter  Kessler  in  1871.  The  first  house  at  Tay- 
lorville  (Utah  P.  O.)  was  erected  by  A.  T. 
Moorhead  in  1854  and  the  place  was  named 
for  President  Taylor.  The  first  house  at  Pine 
Flat  was  built  in  1860  by  Evan  Williams.  The 
population  of  Green  township  at  each  census 
from  1850  to  1890  has  been  :  2281, 1723,  2160, 
2606  and  2401. 

Pine  Township  was  taken  from  Wheatfield 
in  1850  and  derived  its  name  from  the  extensive 
pine  forests  then  within  its  boundaries.  It  is 
in  the  Ligonier  basin,  and  contains  a  long  and 
narrow  area  of  the  Lower  Coal  measures,  which 
lie  in  the  Little  Yellow  Creek  Valley.  The 
eastern  part  of  the  township  is  between  the 
Laurel  Hill  and  the  Nolo  axis,  while  the 
western  portion  is  in  the  sub-basin  between  the 
Nolo  and  the  Chestnut  Ridge  axis.  The  geology 
of  Little  Yellow  Creek  received  but  scant  notice 
at  the  hands  of  tiie  State  geologists  during  the 
last  survey. 

James  Strong  owned  the  site  of  Strongstown, 
and  some  time  shortly  after  1823  built  the  first 
three  houses  of  that  place.  Strongtown  has  75 
inhabitants.  Nolo  was  founded  under  the  name 
of  the  "  Stone  House, "  which  it  bore  until  1858, 
when  the  post-office  of  Nolo  was  established,  and 
the  place  changed  its  name  to  that  of  the  post- 
offico.  The  population  of  Pine  township  from 
1860  to  1890  has  been:  1860,1788;  1870, 
921;  1880,  1189;  1890,  1003. 

Bujfington  Township  was  formed  from  Pine 
in  1867,  and  was  named  in  honor  of  Judge 
Joseph  Buffington.  The  township  lies  in  that 
part  of  the  Ligonier  basin  which  is  between 
the  Laurel  Hill  and  the  Nolo  axis.  A  small 
area  of  the  Lower  Coal  measures  is  in  the  north- 
western part  of  the  township. 

Among  the  early  settlers  were  the  McCart- 
neys, Clarks,  Camerons,  Dills,  Misners,  Stew- 
arts, McPhersons  and  Campbells.  Uilltown 
was  laid  out  in  1850,  under  the  name  of  Frank- 
lin, but  soon  received  its  present  name  from 
Matthew  Dill.  The  population  of  Buffington 
17 


township  since    1870   has   been:     1870,  877 
1880,  819;  1890,  644. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


THOMAS  BURNS  purchased  the  Burns 
homestead  in  Centre  township  in  1790. 
He  was  born  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  and  served 
three  years  in  the  British  army  at  the  outset  of 
the  Revolutionary  war.  He  then  served  four 
years  under  the  noted  Paul  Jones  and  other 
American  commanders.  After  his  settlement 
in  this  section  he  chopped  wood  and  burned 
coal.  He  died  in  1833,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
four.  He  was  twice  married,  first  in  1800,  to 
Mary  Harea,  who  died  in  1816,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-four,  and  second  to  Sarah  Boyle,  daughter 
of  Robert  and  Mary  (Johnston)  Boyle.  The 
children  were:  William,  Thomas,  Catherine 
and  James.  William  served  four  months  in 
the  105th  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunteei-s^ 
and  seven  months  in  the  177th  during  the  war 
of  1861.  He  was  also  in  tlie  provost  marshal's 
department  for  nine  months.  William  and 
Thomas  reside  on  the  old  homestead,  where 
there  is  said  to  have  been  an  Indian  village. 
Tradition  reporta  that  for  several  years  the 
dusky  woodsmen  would  return  to  look  for  treas- 
ure said  to  have  been  buried  there. " 


HON.  JOSEPH  CAMPBELL,  of  Centre 
township,  was  born  in  1799,  at  the  pres- 
ent residence  of  his  widow,  and  was  the  son 
William  and  Ann  (White)  Campbell.  William 
Campbell  was  among  the  early  settlers  of  the 
township,  and  was  engaged  in  some  of  the 
Westmoreland  furnaces.  William  White,  the 
father  of  Mrs.  Campbell,  was  an  early  pioneer 
of  Centre  township.  Both  the  Campbells  and 
Whites  migrated  from  Antietam  creek,  Mary- 
land, to  what  is  now  Indiana  county.     William 


276 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Campbell  died  when  Joseph  was  a  young  lad, 
leaving  a  widow  and  two  children,  with  a  farm 
in  the  woods,  without  horses,  implements,  or 
the  means  with  which  to  secure  them.  Joseph 
worked  with  Rev.  Joseph  Henderson,  on  the 
latter's  farm,  and  the  mother  and  daughter 
took  in  weaving.  Slowly  the  land  was  im- 
proved and  the  necessary  stock  and  appliances 
were  obtained.  Our  subject  was  married,  first, 
in  1836,  to  Nancy  Elgin,  a  daughter  of  Daniel 
Elgin.  She  died  in  1838,  of  consumption,  and 
their  only  child  died  when  three  months  old ; 
and  second,  in  1848,  to  Rebecca  Allison, 
daughter  of  Andrew  Allison.  Their  children 
■were :  Sarah  Ann,  Rebecca  J.  and  Nancy 
Ellen.  Mr.  Campbell  served  in  the  various 
township  positions,  and  as  an  associate  judge 
for  five  years.  He  was  among  the  earliest  anti- 
slavery  reformers  in  the  country,  and  was 
termed  an  abolitionist  more  than  fifty  years 
affo.  He  was  among  the  first  men  in  the 
county  to  sign  the  total  abstinence  pledge,  and 
was  among  the  earliest  champions  of  the  tem- 
perance cause  in  the  county.  He  died  in  1879, 
not  long  after  the  above  was  written,  and  was 
buried  at  the  Crete  United  Presbyterian  ceme- 
tery. His  funeral  was  attended  by  over  a 
thousand  jiersons." 


rUPT.  JACOB  CREPS,  a  veteran  officer 
v/  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  a  pop- 
ular citizen  and  active  business  man  of  Rayne 
township,  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Eleanor 
(Wolfe)  Creps,  and  was  born  in  that  part  of 
Washington  township  which  is  now  Rayne 
township,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  March 
4,  1836.  His  grandfather,  Jacob  Creps,  was  a 
native,  in  all  probability,  of  Centre  county. 
He  came,  in  1837,  to  what  is  Rayne  township, 
where  he  died  a  few  years  after  his  arrival. 
He  was  a  lutheran  and  an  old-line  whig  and 
served  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  married  and 
reared  a  family  of  three  sons  and  three  daugh- 


ters. One  of  these  sons  was  Samuel  Creps,  who 
was  born  in  Centre  county,  in  1807,  and  died 
near  Dixon ville,  in  1858.  He  was  a  whig  and 
afterwards  one  of  the  early  abolitionists  of 
Indiana  county.  He  was  active  in  political 
aifairs  and  married  Eleanor  Wolf,  daughter  of 
John  Wolf,  a  whig  and  farmer  of  Centre 
county,  who  married  Susanna  Lutes  and  came 
to  Rayne  township,  where  he  reared  a  family 
of  six  sons  and  three  daughters.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Creps  were  the  parents  of  two  sons  and  one 
daughter,  all  of  whom  are  dead  except  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  Mrs.  Creps  was  born  in 
1814  and  is  still  living. 

Jacob  Creps  was  educated  in  the  common 
and  select  and  normal  schools.  Before  he 
attained  his  majority  he  had  assisted  his  father 
in  clearing  out  a  valuable  farm  of  seventy  acres 
of  land.  At  eighteen  years  of  age  he  engaged 
in  teaching  and  taught  five  terms  of  school  at 
one  place  and  two  at  another.  He  displayed 
quite  a  military  taste  at  a  very  early  age  and 
was  a  drummer  and  leader  of  the  band  in  a 
militia  company  when  only  twelve  years  of  age. 
At  sixteen  years  of  age  he  was  elected  first 
lieutenant  of  the  Washington  artillery  and  at 
the  time  of  the  Utah  troubles  offered  his  services 
to  the  government,  but  was  not  accepted.  When 
Fort  Sumter  was  fired  on,  he  was  captain  of  a 
militia  company  which  offered  its  services  for  the 
three  months'  service.  It  was  not  accepted  as 
the  quota  was  full.  Under  the  call  for  three 
hundred  thousand  men  the  company  enlisted, 
and  he  resigned  as  captain  and  enlisted  as  a 
private,  but  was  unanimously  re-elected  as  cap- 
tain of  the  company,  which  became  Co.  A,  63d 
regiment.  Pa.  Vols.,  and  served  till  1864,  when 
they  were  honorably  discharged.  Capt.  Creps 
served  under  General  Scott  and  every  otlier 
commander  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and 
led  the  advance  of  that  grand  old  army  three 
times  across  the  Rappahannock.  The  first  time 
his  company  was  given  the  honor  of  leading  the 
advance  they  crossed  on  pontoon  bridges.    This 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


277 


company  has  a  remarkable  war  recoril  and  it  is  j 
said  had  more  men  killed  and  wounded,  accord- 
ing to  its  numbers,  than  any  other  company  in 
the  United  States  service.  Capt.  Creps  was 
always  found  at  the  head  of  his  company  and 
participated  in  all  of  tiie  great  battles  between 
the  armies  of  the  Potomac  and  Northern  Vir- 
ginia from  the  fall  of  1861  to  the  winter  of 
1864.  When  his  term  of  service  expired  he 
returnefl  home  and  engaged  in  farming,  stock- 
raising  and  stock-dealing,  which  business  be 
has  followed  successfully  ever  since. 

He  married  Christiana  Bookinmire,  wlio  is  a 
native  of  Germany.  To  them  have  been  born  five 
children,  of  whom  four  are  living:  Ida,  wife  of 
William  Campljell,  an  oil  broker  of  Pitt.sburgh  ; 
J.  Augustus,  who  lives  with  his  father  and 
married  Minnie  Ray,  by  whom  he  has  two 
children,  Minorica  and  Ella  E. ;  John  F.,  of 
Allegheny  city,  who  is  a  bookkeeper  for  Clever 
Bros.,  of  Pittsburgh,  and  married  Eliza  Pulfer, 
by  whom  he  has  one  child,  Percy ;  and  Flor- 
ence, who  is  at  home. 

In  politics,  Capt.  Creps  was  a  republican 
until  1877,  when  he  became  a  greenbacker.  In 
1867  he  was  elected  sheriff,  and  from  1877  to 
1879  was  a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  legis- 
lature, lu  1886  he  was  a  candidate  of  the 
Labor  party  for  the  legislature  and  lacked  but 
one  hundred  and  ninety-three  votes  of  being 
electetl  when  the  county  gave  twenty-five  hun- 
dred republican  majority.  In  1890  he  was 
the  candidate  of  the  Labor  party  for  Congress, 
in  the  Twenty-first  Congressional  District.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  the  Pat- 
rons of  Husbandry,  the  Loyal  Legion  and  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  On  August  21, 
1887,  the  surviving  members  of  his  company 
presented  him  with  a  one  hundred  dollar  gold- 
headed  cane,  and  an  address  written  on  parch- 
ment, expressing  in  glowing  terms  the  high 
esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  those  who 
had  served  under  him  on  many  a  bloody 
field. 


WILLIAM  T.  HAMIL,  a  well-respected 
citizen  of  White  township,  and  a  de- 
scendant of  two  pioneer  families  of  Indiana 
county,  is  a  son  of  Robert  M.  and  Jane  (Trim- 
ble) Hamil,  and  was  born  in  Fairfield  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  Oc- 
tober 9,  1830. 

The  Hamil  family  is  of  Irish  descent, 
and  one  of  its  members,  Joiin  Hamil  (great- 
grandfather), emigrated  from  Ireland  to  the 
United  Colonies  in  1761,  and  settled  in  the 
famous  Ligonier  Valley,  some  two  miles  south 
of  Palmer's  fort.  According  to  the  old  tradi- 
j  tions  of  Indiana  county,  he  was  the  tenth  set- 
tler who  located  in  the  Ligonier  settlement. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Gibson,  who  was  a  na- 
tive of  Ireland.  Their  sou,  Robert  Hamil 
•  (grandfather),  was  born  in  county  Antrim, 
Ireland,  and  came  to  Pennsylvania  with  his 
parents.  He  was  a  "Seceder,"  or  a  inombor 
of  the  Associate  Presbyterian  church.  During 
I  the  Revolution  his  father,  John  Hamil,  was 
drafted;  but  Robert  went  in  his  place,  and 
served  three  years.  He  participated  in  the 
battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  He  died  in  1841,  when 
in  the  eighty-third  year  of  his  age.  He  mar- 
ried Jane  McKelvey,  and  reared  a  family  of 
twelve  cliildren,  five  sons  and  seven  daughters: 
Elizabeth,  Mary  (wife  of  James  Alexander), 
Allan,  David,  Jane  McClain,  Robert  M.,  Ann 
Frew,  Ebenezer,  Hannah,  Joseph,  Sarah  (who 
married  Alfred  Lameroux)  and  Rachel  (wife  of 
David  Brown).  Robert  N.  Hamil  (father) 
was  born  in  the  Ligonier  Valley,  Westmore- 
land County,  in  1805,  and  in  1831  removed  to 
Centre  township,  and  bought  the  tract  of  land 
called  "Junction."  On  this  farm  the  "  Whis- 
key boys"  had  an  encampment  during  the 
Whiskey  insurrection  of  1794.  Robert  M. 
Hamil  was  a  tanner  by  trade;  but  afler  he 
removed  to  Indiana  county,  he  was  engaged  in 
farming  until  his  death,  in  March,  1886.  lie 
married  Jane  Trimble,  and  had  nine  children  : 
'  William  T.,  Margaret  Jane  (wife  of  William 


278 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Douthet),  Samuel,  Mary  Ann,  Susan,  Elizabeth 
(wife  of  R.  C.  Carson),  Sarah  (wife  of  William 
Carson),  Washington  (who  died  while  serving 
in  the  Union  army  at  Fredericksburg  in  1863), 
and  Rachel  (wife  of  William  Staley).  Mrs. 
Jane  (Trimble)  Haniill  was  a  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Trimble,  and  a  granddaughter  of  George 
Trimble,  a  native  of  the  north  of  Ireland,  who 
emigrated  from  that  country  to  the  United 
Colonies  in  1789,  and  located  in  White  town- 
ship, Indiana  county.  He  was  soon  driven  by 
the  Indians  to  the  Conecocheague  Valley,  from 
whence  he  afterwards  returned,  in  1797,  to  this 
county,  and  settled  in  Armstrong  township, 
where  he  purchased  a  tract  of  land  called  "  St. 
James." 

William  T.  Hamil  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  attended  the  common  schools  of  Cen- 
tre township.  He  removed  in  1 853  to  White 
township,  where  he  has  been  engaged  in  farm- 
ing ever  since.  On  April  24,  1854,  he  married 
Keziah  Beck,  daughter  of  William  Beck,  by 
whom  he  had  three  children:  William  P.  (who 
died  in  1856),  Franklin  (who  passed  away  in 
1888),  and  Plymouth  (who  married  Annie 
Campbell  in  1884).  Mrs.  Hamil  died  in 
1861,  and  Mr.  Hamil,  on  May  27,  1862, 
married  Mary  Ann  Ray,  daughter  of  Matthew 
Ray.  By  his  second  marriage  he  has  five  chil- 
dren: Jaue,  Quincy  Adams,  Clara  Josephine, 
Robert  and  Matthew  Wilson. 

Squire  Hamil  owns  a  valuable  farm,  besides 
one  hundred  and  ten  acres  of  the  old  home- 
stead farm  in  Centre  township.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  and  a 
republican  prohibitionist  in  politics.  He  served 
his  township  acceptably  for  six  years  as  justice 
of  the  peace,  and  is  frequently  counseled  by  his 
neighbors  in  legal  matters.  He  has  always 
taken  a  deep  interest  in  education,  and  con- 
tributed liberally  toward  the  establishment  of 
the  Indiana  State  Normal  school  at  Indiana, 
I'a.,  from  which  institution  four  of  his  children 
have  been  graduated. 


"  A  NDREW  LEARN,  a  pioneer  settler  of 
•^  Green  township,  was  born  in  1809,  in 
!  what  is  now  Bell  township,  Westmoreland  Co., 
and  was  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Ashbaugh) 
Learn.  The  former  was  a  native  of  the  Sewick- 
ley  settlement,  Westmoreland  county,  where  he 
was  born  in  1785.  He  was  a  son  of  Andrew  and 
Susan  (Yorkey)  Learn.  He  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  located  at  an  early  period 
on  Sewickley  creek.  His  father  and  wife,  their 
son  George  and  wife  and  family,  were  killed 
by  the  Indians  near  Blue  mountains.  The 
tradition  is  that  this  massacre  was  committed 
by  seven  Indians  from  the  Lake  Erie  country. 
The  children  of  Andrew  Learn,  the  pioneer, 
were, — John,  Catherine,  Elizabeth,  Mary,  Su- 
san, George,  Sarah,  Barbara,  Rachel  and  An- 
drew." 


ADAM  H.  MIKESELL,  one  of  the  comfort- 
ably situated  farmers  and  most  substantial 
citizens  of  White  township,  is  a  son  of  John  P. 
and  Sarah  E.  (Holmes)  Mikesell,  and  was  born 
in  Centre  township,  Indiana  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania February  20,  1869.  The  Mikesell  family 
is  of  German  descent,  and  one  of  its  members 
Adam  Mikesell  (grandfather)  was  born  in  1794, 
and  came  to  Indiana  county  in  early  life.  He 
purchased  500  acres  of  land  in  Centre  township, 
upon  which  he  resided  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1877,  when  he  was  in  the  eighty- 
third  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  church  and  an  upright 
man.  One  of  his  sons,  John  P.  Mikesell 
(father),  was  born  on  his  father's  farm  in  Centre 
township  in  1833.  He  commenced  life  as  a 
farmer  in  his  native  township,  where  he  re- 
mained until  the  fall  of  1879,  when  he  removed 
to  White  township.  He  owned  one  hundred 
and  twelve  acres  of  his  father's  farm,  which  he 
sold  for  about  one  hundred  dollars  an  acre.  In 
1890  he  retired  from  farming  and  purchased 
property  at  Indiana,  where  he  has  resided  ever 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


271) 


since.  He  advocates  the  principles  of  the  demo- 
cratic party,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  church.  In  1868  he  married  Sarah 
E.  Holmes,  a  daughter  of  George  Holmes,  of 
Indiana,  and  to  their  union  were  born  two  sons : 
Adam  H.,  and  Torrence,  born  September  10, 
1876.  Mrs.  Mikesell  was  born  1844,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Adam  H.  Mikesell  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  iu  Centre  township,  and  received  a  good 
common-school  education.  He  has  been  en- 
gaged in  farming  ever  since  leaving  school, 
except  a  short  period  during  which  he  conducted 
a  livery  stable  at  Homer  City.  He  lives  on 
92J  acres  of  his  father's  White  township  farm, 
which  he  takes  great  pride  in  cultivating,  and 
which  is  very  productive  under  his  judicious 
management. 

On  June  13,  1888,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Nettie  Ralston,  daughter  of  Samuel  Ralston, 
of  Cherry  Hill  township.  To  their  union  have 
been  born  two  sons,  Johnnie  and  Walter  Gilbert, 
both  now  dead. 

Adam  H.  Mikesell  is  a  democrat  and  believes 
in  the  principles  and  practices  of  the  demo- 
cratic party,  whose  interests  and  nominees  he 
ever  supports  and  whose  success  he  ever  desires. 

Well  situated  in  a  favored  section  of  his 
township,  he  devotes  the  most  of  his  time  to  his 
farm  and  justly  enjoys  the  reputation  of  being 
one  of  the  most  throughgoing  and  successful 
farmers  in  White  township. 


JOHN  PILSON,  a  prudent  and  industrious 
farmer,  and  one  of  the  well-respected  citi- 
zens of  White  township,  is  a  son  of  John,  Sr., 
and  Nancy  (Johnston)  Pilson,  and  was  born  in 
White  township,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania, 
December  9,  1803.  John  Pilson,  Sr.  (father), 
was  born  in  Ireland,  from  which  he  emigrated 
in  1870  to  the  United  States.  He  settled  in 
White  township,  Indiana  county,  where  he  pur- 
chased three  hundred  acres   of  land,  which   he 


cultivated  until  his  death.  He  died  in  1834, 
when  he  was  in  the  seventy-second  year  of  his 
age.  He  married  Nancy  Johnston,  a  native  of 
the  Shenandoah  Valley,  Virginia,  by  whom  he 
liad  five  children,  of  whom  three  are  still  living: 
Susanna,  who  was  born  in  1807,  and  married 
Jesse  Griffith,  of  Indiana  county;  John  and 
Nancy,  Itorn  iu  1812.  Mrs.  Pilson  was  a  con- 
sistent member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and 
died  in  1851,  when  in  the  eightieth  year  of  her 
age. 
i  John  Pilson  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm 
and  attended  the  subscription  schools  of  that 
period,  in  which  he  received  a  practical  educa- 
tion. He  has  always  lived  a  quiet  and  peaceful 
life  and  devotes  his  time  to  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  He  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  the  homestead  farm,  which  is  four  miles  from 
Indiana.  He  keeps  his  farm  in  fine  condition 
and  raises  good  crops  of  grain  and  grass. 

He  has  never  married,  and  Nancy  .1.  Griffiths 
a  daughter  of  his  sister,  Mrs.  Susanna  Griffith, 
keeps  house  for  him.  John  Pilson  is  an  es- 
teemed citizen  of  White  township,  a  stanch  re- 
publican in  politics,  and,  like  his  father,  is  a  con- 
scientious member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
Mr.  Pilson  has  never  given  time  or  attention 
to  any  other  business  than  that  of  farming  and 
.stock-raising.  John  Pilson  is  one  of  the  thrifty 
and  prosperous  citizens  of  his  township,  and 
while  taking  no  active  part  in  political  life  yet) 
he  has  decided  opinions  of  his  own  concerning 
public  affiiirs,  which  he  has  formed  by  closely 
watching  the  course  of  the  political  parties  of 
the  United  States  since  Andrew  Jackson  was 
first  a  candidate  for  president  in  1824, 


T  W.  SHIELDS,  of  Rayne  township,  is  a 
^  ,  man  of  sound  judgment  and  tried  capacity, 
and  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  commissioners 
has  exercised  a  conservative  and  watchful  care 
over  the  finances  of  Indiana  county.  He  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Speedy)  Shields  and 


280 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


was  born  in  what  is  now  Rayne  township,  Indi- 
ana county,  Pennsylvania,  February  2,  1835. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  John  Shields,  was  a 
native  of  Ireland  and  settled  in  what  is  now 
Black  Lick  township  about  1800.  He  served  in 
the  war  of  1812  and  during  part  of  that  time 
was  employed  by  the  government  as  an  Indian 
spy  and  to  give  notice  to  the  western  forts  of 
any  threatened  attack  upon  them  by  Indians. 
His  wife,  a  native  of  Scotland,  bore  him  six 
children ;  William,  John,  Mary  McKee,  Mar- 
garet Speedy,  James  and  Joseph,  all  of  whom 
are  dead.  John  Shields  (father)  was  born  in 
Rayne  township,  where  he  owned  six  hundred 
acres  of  good  farming  laud.  He  was  also  a 
stock  dealer,  purchasing  droves  of  cattle  and 
drivingthem  to  the  eastern  markets.  In  his  early 
life  he  was  quite  a  successful  bear  and  deer 
hunter,  but  soon  abandoned  that  dangerous 
pastime  for  his  farm  work  and  stock  business. 
He  was  a  member  and  elder  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  He  was  a  whig  and  afterwards  a  repub- 
lican in  politics.  He  was  a  man  of  sound  judg- 
ment, and  served  two  terms  as  justice  of  the 
peace,  besides  filling  several  other  township 
offices.  He  was  elected  county  commissioner  in 
which  office  he  served  with  the  usual  success 
which  had  attended  him  in  all  of  his  township 
offices  and  won  the  reputation  of  having  made 
an  excellent  county  official.  He  died  in  1872; 
aged  eighty-four  years.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth 
Speedy,  who  died  in  1860,  when  in  the  sixty- 
fifth  year  of  her  age.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Andrew  Speedy,  who  was  of  Scotch  extraction, 
came  from  Scotland  when  a  young  man  and 
was  engaged  during  his  lifetime  in  farming  in 
this  county.  He  was  a  good  teacher  of  vocal 
music  and  married  Margaret  McKee,  by  whom 
had  six  children  ;  Elizabeth  Shields,  Mary  Kin- 
ter,  ^largaret  McLaughlin,  James,  Thomas  and 
Hugh.  He  died  in  1827,  and  his  wife  survived 
him  several  years. 

J.   W.   Shields   was   reared   on  a  farm  and 
received  his  education  in  the  common  schools 


which  at  that  time  were  in  the  infancy  of  their 
existence,  being  looked  upon  in  the  light  of  an 
experiment.  Leaving  school,  he  learned  the 
trade  of  blacksmith,  which  he  followed  for  ten 
years.  He  then  bought  a  farm  adjoining  the 
old  homestead  and  engaged  in  farming,  which  he 
has  continued  in  ever  since.  He  now  resides 
upon  the  homestead  tract  and  owns  in  all  one 
hundred  and  forty  acres  of  productive  land. 
On  March  5,  1865,  he  enlisted  for  one  year  in 
Co.  F,  74th  regiment.  Pa.  Vols.,  as  second  ser- 
geant, was  honorably  discharged  at  Harrisburg, 
Pa.,  and  mustered  out  as  first  sergeant  at 
Clarksburg,  West  Virginia,  August  29,  1865. 

March  12,  1861,  he  married  Mary  Thomp- 
son, daughter  of  Robert  Thompson,  of  Rayne 
owuship.  To  their  union  have  been  born  six 
children,  three  sons  and  three  daughters  :  Annie 
M.,  Wilmer  W.,  Lawrence  T.,  Carlotta,  Mary 
B.  and  Robert  C. 

In  connection  with  his  farming  operations 
Mr.  Shields  gives  considerable  attention  to 
stock-raising,  in  which  he  has  met  with  good 
success.  He  is  a  member  and  trustee  of  Wash- 
ington Presbyterian  church  and  belongs  to 
Indiana  Post,  No.  28,  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic.  In  politics  J.  W.  Shields  has 
!  always  been  a  republican  and  takes  a  lively 
interest  in  politics.  In  the  fall  of  1887  he  was 
elected  county  commissioner  and  his  term,  which 
commenced  January  1,  1888,  expired  January 
1,  1891.  To  the  work  of  the  commissioner's 
office  he  gave  the  same  care  and  attention 
that  he  gave  to  his  own  business  affairs.  He 
has  been  conscientious  and  impartial  according 
to  the  best  of  his  ability  in  the  discharge  of  all 
public  duties,  and  thus  far  he  has  been  so  suc- 
cessful as  to  win  the  commendation  and  good 
opinion  of  the  public. 


"TAMES  SIMPSON,  of  Centre    township, 

^      came  to  this  country  from  Scotland,  locat- 

'  ing  first  at  what  was  called  the  '  Old  Scotch 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


281 


Fort,'  or  Ligonier,  near  Laurel  Hill.  He  suf- 
fered all  the  trials  of  frontier  life  in  the  French 
and  Indian  wars  and  the  Revolution,  and,  with 
his  brother  Andrew  and  the  White  brothers, 
served  for  several  years  as  scouts.  His  wife 
was  Hannah  White,  and  he  and  the  Whites  re- 
moved at  an  early  date  to  the  vicinity  of  what 
is  now  Blairsville,  and  built  a  block-house  and 
stockade.  They  remained  there  for  several 
years.  Andrew  was  killed  by  the  Indians  near 
the  mouth  of  Black  Lick  while  going  to  wnrn 
a  settlement  below  of  danger.  John  White  was 
witli  him,  but  escaped  with  a  broken  arm. 
Shortly  after  this  they  removed  to  Cherry  run, 
on  Two  Lick  creek,  just  above  the  mouth  of 
the  run.  They  erected  a  block-house  on  a 
bluff  on  the  bank  of  Two  Lick,  which  was 
called  the  '  Old  McConaughey  Fort."  Simp- 
son built  a  grist-mill  on  Cherry  run,  on  land 
now  owned  by  Mr.  Lomison,  and  remained 
there  until  his  death." 


CAPTAIN  JOHN  STUCHELL,  a  Union 
^  officer  in  the  late  civil  war.  and  proprietor 
of  "  Traveller's  Home,"  is  a  son  of  Christopher 
and  Jane  (Mahan)  Stuchell,  and  was  born  near 
Pluraville,  in  South  Mahoning  township,  Indi- 
ana county,  Pennsylvania,  September  24,  18.34. 
His  great-grandfather,  John  Stuchell  (some- 
times written  Stuchal),  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, and  settled  in  what  is  now  White  town- 
ship in  1805.  He  had  five  children  :  Abraham, 
Christopher,  Jacob,  Mary  McHenry  and  a 
daughter  who  married  a  Mr.  Caldwell.  The 
second  son,  Christopher  Stuchell,  Sr.  (grand- 
father), married  Elizabeth  Lydick.  He  was  an 
industrious  and  well-to-do  farmer,  and  .served 
as  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  had  nine 
sons :  John,  Christopher,  Jacob,  Abraham, 
James,  William,  Thomas,  Joseph  and  Samuel. 
Christopher  Stuchell  (father)  was  born  June  21, 
1800,  in  Rayne  township,  and  died  in  South 


1  Mahoning  township,  September  29,  1867.  He 
was  engaged  in  farming  during  his  life-time. 
He  was  a  whig  and  afterwards  a  republican, 
and  was  an  influential  member  and  highly  re- 
spected elder  of  the  Plumville  United  Pres- 
byterian church.  He  niarrie<l  Jane  Mahan,  a 
daughter  of  John  Mahan,  a  native  of  Ireland, 
who  settled  on  the  site  of  Newville,  on  Crooked 
creek.  She  was  born  on  the  Atlantic  ocean, 
on  board  the  ship  which  brought  her  parents 
to  this  country,  and  died  in  South  ]\Iahoning 
township,  December  27,  1876,  aged  seventy- 
two  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stuchell  were  the 
parents  of  three  sons  and  six  daughters.  One 
of  these  sous,  Christopher,  served  in  the  Union 
army  in  West  Virginia,  and  is  now  a  resident 
of  South  Mahoning  township. 

John  Stuchell  was  reared  on  a  farm.  He 
received  his  education  in  the  common  schools, 
and  was  engaged  in  farming  until  the  com- 
mencement of  the  late  civil  war.  On  Novem- 
ber 15,  1861,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Co. 
G,  103d  regiment.  Pa.  Vols.,  was  commissioned 
captain  December  28,  1861,  and  commanded 
his  company  until  April  16,  1863,  when  his 
term  of  enlistment  expired.     He  served  in  the 

,  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Williamsburg  and  Seven  Pines  or 
Fair  Oaks.  Returning  home  in  1863,  he  fol- 
lowed farming  in  South  Mahoning  township 
for  four  years,  and  then  embarked  in  the 
wagon-making  business  at  Plumville,  in  which 
he  continued  for  seven  years.  In  1874  he  at- 
tempted to  work  at  carpentering,  but  was 
compelled  to  quit  on  account  of  physical  dis- 
ability, which  was  the  result  of  disease  con- 
tracted in  the  army  from  exposure.  In  1890 
he  came  to  Kelleysburg,  where  he  took  charge 
of  the  "  Traveler's  Home,"  and  has  continued 
in  the  hotel  business  successfully  until  the 
present  time. 

On  March  22,  1860,  he  married  Jane  Mc- 
Cune,  daughter  of  John  and  Margaret  Mc- 
Cune,  and  a  native  of  South  Mahoning  town- 


282 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  INDIANA   COUNTY. 


ship.  They  have  eight  children  :  Mary  Eliza- 
abeth,  Margaret  Ellen,  Jeunie  Olive,  Ora  Anna, 
Leah  Dean,  Harry  White,  Maud  and  Mabel. 

In  politics  Capt.  Stuehell  is  a  republican.  He 
owns  some  property  at  Plumville,  and  is  a 
thorough-going  business  man.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Plumville  Post,  No.  495,  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic. 


R 


ICHARD  W.  WILLIAMS  was  born  in 
Wales  in  1796,  and  was  a  native  of  the 


Isle  of  Anglesea.  He  married  Jane  Davis,  by 
whom  he  had  seven  children,  all  born  in  Wales, 
and  all  emigrated  to  this  country.  After  the 
death  of  his  first  wife,  he  married  Sarah  James, 
of  Pittsburg,  a  native  of  Wales,  now  deceased. 
He  died  in  1876,  at  eighty-one  years  of  age. 
He  came  to  this  country  in  1832,  and  first  set- 
tled in  Madison  county.  New  York,  then  in 
Allegheny  county,  Pa.,  and  from  thence  to 
Green  townshi]).  He  was  one  of  the  men  inter- 
ested in  the  establishment  of  a  Welsh  church 
and  Sunday-school  near  the  premises." 


BANKS,  MONTGOMERY,  CANOE,  GRANT  AND 
THE  MAHONING  TOWNSHIPS. 


Historical  and  descriptive. — These  eight  to  wn- 
ship,s  constitute  the  nortiiern  part  of  ludiana 
county  and  their  territory  constituted  the  cele- 
brated "  Mahoning  Country  "  of  the  early  set- 
tlers of  this  county.  The  territory  of  these 
eight  townships  constituted  Mahoning  township 
from  180.3  to  1834,  when  the  territory  of  the 
four  eastern  townships  was  organized  into 
Montgomery  township.  In  1847,  Canoe  town- 
ship was  formed  and  in  1868,  Banks  was  taken 
from  it,  while  Grant  was  organized  out  of 
Montgf)mery.  The  western  part  of  the  Mahon- 
ing country  remained  as  Mahoning  township 
until  1846,  when  it  was  divided  into  North, 
East,  South  and  West  Mahoning  townships. 

Of  the  early  inhabitants  north  of  the  "  Pur- 
chase Line"  we  have  but  little  account  prior  to 
1807  when  the  following  list  of  taxables  of  Ma- 
honing township  was  returned  to  the  county 
commissioners  :  Jonathan  Ayers,  blacksmith  ; 
James  Brady,  Sr.,  John  Brady,  Sr.,  Fergus 
Blackney,  John  Brady,  Jr.,  John  Brown,  Robert 
Brady,  Arthur  Black,  David  Black,  Joseph 
Brady,  Hugh  Brady,  Sr.,  William  P.  Brady, 
surveyor ;  Joseph  Brady,  Jr.,  Asa  Grossman, 
wheelwright ;  John  Carson,  doctor ;  William 
Cain,  Frederick  Clingerberger,  Peter  Croftzer, 
distiller ;  Elizabeth  Colter,  .spin.ster ;  John 
Cain,  David  Coughran,  Moses  Curry,  Bernard 
Cook,  Daniel  Davis,  Joshua  Davis,  William 
Dilts,  Peter  Dilts,  James  Ewing,  distiller ;  Sam- 
viel  Fleming,  John  Flummer,  Ste])hen  Gaskin, 
Robert  Hamilton,  Peter  Hoover,  William  Han- 


nah, constable ;  William  Hopkins,  John  Hen- 
derson, John  Jamison,  James  Johnston,  John 
Johnston,  tailor  :  Peter  Justice,  Thomas  Jones, 
David  Kirkpatrick,  John  Leashure,  Joshua 
Lewis,  Esq.,  Michael  Lane,  tanner;  William 
McLaughlin,  Archibald  McBride,  William  Mc- 
Creary,  Isaac  McHenry,  Joseph  McHenry, 
James  McComb,  William  McCall,  Samuel  Mc- 
Henry, James  McBride,  Thomas  Neal,  Samuel 
Newcombe,  William  Neal,  George  Pierce,  Jacob 
Pierce,  David  Pierce,  Joshua  Pierce,  Job  Pierce, 
John  Parks,  Patrick  Porter,  mason ;  John 
Reary,  Samuel  Smith,  Robert  Saddler,  William 
Smith,  Sr.,  Henry  Stuart,  William  Smith,  Jr., 
William  Thompson,  John  Thompson,  Sr., 
John  Thompson,  Jr.,  James  Thompson,  Isaiah 
Vanhorn,  John  Work,  Es(|.,  John  White,  John 
Wiggings,  William  AVarden,  Matthew  Wyne- 
koop,  John  AVoodruff,  miller ;  John  Wear, 
Christopher  Wells,  Robert  Walker. 

Banks  Township  was  formed  from  Canoe  in 
1868,  and  was  named  in  honor  of  William 
Banks,  a  member  of  the  Indiana  county  bar. 
The  Chestnut  Ridge  axis  passes  through  it  from 
southwest  to  northeast  and  divides  its  territory 
into  two  very  near  equal  parts.  All  of  the  town- 
ship, excepting  a  small  area  of  the  Lower  Bar- 
ren measures  in  the  eastern  part,  is  in  the  Lower 
Coal  measures,  yet  its  coal  fields  receive  no 
mention  from  the  State  geologists. 

Outside  of  coal  the  principal  production  is 
lumber,  and  valuable  white  pine  is  found  in  all 
parts  of    the   township.      The    waters  of    the 

283 


284 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Little  Mahoning  creek  and  Susquehanna 
river  afford  convenient  transportation  for  mar- 
keting the  lumber.  There  is  a  paint  bed  of 
great  but  unknown  value  about  one  mile  and  a 
half  northwest  of  Smithport.  The  farm  of 
Mrs.  Horton  at  Smithport  divides  the  waters  of 
the  Susquehanna  from  those  of  the  Little  Ma- 
honing— the  one  flowing  to  the  Chesapeake  bay, 
and  the  other  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Among 
the  early  settlers  were  Joseph  Stear,  James 
Oberu,  Simon  Uber  and  George  Pierce. 

Smithport  (Horton  P.  O.)  was  named  on  ac- 
count of  several  Smiths  who  live  there  and  in  its 
vicinity.  The  post-office  was  established  in 
1856  and  named  for  Mrs.  E.  J.  Horton.  The 
population  of  Banks  township  was  in  1870, 
747;  1880,  919;  1890,  1485. 

Montgomery  Toivnship  was  formed  from  Ma- 
honing in  1834  and  was  named  in  honor  of  John 
Montgomery,  a  Revolutionary  soldier  who  owned 
a  large  tract  of  land  within  its  borders.  The 
township  lies  between  the  Chestnut  Ridge  and 
the  Laurel  Hill  axis,  and  the  western  part  is 
largely  covered  with  areas  of  the  Lower  Coal 
measures. 

Cush  creek  is  an  important  stream  draining 
nearly  the  whole  of  Montgomery  township,  and 
a  considerable  portion  also  of  Banks  township. 
It  flows  in  a  deep  valley  which  forks  near  its 
head,  both  branches  extending  to  the  village  of 
Gettysburg  and  there  starting  in  rocks  at  the 
base  of  the  Lower  Barren  column.  Nearly  the 
whole  of  the  valley  is  unimproved  timber 
land  ;  its  mineral  resources  are  confined  to  the 
coals,  limestones  and  fire  clays  of  the  Lower 
Productive  measures  ;  its  soil  is  lean  and  the 
country  rugged  because  these  rocks  hold  several 
heavy  sandstone  deposits ;  and  it  is  on  account 
of  these  sandstones  that  the  farmers  and  early 
settlers  made  their  "  clearings "  and  founded 
their  settlements  in  the  smoother  uplands. 

At  the  village  of  Gettysburg  there  are  few 
natural  or  artificial  rock  exposures.  The  lime- 
stone that  outcrops  in  Mr.  Ake's  fields  to  the 


west  of  the  village  belongs  apparently  to  the 
Lower  Barrens,  no  workable  coal  bed  having 
yet  been  found  there,  nor  does  any  such  likely 
occur  above  water  level  at  Gettysburg. 

The  Upper  Freeport  bed  is  handsomely  dis- 
played in  the  Urey  mine,  being  there  operated 
for  the  supply  of  the  country-side  with  fuel,  the 
fuel  extracted  from  this  mine  being  quite  free 
from  injurious  impurities,  and  much  esteemed 
in  the  neighborhood.  Both  benches  of  the  bed 
yield  equaljy  good  coal,  the  showing  in  the 
Urey  mine  being  perhaps  as  fine  as  is  anywhere 
presented  by  the  Upper  Freeport  bed  in  the 
Bituminous  Coal  region.  This  is  certainly  the 
case  with  respect  to  the  thickness  of  the  seam 
which  on  the  Urey  property  will  yield,  acre  for 
acre,  as  much  coal  as  the  Pittsburgh  bed.  How 
far  it  may  extend  in  this  superb  condition  is  a 
question  easily  determinable,  but  at  present  isof 
little  practical  interest  to  the  farmer.  Doubtless 
at  some  time,  and  perhaps  at  a  day  not  far  dis- 
tant, the  bed  will  receive  from  capitalists  the 
attention  it  fully  merits. 

Gettysburg  (Hilldale  P.  O.)  was  laid  out  in 
1851,  on  land  of  Hugh  Rankin.  The  popula- 
tion of  the  township  at  each  census  from  1850 
to  1890  has  been:  751,  1423,  932,  1211,  and 
1079. 

Canoe  Township  was  formed  from  Montgom- 
ery in  1847,  and  was  named  from  Canoe  Creek, 
whose  mouth  was  the  head  of  canoe  navigation. 
The  Indiana  axis  passed  from  southwest  to 
northeast  through  the  township,  and  large  areas 
of  the  Lower  Coal  measures  are  in  its  northern, 
eastern  and  southern  parts.  This  township, 
like  Grant  and  Banks,  received  but  little  atten- 
tion or  notice  from  the  second  State  geological 
survey. 

Among  the  early  settlers  were  the  Bradys, 
Leasures,  Clawsons  and  Whites.  Richmond 
(Rochester  Mills  P.  O.)  was  originally  called 
Simpson's  Mill  for  David  Simpson.  Roberts- 
ville  was  laid  out  by  Robert  Roberts,  and  Lo- 
cust Lane   was  founded  by   W.  G.  Lewis  in 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


285 


1 860.  The  population  of  the  township  at  each 
census  from  1850  to  1890  has  been  :  888,  1470, 
998,  1217  and  1245. 

Grant  Toiniship  was  formed  in  1868  from 
Montgomery,  and  was  named  after  Gen.  U.  S. 
Grant.  It  lies  principally  between  the  Chest- 
nut Ridge  and  the  Indiana  a.xis,  and  the  Lower 
Coal  measures  extend  over  nearly  all  of  the 
township. 

Kinter's  hill,  which  affords  a  fine  view,  and 
Doty's  round  top,  tiie  highest  ground  in  the 
county,  are  in  this  township.  Decker's  Point, 
now  Colfax,  was  laid  out  in  1867,  and  derived 
its  tirst  name  from  Joiiii  Decker.  Nashville 
was  named  in  lionor  of  William  Nash  Prothers, 
uho  made  the  first  improvement  there  in  1872- 
The  population  of  Grant  township  at  each 
census  from  1870  to  1890  has  been :  999,  1318, 
and  1.351. 

East  Mahonbtr/  Township  was  organized  in 
1846,  and  lies  in  the  Marion  sub-basin.  There 
are  two  areas  of  the  Lower  Coal  measures  in 
tlie  townsi)i|j — -one  on  Little  Mahoning  and  the 
other  on  Pine  run.  Of  these  beds  the  geolog- 
ical survey  of  1878  makes  but  a  very  slight, 
and  rather  disparaging,  mention. 

The  surface  is  rolling,  the  soil  fertile,  and 
has  a  mixture  of  limestone ;  in  some  parts  it  is 
well  watered  by  the  Little  Mahoning  creek  and 
numerous  small  streams  and  living  springs.  It 
is  adapted  to  grain  and  stock-growing.  Coal  is 
the  principal  mineral.  Among  the  early  set- 
tlers were  John  Park,  Casper  Mogle,  John 
Leasure,  John  Sutton,  James  Brady,  William 
^A''ork,  James  Craig,  William  McCreery  and 
William  McCall.  John  Park  settled  on  the 
ground  where  Marion  now  stands,  about  the 
year  1800.  The  principal  town  is  Marion, 
situated  in  the  south  part  of  the  township,  and 
is  a  prosperous  borough.  This  town  has  two 
new  churches. 

Georgeville  was  laid  out  about  1830,  and 
derived  its  name  from  George  Hoover. 

The  papulation  of  East  Mahoning  township 


at  each  census  from  1850  to  1890  has  been: 
869, 1209,  1139,  1160  and  1085. 

North  Mahoning  Township  was  formed  in 
1846,  and  lies  in  the  Marion  sub-basin,  between 
the  Indiana  and  the  Perrysville  axis.  The  soil 
is  adapted  to  grain  and  stock-raising. 

Davidsville  (Trade  City  P.  O.)  was  laid  out 
by  David  Muterhaugh  in  the  fall  of  1852. 
Marehaud  is  on  land  purchased  in  1822  of  the 
Holland  Laud  company  by  Archibald  Smitten. 
Covode  was  first  known  by  the  name  of  Kel- 
lysville,  on  account  of  John  Kelly  building  the 
first  house  at  that  place,  about  1840. 

The  population  at  each  census  from  1850  to 
1890  has  been:  840,  1175,  1263,  1317  and 
1251. 

South  Mahoyiing  Township  was  formed  in 
1846,  and  lies  in  the  Saltsburg  sub-basin  of  the 
Fourth  Great  basin.  Two  small  areas  of  the 
Lower  Coal  measure  are  in  the  township — one 
on  Ross's  run  and  the  other  on  Plum  creek, 
where  a  three-and-a-half  foot  vein  of  Upper 
Freeport  coal  has  been  developed. 

The  first  settler  is  said  to  have  been  John 
Ross,  an  Indian  trader.  Among  the  early  set- 
tlers were  A.  Weamer,  David  Pearce,  John 
Lewis,  S.  Fleming  and  J.  Wadding.  Plum- 
ville  is  the  largest  town  in  tlie  township. 

The  population  of  South  Mahoning  town- 
ship at  each  census  from  1850  to  1890  has 
been:  1138,  1167,  1131,  1369  and  1313. 

West  Mahoning  Toionship  is  in  the  Fourth 
Great  basin,  and  lies  between  the  Perrysville 
axis  and  the  Port  Barnet  axis.  It  has  two 
areas  of  the  Lower  Coal  measures — one  on 
Ross's  run  and  the  other  on  Mahoning  creek. 

Smicksburg  is  the  largest  town  in  the  town- 
ship. It  was  laid  out  in  May,  1827,  by  Rev. 
J.  George  Schmick,  on  land  purchased  by 
Charles  Coleman,  of  the  Holland  Land  com- 
pany. 

The  population  of  West  Mahoning  township 
at  each  census  from  1850  to  1890  has  been  : 
10.30,  1175,  1131,  1170  and  1055. 


•286 


BIOOBAPHIES  OF 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


CHRISTOPHER  McEWEN,  M.D.,  resi- 
^  dent  of  Plumville  for  over  thirty-five 
years,  is  one  of  the  widely-known  and  most 
successful  physicians  of  northern  Indiana  coun- 
ty. He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Coch- 
ran) McEwen,  and  was  born  in  South  Mahon- 
ing township,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania, 
Oct.  1 7,  1830.  The  McEwen  fanaily  is  of  Irish 
descent,  and  one  of  its  members,  Christopher 
McEwen  (grandfather),  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  from  Ireland,  and  located  first  in  New 
Jersey,  where  he  remained  but  a  short  time 
before  removing  to  Plumville,  this  county.  He 
purchased  the  property  on  which  Dr.  McEwen 
now  resides,  and  opened  the  first  general  mer- 
cantile store  at  Plumville,  which  he  conducted 
in  connection  with  the  management  of  his  farm. 
He  was  one  of  the  founders  and  an  elder  of 
Washington  Presbyterian  church.  After  com- 
ing to  this  country  he  joined  the  whig  party, 
which  he  supported  unlil  his  death.  He  married 
a  Miss  Shaw,  by  whom  he  had  three  children, 
two  of  whom  came  to  America,  while  the  third, 
Dr.  James  McEwen,  was  a  successful  physician 
and  surgeon  in  the  British  army.  One  of  the 
two  children  coming  to  this  country  was  Hon. 
John  MjEweu  (father)  who  was  a  farmer  and 
merchant.  He  was  a  whig  in  politics  during 
his  early  manhood,  but  afterwards  became  an 
active  republican,  was  twice  elected  justice  of 
peace  of  Manor  township,  and  represented  In- 
diana county  one  term  in  the  legislature.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church  until  his  death.  He  married  Harriet 
Campfield,  by  whom  he  had  two  children,  both  ' 
of  whom  are  dead.  After  the  death  of  Mrs. 
McEwen  he  married  for  his  second  wife  Mar- 
garet Cochran.  To  this  .second  union  were 
born  six  sons  and  five  daughters.  Of  these  chil- 
dren :  James  served  in  the  late  war,  and  now 
is  a  farmer  in  Kansas;  Dr.  William  died  while 


in  active  practice  in  Armstrong  county;  Dr. 
Christopher  is  at  Plumville ;  Dr.  Joseph,  a 
graduate  of  Jefferson  Medical  college,  is  a  suc- 
cessful physician  of  Philadelphia;  John  is 
deceased ;  and  Margaret,  married  Rev.  Nelson 
Davis,  a  minister  of  the  M.  E.  church.  Mrs. 
Margaret  (Cochran)  McEwen  is  a  daughter  of 
William  Cochran  (maternal  grandfather),  who 
was  a  native  and  farmer  of  Armstrong  county. 

Dr.  Christopher  McEwen  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm.  After  attending  the  public 
school  of  Plumville  and  Glade  Run  academy, 
he  read  medicine  with  his  brother.  Dr. 
McEwen,  entered  Jefferson  Medical  college,  of 
Philadelphia,  and  was  graduated  from  that  in- 
stitution in  the  class  of  185.5.  Immediately 
after  graduation  he  opened  an  office  at  Plum- 
ville, where  he  has  remained  ever  since  in  the 
successful  as  well  as  active  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. He  married  Elizabeth  McCune,  daugh- 
ter of  John  McCuae,  of  this  county.  They 
have  been  the  parents  of  two  children,  both 
sons :  Dr.  Charles,  a  graduate  of  Jefferson 
Medical  college,  and  a  partner  of  his  father  in 
the  practice  of  medicine,  and  John,  deceased. 

In  politics,  Dr.  McEwen  is  a  conservative 
republican,  but  always  supports  the  candidate 
who,  in  his  judgment,  is  most  suitable  and  best 
qualified  for  the  office.  In  whatever  is  for  the 
interest  of  his  town,  in  whatever  is  for  the  be.st 
interests  of  his  fellow-citizens,  Dr.  McEwen  is 
always  interested  and  ever  willing  to  aid  and 
support.  In  the  enjoyment  of  an  extensive 
and  remunerative  practice,  he  is  a  popular  and 
successful  phy.sician  and  an  active  and  leading 
citizen. 


TOHN  W.  NEAL,  one  of  the  popular  mer- 
^  chants  and  prominent  citizens  of  South  Ma- 
honing township,  is  the  eldest  son  of  Cortez 
and  Rachel  (Crissman)  Neal,  and  was  born  in 
North  Mahoniug  township,  Indiana  county, 
Penn.?ylvauia,  May   31,    1844.     His   paternal 


I ^ 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


287 


great-grandparents,  William  and  Catherine 
Neal,  were  of  Scotch-Irish  origin.  They  emi- 
grated from  the  north  of  Ireland  to  Hagers- 
town,  Maryland,  about  1 760  and  at  the  close  of 
the  Revolutionary  war  removed  to  what  is  now 
Young  township,  where  William  Neal  died 
in  1812,  aged  eighty  years,  and  where  his 
widow  passed  away  shortly  afterwards,  having 
reached  her  four-score  years.  They  had  five 
sons:  John,  Thomas,  Samuel,  James  and  Wil- 
liam, Jr.  The  youngest  son,  William  Neal,  Jr. 
(grandfather),  was  born  in  Hagei-stown,  Mary- 
land, and  removed,  in  1806,  to  North  Mahon-  ; 
ing  township,  where  he  followed  farming.  He 
died  in  1867,  aged  ninety-two  yeai-s.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  Cunningham  and  reared  a  respectable  1 
family  of  children.  One  of  his  sons,  Cortez  Neal 
(father),  was  born  in  1821  and  is  now  a  pros- 
perous farmer  of  Jefferson  county.  He  married 
Rachel  Cri.ssmau  and  owns  the  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty-three  acres,  in  North  Ma- 
honing township,  which  her  father,  Enoch 
Crissmau,  purchased  when  he  settled  there  in  ' 
the  early  part  of  the  present  century. 

John  W.  Neal  was  reared  on  his  father's  Jef- 
ferson county  form  and  attended  the  common 
schools.  He  was  engaged  in  farm  work  after  I 
leaving  school,  until  June  17,  1863,  when  he  ' 
enlisted  in  Co.  C,  2d  battalion,  Pa.  Vols.,  and 
served  six  months.  On  August  25, 1864,  he  re- 
enlisted  in  the  United  States  service,  and  served 
as  a  member  of  Co.  B,  206th  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers  until  August  26,  1865,  when  he 
was  honorably  discharged  at  Richmond,  Va. 
After  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  home  and 
was  steadily  and  continuously  employed  in 
farming  and  lumbering  for  twenty  years  in 
North  and  West  Mahoning  townships.  In 
1886  he  embarketl  in  his  present  general  mer- 
cantile business  at  Ambrose,  which  is  situated 
in  a  good  section  of  country  in  the  southeastern 
part  of  South  Mahoning  township. 

February   22,    1866,    he  married   Margaret  , 
Redding,   of    Wood    county,    West   Virginia. 


They  have  five  children  :    Lula  M.,  Maud  I., 
Grace  A.,  Books  and  Clyde. 

John  W.  Neal  is  a  republican  in  politics,  but 
no  extremist,  and  served  as  justice  of  the  peace 
in  West  Mahoning  township,  from  1879 
to  1886.  He  is  a  member  of  John  Pollock 
Post,  No.  219,  Grand  Array  of  the  Republic, 
at  Marion.  He  is  in  the  general  mercantile 
business  at  Ambrose.  His  room  is  well  stocked 
with  everything  to  be  found  in  a  first-cla.ss  gen- 
eral mercantile  e.stablishment.  He  has  a  large 
trade  and  conducts  a  very  successful  business. 
John  W.  Neal  is  an  active  and  successful  busi- 
ness man  and  one  of  the  energetic  and  enter- 
prising citizens  of  his  township.  He  served 
for  six  years  as  a  member  and  secretary  of  the 
school  board  of  South  Mahoning  township,  and 
on  May  3,  1886,  was  conmii.ssioned  as  post- 
master at  Ambrose.  In  1890  he  accepted  the 
appointment  and  commission  of  census  enumer- 
ator for  South  Mahoning  township  whose  enum- 
eration he  completed  in  14  days.  In  1889  Mr. 
Neal  was  elected  by  the  republicans  of  Indiana 
county  and  served  as  a  delegate  to  the  Repub- 
lican State  convention  of  that  year. 


HON.  N.  SEANOR,  member  of  the  Hou.se  of 
Representatives  of  Pennsylvania,  a  popular 
republican  leader  of  South  Mahoning  township 
and  one  of  the  most  extensive  stock  dealers  of 
Indiana  county,  is  a  son  of  George  and  Sarah 
(Aiusley)  Seanor,  and  was  born  near  Seanor's 
church,  in  Sewickley  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  May  14,  1844.  Tiie 
Seanors  are  of  German  descent,  and  the  name 
was  originally  written  Zaner.  Michael  Seanor 
(grandfather)  was  born  in  eastern  Pennsylvania 
and  came  to  western  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
purchased  a  farm  on  the  Pittsburgh,  pike,  in 
Westmoreland  county,  at  the  j^resent  town  of 
Grapeville.  Besides  cultivating  his  land,  he  kept 
a  hotel,  and  was  an  active  business  man.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  an 


2SS 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


active  whig  in  politics.  He  married  Elizabetli 
Weible,  of  German  descent,  by  whom  he  had 
six  chiklren,  two  sous  and  four  daughters.  He 
died  in  1871,  when  he  was  iu  the  seventy-eighth 
year  of  his  age.  His  sou,  George  Seauor 
(father),  was  born  in  Westmoreland  county  and 
drove  a  team  on  the  old  pike  for  several  years 
in  connection  with  the  management  of  his  farm 
and  dealing  in  live  stock.  He  was  a  whig  in 
politics  and  a  class  leader  in  the  United  Brethren 
church.  He  died  iu  1851,  aged  thirty-four 
years.  He  married  Sarah  Ainsley,  of  West- 
moreland county,  and  to  their  union  were  born 
four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters  : 
Mary ;  Harrison,  who  enlisted  as  a  non-com- 
missioned officer  in  Co.  E,  oue  hundred  and 
fifth  regt..  Pa.  Vols.,  and  was  killed  May 
31st,  at  the  Battle  of  Fair  Oaks;  Hon.  N. 
and  Sarah,  deceased.  Mrs.  Seanor  passed  away 
in  1882,  when  she  was  in  the  sixty-third  year 
of  her  age.  Her  grandfather,  Ainsley,  was  a 
Revolutionary  soldier  of  New  Jersey,  who  ran 
off  with  and  married  the  daughter  of  a  tory 
who  followed  them  for  three  days  with  his  gun. 
Their  son,  Dauiel  Ainsley  (maternal  grand- 
father), removed  to  Indiana  county  at  an  early 
day  and  cleared  out  a  large  farm.  He  married 
a  Miss  Fisher,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children, 
five  sons  and  four  daughters.  Of  these  sons, 
Daniel  was  sheriff  of  Indiana  county ;  and 
another,  Hon.  Josiali  Ainsley,  M.D.,  is  a  phy- 
sician in  Illinois,  where  he  .served  as  a  member 
of  the  legislature  of  that  State. 

Hon.  N.  Seanor  was  reared  ou  his  father's 
farm  near  Madison,  and  attended  the  schools  of 
his  native  township  and  county.  His  father's 
death  left  him  at  an  early  age  to  do  for  himself, 
and  he  worked  for  some  years  as  a  day  laborer. 
After  marriage  he  engaged  in  farming  and  in 
1864  came  to  Indiana  county.  At  the  breaking 
out  of  the  late  civil  war  he  enlisted  for  three 
months,  but  liis  company  was  not  accepted,  and 
in  1862  he  enlisted  in  Co.  H,14th  Pa.  Cavalry, 
but  his  company  soon  withdrew  from  that  regi- 


ment and  united  with  the  1 8th  regt..  Pa.  Cavalry. 
He  served  until  January,  1863,  when  he  was 
captured  by  the  Confederates  under  Colonel 
Moseby  near  the  battle-field  of  Chantiily. 
He  was  sent  to  Middleburg,  where  he  was  pa- 
roled, and  as  soon  as  exchanged  rejoined  tlie 
army.  Soon  after  this,  upon  the  application  of 
his  mother  that  he  was  not  of  age  and  her  only 
support,  he  was  discharged,  but  iu  1865,  hav- 
ing attained  to  his  majority,  he  re-entered  the 
Union  service,  and  enlisted  in  Co.  F,  28th  regt.. 
Pa.  Vols.  He  took  part  in  Sherman's  famous 
March  to  the  Sea,  witnessed  Johnston's  surren- 
der, and  was  discharged  at  the  close  of  the  war  in 
1865.  In  1867  he  began  dealing  largely  in 
live  stock,  has  been  very  successful  in  that  line 
of  business  and  some  years  has  shipped  as  high 

!  as  100  to  130  car-loads  of  stock,  aggregating 
over  1100,000  in  value.  In  1877  he  purchased 
the  farm  upon  which  he  now  resides,  and  on 
which  he  has  built  a  fine  dwelling  as  well  as  a 
large  barn.  He  also  owns  two  other  farms  of 
70  acres  or  more  each,  in  Armstrong  and  Indi- 
ana counties,  and  ranks  high  as  a  neat,  success- 
ful and  progressive  farmer. 

On  December  4,  1860,  he  married  Barbara 
Ellen  Kinnan,  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  and 
Mary  J.  (Stahl)  Kinnan,  and  whose  father  (Kin- 
nan)  .served  three  years  in  a  Pennsylvania  regi- 
ment as  a  sharp-shooter.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Seanor  have  been  born  seven  children,  three 
sons  and  four  daughters  :  Sarah  J.,  married  to 
John  Ferguson,  a  farmer  of  New  Bethlehem  ; 
Harrison,  who  married  Alice  Kroh,  is  a  farmer 
and  stock  dealer ;  Sherraau,  married  Mary 
Johnson,  and  is   a    resident   of  East    Liberty, 

;  Pa.;  Mary  E.,  who  was  the  wife  of  Chas. 
Kroh,  and  now  dead  ;  Emma,  wife  of  G. 
Dinger,  of  Jefferson  county  ;  Annie,  wife  of  G. 
A.  Polliard,  of  Clarion  county,  and  George  W. 
Hon.  N.  Seanor  is  a  member  of  the  United 
Brethren  church,  while  his  wife  holds  member- 
ship in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  In 
politics  he  is  an  active  and  prominent  repub- 


IXDIANA  COUNTY. 


289 


licau,  and  in  the  spring  of  1 890  he  was  urged 
to  be  a  candidate  for  the  legislature,  and  was 
nominated  on  the  Republican  ticket  by  a  ma- 
jority of  515  votes.  At  the  fall  election  he 
was  elected  by  the  largest  majority  of  any  can- 
didate on  the  republican  ticket  for  that  office. 
During  the  same  year  he  was  nnauinjously  elect- 
ed to  represent  Armstrong  county  on  the  State 
Board  of  agriculture  for  the  term  of  three 
years,  although  a  resident  of  Indiana  county. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  members  of  the  Dayton 
Agricultural  society,  of  whose  board  of  man- 
agers he  is  now  president  as  well  as  one  of  its 
most  active  members.  He  is  strictly  temperate, 
indulging  in  neither  liquor  nor  tobacco  in  any 
form,  and  by  his  honesty,  enterprise  and  relia- 
bility has  secured  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all 
with  whom  he  comes  in  contact.  He  is  a  man 
of  fine  personal  appearance,  being  six  feet  one 
and  one-half  inches  in  height,  and  has  a  fine 
military  record  as  a  brave  soldier  who  never 
flinched  from  any  duty  in  the  camp  or  on  the 
battle-field. 


ARCHIBALD  SMITTEN,  an  intelligent 
citizen  and  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of 
North  Mahoning  township,  is  a  son  of  Archi- 
bald, Sr.,  and  Hannah  (Thompson)  Smitten 
and  was  born  in  North  Mahoning  township, 
Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  December  18, 
1831.  Archibald  Smitteu,  Sr.,  was  born  De- 
cember 6,  1780,  in  Dundee,  Scotland,  from 
which,  in  1820,  he  came  to  Indiana  county, 
where  he  purchased  land  at  "Clover  Patch," 
near  the  Clearfield  county  line,  of  the  Holland 
Land  company.  He  soon  abandoned  this  pur- 
chase and  bought  a  large  tract  of  land,  upon  the 
western  part  of  which  the  town  of  IMarchand 
stands  and  upon  the  eastern  part  of  which  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  resides.  He  was  a  stone- 
mason and  erected  good  buildings  on  the  eastern 
part  of  the  land,  where  he  resided  until  his  death, 
in  1856.   He  was  a  baptist  and  democrat  and  was 


'  once  the  candidate  of  his  party  for  associate 
judge.     He  was  active  and  influential  in  politics 

I  and  religious  affairs  as  well  as  being  one  of  the 
prominent  business  men  of  his  .section.  He 
erected  most  of  the  old  stone  dwellings  in  his 
township,  whose  inhabitants  also  depended  upon 
him  for  merchandise  which  he  had  hauled  in 
wagons  from  Pittsburgh.  He  was  noted  for 
generosity  aud  haspitality  and  his  house  became 
the  .stopping-place  for  many  years  of  all  the 
travelers  who  passed  through  that  part  of  the 
county.  His  first  wife  was  a  native  of  Scotland, 
who  died  in  that  country  and  left  two  daughters 
who  did  not  come  with  their  father  to  this 
country,  but  remained  there  with  their  mother's 
relatives.  He  married  for  his  second  wife 
Hannah  Thompson,  who  was  born  at  Shirleys- 

j  burg,  on  the  Juniata  river,  and  died  in  1886,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty-seven  years.  They 
had  five  children,  Sarah  J.,  of  Indiana  county, 
and  widow  of  Isaac  Simpson ;  John  Y.,  of 
Marchand,  married  Nancy  McComb  and  en- 
gaged in  farming;  Evaliue  B.,  wife  of  George 
S.  Hennigh,  a  blacksmith  and  farmer  of  Punxsu- 
tawney.  Pa.,  who  was  a  Union  soldier  in  the 

I  late  war  ;  Archibald  and  Mary  A.,  who  married 
John  Mitchell  and  after  his  death  married  W. 
R.  Mahan,  who  died  from  the  effects  of  di.sease 
contracted    from   exposure  while  serving   as  a 

I  soldier  in  the  late  war.  Mrs.  Smitten  was  a 
granddaughter  of  the  Rev.  Robert  Tliompson, 
one  of  the  early  ministers  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  we.st  of  the  Alleghenies,  and  a  daughter 
of  John  Thompson,  who  was  drowned  in  the 
Juniata  river  when  she  was  quite  young. 

Archibald  Smitten  was  reared  in  his  native 
township,  where  he  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools.  Upon  attaining  his  majority, 
he  engaged  in  farming  on  the  homestead  farm, 
which  he  now  owns.  He  raises  good  crops  and 
makes  a  specialty  of  fine  stock.  He  owns  about 
three  hundred  acres  of  land  which  he  keeps  in 
a  good  state  of  cultivation. 

Archibald  Smitten  married  Mary  J.  Sparr,  a 


290 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  INDIANA   COUNTY. 


daughter  of  David  Sparr,  of  Westmoreland  : 
county,  but  formerly  of  Chambersburg,  Pa. 
She  was  born  December  7,  1833,  and  passed 
away  June  10,  1883,  leaving  four  children: 
Ida  Jane,  of  Washington  City,  who  married 
James  C.  Kinsel  and  has  two  children,  J.  Merrill 
and  Veida  Ruth  ;  William  B.,  who  married 
Laura  Shomo,  by  whom  he  had  one  child,  Ina 
Maiy,  and  after  her  death  married  for  his  second 
wife  Nannie  Smith,  of  Indiana,  Pa.;  Hugh  W., 
a  teacher  and  farmer,  who  is  now  business  man- 
ager  of  the  Mahoning  Union  Cemetery  company, 
which  was  incorporated  under  a  perpetual  charter 
on  August  21,  1890;  and  Martha  Belle. 

Archibald  Smitten  is  a  member  of  the  Inde-  j 
pendent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Patrons  of 
Husbandry  and  Marchand  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  He  is  a  democrat,  but  takes  no  active 
part  in  politics  and  gives  his  time  to  his  busi- 
ness affairs. 


JOHN  F.  STITLER,  the  proprietor  of  the 
Smicksburg  Flouring  mill  and  a  reliable 
business  man  of  West  Mahoning  township,  is  a 
son  of  Peter  and  Elizabeth  (Fleck)  Stitler,  and 
was  born  in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  De- 
cember 19, 1815.  The  Stitler  family  is  of  Ger- 
man descent,  and  John  F.  Stitler's  great-grand- 
father Stitler  was  a  native  of  Germany,  who 
emigrated  from  the  fatherland  to  Pennsylvania, 
and  settled  in  Chester  county.  His  son,  John 
Stitler  (grandfather),  was  born  in  Blair  county, 
where  he  followe<l  weaving  until  his  death.  He 
was  a  stanch,  uncompromising  democrat  of  the 
old  school.  One  of  his  sons,  Peter  Stitler 
(father),  was  born  on  the  Chester  county  farm, 
from  which  he  removed  to  Blair  county.  After-  j 
ward,  about  1830,  he  came  to  Indiana  county 
where  he  settled  at  Smicksburg,  and  spent  the  ; 
latter  years  of  his  life.     He  was  a  weaver  by  i 


trade  and  a  democrat  in  politics,  and  was  en- 
gaged in  weaving  until  his  death.  He  married 
Elizabetii  Fleck,  daughter  of  John  Fleck,  and 
to  their  union  wei'e  born  six  children,  three  sons 
and  three  daughters,  of  whom  four  are  still  living. 
Mrs.  Stitler  was  a  daughter  of  John  Fleck 
(maternal  grandfather),  who  was  a  native  of 
Chester  county,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  his  death. 

John  F.  Stitler  received  his  education  in  tiie 
common  schools  of  his  native  county,  learned 
the  trade  of  weaver  and  came  with  his  father  to 
Indiana  county  about  the  year  1830.  For  several 
years  he  was  intere.sted  in  a  distillery  in  this 
county,  but  the  principal  part  of  his  time  has 
been  devoted  to  farming.  He  owns  a  farm  of 
200  acres  of  well-cultivated  land  adjoining  the 
prosperous  town  of  Smicksburg.  In  1869  he 
built  at  Smicksburg  a  very  large  flouring  mill, 
40  by  60  feet  in  dimensions,  with  four  sets  of 
burrs  and  all  other  needed  machinery.  This 
mill,  which  is  first  class  in  every  respect,  he  has 
operated  successfullj'  ever  .since.  Determined  to 
keep  fully  up  to  the  spirit  of  the  times,  he  intro- 
duced the  roller  process  into  his  mill  in  1885, 
and  was  the  first  miller  in  that  section  who 
made  use  of  the  roller  process. 

John  F.  Stitler  married  Eliza  Smiley,  and  to 
them  have  been  born  four  children  :  Elizabeth, 
deceased ;  Maria,  wife  of  George  Lewis,  of  Alle- 
gheny city ;  Catharine,  married  to  Albert  Davis, 
a  farmer  in  Nebraska ;  and  James,  who  married 
Jane  Lewis  and  resides  at  Smicksburg.  Mrs. 
Stitler  died,  and  afterwards  Mr.  Stitler  united 
in  marriage  with  Susan  (Lewis)  Stear. 

In  politics  Mr.  Stitler  has  held  to  tlie  faith 
of  his  father  and  grandfather  and  supports  the 
principles  of  the  democratic  party.  Industrious, 
persevering  and  active  in  whatever  he  under- 
takes, he  has  been  successful  in  business  and 
enjoys  the  resjiect  of  his  neighbors. 


WASHINGTON,  ARMSTRONG  AND  YOUNG 

TOWNSHIPS 


Wasliington,  Armstrong  and  Young  are  the 
western  townships  of  Indiana  county. 

Wdifhington  Township  \v Air.  formed  from  Arm- 
strong in  1807,  and  was  named  in  honor  of 
Wasliington,  under  whom  many  of  its  pioneer 
settlers  had  served  during  the  Revolutionary 
war.  The  township  lies  in  the  Saltshurg  sub- 
basin,  and  has  two  areas  of  Lower  Coal  meas- 
ures, one  on  Plum  creek  and  the  other  on  Sugar 
Camp  run.  At  Five  Points,  on  Plum  creek,  is 
a  workable  bed  of  coal  above  water-level.  This 
bed  is  three  and  one-half  feet  thick,  and  ranges 
along  the  valley  of  Plum  creek. 

Five  Points  receives  its  name  from  five  roads 
that  centre  there.  Marliu's  Mill  (Willett  P.  O.) 
was  named  for  Jesse  Marlin,  who  built  a  mill 
there  in  1834.  The  post-office  was  established 
in  1854. 

Newville  (Creekside  P.  O.)  was  laid  out  in 
1854  for  John  Weamer,  by  David  Peelor,  who 
gave  it  the  name  which  it  bears.     The  popula-  i 
tion  of  Washington   township,  at  each  census, 
from    1850    to    1890,  has    been:    1111,  1301,' 
1466,  1668  and  1589. 

The  following  list  of  taxables  of  Washington 
township  was  returned  by  the  assessment  of 
1807: 

John  G.  Allison,  house  carpenter;  Robert 
Anderson,  James  Armstrong,  Robert  T.  Alli- 
son, house  carpenter  ;  Samuel  Barr,  brickmaker  ; 
Robert  Boyles,  Charles  Buchanan;  John  Bu- 
chanan, Samuel  Bell,  Cornelius  Blue,  William 
Boreland,  John  Buchanan,  John  iBell,  con- 
18 


stable,  William  Coulter,  Hugh  Cannon 
Adam  Carson,  Elisha  Chambers,  Henry  Cole- 
man, schoolmaster;  John  Dennison,  store- 
keeper; John  Dougherty,  shoemaker;  Simon 
Davies,  Lewis  Deckard,  Samuel  Dixon,  Pat- 
rick Di)ugherty,  George  Dixon,  John  Evans, 
Esq.,  William  Evans,  Margaret  Evans, 
weaver  ;  James  Evans,  William  Evans,  super- 
visor ;  John  Fleming,  J:imcs  Fairman,  weaver ; 
David  Fairman,  William  i'^iltou,  Samuel 
Ferguson,  Robert  Frazer,  William  Frazer, 
David  Fulton,  James  Galbreath,  minister ; 
Peter  Gordon,  weaver;  Peter  Gordon,  James 
Gamble,  Moses  Gamble,  William  Holiday, 
Bartholomew  Haddam,  Michael  Hess,  Jacob 
Hess,  Sr.,  Ardiibald  Haddam,  John  Huey, 
joiner ;  Thomas  Harbridge,  Jacob  Hess,  Jr., 
Robert  Hazlet,  Edward  Hallowell,  Nathaniel 
Hitrhlands,  William  Hazlet,  John  Ish,  Jacob 
Ijydick,  Margaret  Lydick,  housekeeper ;  John 
Lydick,  Moses  Lowers,  James  Lydiek,  Pat- 
rick Lydick,  Daniel  Morrison,  James  Moor- 
head,  tavern  keeper;  James  McMahon,  stone 
mason  ;  John  McAuulty,  brickmaker  ;  Samuel 
Moorhead,  joiner ;  Robert  McClosky,  David 
Moses,  Robert  McKissock,  William  McHen- 
ry,  Samuel  McCartney,  blacksmith  ;  John 
Mark,  schoolmaster ;  James  McKce,  Robert 
Miller,  William  McCullo(;h,  Alexander  Mc- 
Knight,  Robert  Morrison,  Timothy  O'Naile, 
David  Price,  wagon-maker ;  Peter  Pruner, 
blacksmith  ;  Josepli  Parker,  speculator  ;  John 
Phees,  Hugh   Phees,  Michael  Restler,    George 

2'Jl 


292 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Rowe,  John  Ruth,  William  Riddle,  John 
Howe,  James  M.  Riddle,  attorney-at-Iaw ; 
Henry  Sryock,  taveru-keeper  ;  Robert  Stuart, 
brickmakcr ;  Abraham  Stutchel,  Christopher 
Stutchel,  Dauiel  Swartzwalter,  Charles  Stuart, 
Jacob  Shallaberger,  James  Spence,  John 
Shields,  Jacob  Stutchel,  Robert  Simpson, 
James  Simpson,  Nathaniel  Simpson,  John 
Simpson,  Joel  Storet,  joiner  ;  George  Trimble, 
weaver;  George  Trimble,  Robert  Thompson, 
James  Thompson,  John  Thompson,  Hugh 
Thompson,  John  Thompson,  James  Thomp- 
son, Hugh  Thompson,  John  Thompson,  John 
Talkiugtou,  shoemaker;  Samuel  Young,  tav- 
ern-keeper. 

Armstrong  Township  was  formed  as  early  as 
1785,  and  embraced  nearly  one-half  of  Indiana 
county  south  of  the  "  Purchase  Line."  It  was 
named  for  Gen.  John  Armstrong.  It  lies  in  the 
Saltsburg  sub-basin.  Crossing  Gobbler's  run,  and 
proceeding  on  thence  northeast  through  Arm- 
strong township  into  the  deeper  valley  of 
Crooked  creek,  Lower  Barren  rocks  alone  are 
seen  at  the  surface.  The  same  measures  pre- 
vail at  Shelocta,  which  is  almost  exactly  at  the 
centre  of  the  trough,  and  about  200  feet  above 
the  Upprr  Freeport  coal  bed.  A  little  more 
than  one-half  mile  below  the  town  there  is  a 
])artial  display  of  Barren  rocks,  in  wliich  the 
Black  Fossiliferous  limestone,  one  foot  thick, 
makes  its  appearance  in  the  township  road  at  an 
elevation  of  55  feet  above  the  creek.  Nearly 
300  feet  above  this  point  a  fine-grained,  greenish 
sandstone,  believed  to  belong  to  the  ( 'o7inellsviIle, 
covers  the  surface  of  a  high  knob;  this  would 
show  how  small  the  margin  is,  by  which  the 
Pittsburgh  Coal  bed  misses  the  hills  at  the  cen- 
tre of  the  Basin  in  the  Crooked  creek  region. 
At  this  exposure  below  Shelocta  the  rocks  dip 
southeast  in  obedience  to  the  anticlinal  fold 
(Fourth  Axis?)  running  through  the  eastern 
townships  of  Armstrong  county,  which  elevates 
Lower  Productive  rocks  above  the  level  of 
Crooked    creek,  but  not  until  this  stream  has 


crossed  the  Armstrong  county  line.  Regarding 
the  Upper  Freeport  coal  and  limestone  at  this 
exposure  the  Final  Report  of  1858  says: 

"  The  Upper  Freeport  coal  is  nearly  three 
feet  thick  where  it  is  opened  from  12  to  15  feet 
above  Crooked  Creek. 

We  give  the  following  list  of  taxables  of 
Armstrong  township,  1807  : 

Jacob  Anthony,  constable;  William  An- 
thony, single  man;  James  Armstrong,  John 
Buckley,  Sr.,  shoemaker;  Joseph  Buckley,  John 
Buckley,  Thomas  Benson,  cabinet-maker; 
Mary  Bothwell,  spinster;  James  Bothwell, 
John  Black,  shoemaker;  John  Black,  Thomas 
Boyd,  David  Bothwell,  John  Bothwell,  Alex- 
ander Black,  John  Betty,  shoemaker;  William 
Coughran,  William  Cahoun,  Robert  Cunning- 
ham, John  Campbell,  Nathan  Douthet,  William 
Devling,  John  Donely,  tailor;  Mary  French, 
spinster;  Archibald  Findley,  James  Faran, 
Conrad  Frederick,  cooper;  David  Gilliland, 
weaver;  Daniel  Harkius,  William  Harkins, 
shoemaker;  Hugh  Harkins,  shoemaker; 
Michael  Harkins,  Samuel  Hall,  wheel-wright; 
P.  Hefflefinger,  William  Hefflefinger,  John 
Harkins,  John  Johnson,  Felty  Karr,  Joseph 
Lowry,  Robert  Lowry,  wheel-wright;  Patrick 
Lucas,  Samuel  Lucas,  weaver;  Captain  John 
Lucas,  blacksmith;  John  Lucas,  tailor;  Robert 
Little,  Uriah  Matson,  Thomas  McElhoes,  shoe- 
maker; John  McElhoes,  Clements  McGery, 
John  Mogney,  William  McNutt,  Samuel  Me- 
Nutt,  Joseph  McNutt,  Robert  McNutt,  Alex- 
ander McNutt,  John  Mitchell,  Sr.,  Robert 
Mitchell,  Matthew  Mitchell,  John  Mitchell, 
Jr.,  David  McCullough,  Alexander  Mclutire, 
Daniel  McCoy,  James  Moat,  weaver;  Mary 
Neal,  spinster;  James  Orr,  Fanny  Peter,  spin- 
ster; Esther  Fatten,  spinster;  John  Patison, 
tanner;  Jacob  Pelor,  John  Robison,  Sr.,  Wil- 
liam Robison,  John  Robison,  carpenter;  Wil- 
liam Ranking,  Barnard  Ready,  blacksmith; 
Matthew  Ranking,  Robert  Robison,  Esq., 
James  Smith,  Esq.,  Ann  Sharp,  spinster;  James 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


293 


Stewart,  wheelwright;  Archibald  Stewart, 
peddler;  George  Scott,  Joseph  Scott,  Michael 
Stewart,  Alexander  Scott,  James  Teraplcton, 
weaver;  John  Trimble,  Israel  Thomas,  Wil- 
liam Tliomas,  John  Thompson,  James  Watt, 
Benjamin  Walker,  Isaac  Wahop,  Robert 
Walker. 

Among  the  early  settlers  were  Israel  Thomas, 
James  McCroight,  Jacob  Antiioy  and  William 
Devlin.  David  Peelor  settled  in  Armstrong 
about  the  year  1789,  Benjamin  Walker  in  1788, 
on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  his  heirs,  about 
the  first  in  the  township.  Shclocta  has  a  pop- 
ulation of  113. 

Stewartsville  (Parkwood  P.  O.)  was  laid  out 
on  January  1,  1848,  by  Thompson  McCrea  for 
Wm.  Anderson,  Sr.,  and  named  in  honor  of 
Archibald  Stewart. 

Tannery  was  founded  by  Samuel  McCull- 
ough,  who  built  a  tannery  in  1839  on  the  site 
of  the  town. 

Shelocta  was  laid  out  in  1836  by  Abner 
Kelly  and  called  Shelocta  for  an  Indian  chief 
of  that  name  who  resided  ou  Crooked  creek. 
Previous  to  this  (he  place  was  known  as  Sharps- 
burg  or  Sharp's  Mills,  from  the  grist-mill 
erected  there  in  1824  by  Joseph  and  Thomas 
Sharp.  Shelocta  was  organized  as  a  borough 
in  1852  and  is  now  one  of  the  prosperous 
towns  of  the  county.  The  population  of  Arm- 
strong township  at  each  census  from  1850  to 
1890  has  been:  1185,  1389,  1435,  1340  and 
1195. 

Young  Tmtmsldp  was  formed  in  1830  from 
Conemaugh  and  Black  I^ick  and  named  in 
honor  of  Judge  John  Young.  It  is  in  the 
Saltsburg  sub-basin  and  the  Upper  Coal  meas- 
ures extend  through  the  western  part  of  the 
township.  Tiic  population  of  Young  town.ship 
was  in  1850,  1510;  1860,  1630;  1870,  1650; 
1880,  1376;  1890,  1238. 

The  Great  Limestone  is  known  in  this  Basin 
only  on  Elder's  ridge,  where  it  exists  as  several 
layers  separated  by  variable  intervals  of  shale. 


the  whole  deposit  being  certainly  not  less  than 
twenty-five  feet  thick.  On  several  rounded 
knolls  in  this  vicinity  the  limestone  makes  an 
abundant  outcrop,  showing  as  a  grayish  non- 
fossiliferous  rock.  It  was  observed  in  the  fields 
of  Mr.  J.  Smith,  near  Elder's  ridge,  the  top  of 
its  outcrop  being  eighty  feet  by  barometer  above 
the  Sewickley  coal  bed,  the  latter  having  been 
opened  at  the  foot  of  the  same  hill  in  Mr. 
Smith's  orchard. 

In  the  mine  of  the  Holsten  Bros.,  situated 
about  a  mile  northeast  of  West  Lebanon,  in 
one  of  the  small  detachal  outliers  of  coal,  the 
whole  of  tlie  Pittsburgh  bed,  including  also  its 
roof  coal,  has  been  exposed,  showing  a  section 
in  which  all  the  partings  characteristic  of  the 
seam  in  this  region  are  present.  In  this  mine 
also  is  revealed  an  interesting  occurrence,  repre- 
senting a  line  of  ancient  erosion  in  the  old 
swamps  and  lagoons  in  which  the  vegetation 
for  the  formation  of  the  coal  was  collected. 
Only  the  lower  part  of  the  .seam  is  affected, 
showing  that  tlie  current  existed  during  the 
earlier  stages  of  the  development  of  the  bod. 
The  depression  caused  by  the  running  stream 
was  subsequently  filled  up  with  nuid,  which  we 
now  see  as  slate  and  bony  coal;  it  has  a 
lateral  width  of  seventy-five  feet,  and  winds 
irregularly  along  a  northeast  and  southwest 
course,  which  moreover  indicates  by  its  many 
bends  and  turns  that  the  little  stream  flowed 
sluggishly.  That  this  "  slate  bar,"  as  it  is 
called  by  the  miners,  extends  all  the  way 
through  the  Holsten  and  Craig  hill  there  can 
be  little  doubt,  for  it  has  been  found  in  all 
those  entries  of  the  Holsten  mine  that  have  at- 
tempted to  cross  the  line  of  its  path. 

The  soil  of  Young  tosvnship  is  sandy  loam, 
and  limestone  land.  Coal  and  lime  are  found 
in  large  quantities  in  most  parts  of  the  town- 
ship. It  is  well  watered  by  the  Black  Legs 
creek  and  Altman's  run,  and  their  tributaries. 
It  is  well  furnished  with  schools  and  churches. 
The  Elder's  Ridge  academy  is  situated  in  tlic 


294 


BIOOBAPHIES  OF 


southwest  part  of  the  township.  In  the  early 
settlement  of  the  township  there  was  a  fort 
erected  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  S.  J. 
Craighead,  to  guard  against  the  Indians.  It 
was  constructed  of  logs  and  the  crevices  filled 
with  mud.  The  U.  S.  militia  was  stationed 
there  for  several  years.  The  settlers  often  had 
to  flee  to  the  fort  for  protection,  and  labored  in 
the  grain  fields  with  rifles  by  their  side  to 
secure  their  safety.  Among  the  early  settlers 
were  William  McFarland,  James  Milieu,  John 
Ewing,  Tobias  Long,  James  Smith,  Allen  Mc- 
Comb,  James  Elder,  Robert  Elder,  Matthew 
Watson  and  David  Hutchinson.  The  old  elec- 
tion ground  of  Couemaugh  is  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  John  Neil. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

ROBERT  Y.  ELDER.  One  of  the  old, 
'  highly  respected  and  influential  families 
of  southern  Indiana  county  is  the  Elder  famil)'. 
Fifth  in  lineal  descent  from  its  founder,  Robert 
Eldei",  of  Dauphin  county,  is  Robert  Y.  Elder, 
of  Elder's  ridge.  He  is  a  son  of  Robert  and 
Nancy  (Douglass)  Elder,  and  was  born  on  the 
farm  on  which  he  now  resides  in  Young  town- 
ship, Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  April  6, 
1840.  Robert  Elder  (great-grandfather)  was 
the  first  settler  on  Elder's  ridge,  which  was 
named  after  him.  He  was  of  Scotch-Irish  de- 
scent, and  his  grandparents,  Robert  and  Elean- 
or Elder,  came  about  1780,  from  Drummore, 
county  Down,  Ireland,  to  a  tract  of  land  five 
miles  north  of  Harrisburg.  Robert  Elder 
(great-grandfather)  left  the  home  of  his  grand- 
parents about  1786  and  became  the  first  settler 
on  Elder's  ridge,  where  he  died  about  1791. 
He  married  and  his  wife  died  and  left  him  one 
sou,  who  remained  in  Dauphin  county.  After 
the  death  of  his  wife  he  married  Mary  Taylor 
who  died  April  15,  1813,  and  sleeps  beside  her 


husband  in  Ebenezer  grave-yard.  By  his  sec- 
ond marriage  he  had  four  children:  James, 
who  was  an  elder  of  Ebenezer  Presbyterian 
Church,  married  Martha  Robinson  and  resided 
on  the  first  improved  part  of  his  father's  farm 
until  his  death,  in  1813;  David,  born  in  1764, 
who  married  Ann  Nesbit  and  removed  in  1816 
to  Ohio;  Robert,  Jr.,  born  1767,  married  Mary 
Smith  and  died  in  1813,  some  thirty-four  years 
before  his  wife's  death;  and  Ann,  wife  of 
Archibald  Marshall,  an  early  settler  of  Cone- 
maugh  township.  The  children  of  Roberl,  Ji-.^ 
and  Mary  (Smith)  Elder  (paternal  grandpar- 
ents) were :  Margaret,  Joshua,  Mary  Ann, 
Hannah  and  Robert.  The  last-named  sou, 
Robert  (father),  was  born  in  1809,  and  died  in 
March  26,  1890.  He  owned  over  five  hundred 
acres  of  land,  which  he  kept  in  a  good  state  of 
cultivation.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  and  a  republican  in  politics.  He 
was  a  man  of  energy  and  will,  who  always  took 
an  active  part  in  whatever  would  benefit  his  com- 
munity. He  married  Nancy  W.  Douglass,  who 
was  born  in  this  county  in  1814,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church.  They  were 
the  parents  of  uine  children :  Maria,  Lieut. 
John  D.,  killed  at  Malvern  Hills;  Robert  Y., 
Cordelia,  widow  of  Dr.  Robert  Barr;  Julia, 
Lyde  A.,  Josephine,  Agnes  V.,  and  Lizzie  E. 

Robert  Y.  Elder  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  Elder's  ridge  academy.  Leaving 
school,  he  was  engaged  in  farming  until  he  was 
twenty-eight  years  years  of  age,  when  he  em- 
barked at  Elder's  ridge,  in  the  general  mer- 
cantile business,  which  he  followed  successfully 
for  eleven  years.  He  then  (1879)  disposed  of 
his  store  and  resumed  farming  on  the  home- 
stead farm,  where  he  has  resided  ever  since. 

April  29,  1869,  he  married  Mary  E.  Spauld- 
ing,  a  daughter  of  Geo.  Spauldiug.  They  are 
the  parents  of  five  children,  two  sons  and  three 
daughters:  Maud  W.,  Robert  R.,  George  P., 
Alice  M.,  and  Helen  D. 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


295 


August  3,  1864,  Mr.  Elder  enlisted  in  Co. 
C,  Fourth  Pa.  Cavalry,  for  one  year,  served 
uutil  the  close  of  the  war,  and  was  mustered 
out  of  the  service  at  Arliugton  Mills,  May  15; 
1865.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  a 
member  of  Elder's  Ridge  Presbyterian  church, 
of  whose  Sunday-school  he  is  superintendent. 
Robert  Y.  Elder  is  one  of  the  most  substantial 
business  men  and  reliable  citizens  of  his 
township. 


SYLVESTER  C.  KENNEDY.  A  member 
of  the  present  strong  and  effective  board  of 
oomniissioners  of  Indiana  county  is  Sylvester 
C.  Kennedy,  a  representative  farmer  of  Young 
township  and  an  energetic  business  man  of  ex- 
tended and  successful  experience.  He  was  born 
in  Lower  Burrell  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  January  17,  1843,  and  is 
a  son  of  Joseph  and  Margaret  (Coe)  Kennedy. 
The  Kennedys  are  of  Scotch-Irish  descent- 
Thomas  Kennedy  (paternal  grandfather)  was  a 
native  of  Allegheny  county,  this  State,  served  as 
a  soldier  in  tlic  war  of  1812  under  Gen.  Har- 
rison, and  some  time  thereafter  removed  to 
Burrell  township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
where  he  followed  farming  until  his  death,  in 
1842,  at  fifty-six  years  of  age.  He  married 
Catherine  Flick,  who  was  born  in  1793.  Ben- 
jamin Coe  (maternal  grandfather)  was  of  Scotch- 
Irish  extraction  and  lived  and  died  in  Alle- 
gheny county,  this  State.  Joseph  Kennedy 
(father)  was  a  native  and  life-long  resident  of 
Lower  Burrell  township,  in  Westmoreland 
county.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  a 
democrat  in  political  opinion  and  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  which  he 
had  served  as  class  leader  and  steward,  as  well 
as  filling  all  of  its  other  local  offices.  He  was 
a  man  of  very  good  judgment,  took  an  active 
part  in  politics,  served  for  many  years  as  a 
school  director  and  died  in  1877,  aged  sixty-five 
years.    He   married   Margaret   Coe,    who   was 


reared  as  a  Presbyterian,  but  is  now  a  member 
of  the  M.  E.  church  at  Springdale,  Allegheny 
county,  Pa.,  where  she  resides.  She  is  in 
the  seventy-second  year  of  her  age  and  is  very 
sprightly  and  active  for  one  of  her  years. 

Sylvester  C.    Kennedy    was  reared    on    his 
father's   Westmoreland   county  farm.      He  re- 
ceived   iiis   education    in   the  common   and  in 
select  schools.     On  August  9th,  1862,  he  left 
the  farm  and  enlisted  in  Co.  I,  123d  regiment, 
Pa.   Vols.,   and  served    until  May    13,   18(53, 
when  he  was  honorably  discharged  at  Pittsburgh, 
Pa.     He  was  in  the  iiotly   contested   battle  of 
Antietam    and    the  fearful  charges  at    Freder- 
icksburg.   During  1864  he  worked  on  the  farm 
and  went    to  school.     In   1865  he  tauglit   one 
term  of  school  and  during  the  next  year  he  at- 
tended   and   graduated  from    Duff's    Business 
college  of  Pittsburgh,  Pa.     He  then  returned  to 
his  farm  equipped    with  a   first-class   business 
education,   and    was    successfully    entjaged    in 
farming  until  1879,  when  he  removed  to  Young 
township,  where  he  purchased  his  present  fine 
and  well  cultivated  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
thirty-five  acres  of  land.     He  is  an  active  and 
working  democrat,  who  has  been  honored   with 
various  offices  of  trust  and  responsibility  by  his 
party  both  in  his  native  and  his  adopted  county. 
He  served  for  three  years  in  Westmoreland  and 
for  nine  years  in  Indiana  county  as  school  di- 
rector.    He  also  served  two  terms  as  justice  of 
the  peace    in  Young  township.     In   1887   he 
was    nominated   and    elected   by   his  party  as 
county  commissioner.     On  January  1,  1888,  he 
went  into  office,  and  by  attention  to   business 
and    faithfulness  to    the    true    interests  of  the 
county  is  making  a  creditable  and  meritorious 
record.       He    is    a    member   of  Post  No.    28, 
Grand  Array  of  the  Republic,  Arcadia  Grango, 
No.  176,   Patrons  of  Husbandry,  and  Jackson- 
ville Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which    he 
is  a  trustee.     In  agricultural  affairs  he  takes  a 
deep  interest,  labors  steadily    for  the  promotion 
of  the  farmers'    liest  interests,   and  believes  in 


296 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


the  Grange  organization  as  the  most  potent 
factor  of  tlie  day  to  secure  the  advancement  of 
the  laboring  and  farming  classes. 

He  was  married,  on  May  6, 1868,  to  Melissa 
E.  Simons,  daughter  of  William  Simons,  of  Al- 
legheny county.  Pa.  They  have  eight  chil- 
dren, five  sons  and  three  daughters:  Albert 
C,  Nellie  G.,  Nannie  J.,  William  J.,  Edwin  K., 
Silas  Clark,  Mary  Stella  and  John  E. 

He  has  become  well  known  by  his  advocacy 
of  grange  principles  and  his  desire  that  no  in- 
judicious movement  should  be  allowed  to  alien- 
ate the  farmer  from  his  true  interests. 


I)EV.  JOHN  CREE  TELFORD,  of  West 
^  Lebanon,  an  efficient  minister  and  pastor 
of  West  Union  United  Presbyterian  church 
since  1867,  was  born  in  Washington  county, 
New  York,  August  22,  1821,  and  is  a  son  of 
Stephen  and  Mary  (Cree)  Telford.  His  pater- 
nal grandfather,  John  Telford,  came  from 
Ireland  to  Washington  county,  New  York, 
where  he  afterwards  died.  His  son,  Stephen 
Telford  (father),  was  a  prosperous  farmer  and 
died  April  5,  1851,  aged  fifty-six  years.  He 
was  a  whig  in  politics,  a  member  of  the  Asso- 
ciate Presbyterian  church  and  became  a  noted 
opponent  of  slavery  and  whiskey.  He  banished 
licpior  from  his  harvest,  and  was  strict  in  his 
family  and  all  of  his  business  dealings.  He 
married  Mary  Cree,  of  Rockbridge,  Virginia, 
who  was  of  the  same  religious  belief  as  himself 
and  who  died  in  1872,  when  in  the  seventy-fifth 
year  of  her  age. 

John  C.  Telford  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
received  his  education  in  Cambridge  academy  and 
Jefferson  college,  from  which  he  graduated  in 
1844.  He  then  entered  the  United  Presbyterian 
seminary  at  Cannonsburg,  Pa.,  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  that  institution  in  1848.  He  was 
licensed  to  preach  June  20, 1848,  ordained  Jan- 
uary 1,  1850,  and  had  charge  of  the  East 
Mahoning  United  Presbyterian    church    until 


May  15,  1867,  when  he  liecarae  pastor  of  West 
Union  church  and  has  held  that  charge  until  the 
present  time. 

November  6,  1850,  he  married  Martha, 
daughter  of  James  Oram.  He  has  five  children, 
one  son  and  four  daughters :  Stephen  J.,  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Indiana  county  bar 
(see  his  sketch) ;  Prudence  J.,  wife  of  J.  H. 
Henderson,  a  farmer  of  near  Elder's  ridge ; 
Mary  A.,  Sarah  E.  and  INIaggie  B. 

Rev.  Telford  is  independent  in  political  opin- 
ion. He  is  logical  and  convincing  as  a  minister, 
and  under  his  charge  West  Union  church  has 
increased  in  membership  until  it  now  numbers 
one  hundred  and  ninety  members.  Rev.  J.  C. 
Tel  fori!  resides  at  West  Lebanon,  where  he  is 
highly  esteemed  by  the  citizens  of  that  place. 


DAVID  EDWARD  CARNAHAN,  one 
of  the  progressive  young  business  men 
of  Shelocta  and  a  member  of  the  leading  mer- 
cantile firm  of  that  borough  and  section  of 
the  county,  is  the  son  of  Thomas  M.  and  Mary 
E.  (Hamilton)  Carnahan,  and  was  born  on  a 
farm  about  one  mile  from  Indiana,  in  White 
township,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  Sep- 
tember 2,  1860.  Thomas  Carnahan  was  reared 
on  a  farm  and  was  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  near  Indiana,  until  he  came  to  his 
present  farm  in  Armstrong  county.  Since  1890, 
Mr.  Carnahan  has  been  engaged  in  the  general 
mercantile  business  at  Shelocta,  being  the  senior 
member  of  the  firm  of  Thomas  M.  Carnahan  & 
Son.  He  has  prospered  in  his  various  enter- 
prises, and  is  known  as  a  man  of  conservative 
and  safe  business  methods.  He  married  Mary 
E.  Hamilton,  and  they  have  had  eight  children, 
of  whom  seven  are  living. 

D.  E.  Carnahan  was  reared  on  his  father's 
White  township  farm,  where  he  was  carefully 
trained  in  the  work  and  management  of  a  farm. 
He  attended  the  public  schools,  in  which  he 
obtained  a  good  business  education.     Leaving 


INDIANA   COUNTY. 


297 


school,  he  was  engaged  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising  until  1889,  when  he  concluded  to  embark 
in  the  general  inercautile  business.  He  tbrmed 
a  partnership  with  E.  G.  Orr,  and  they  pur- 
chased the  mercantile  establishment  of  G.  J. 
Jones,  at  Shelocta,  which  they  successfully  con- 
ducted until  February,  1890,  under  the  firm- 
name  of  E.  G.  Orr  &  Co.  He  then  purcliasid 
Mr.  Orr's  share  in  the  store  and  associated  liis 
father  with  himself  in  the  business,  under  the 
firm-name  of  Carnahan  <K:  Son.  They  have  a 
large  and  conveniently  arranged  establishm^ent 
which  is  well  filled  with  a  stock  of  goods  worth 
in  the  neighborhood  of  $7,000.  Their  trade  is 
such  that  their  yearly  sales  average  $12,000 
and  are  constantly  increasing.  They  study  the 
wants  of  their  customers  aud  aim  to  select  goods 
to  suit  the  tastes  of  the  public,  which  they 
have  been  very  successful  in  satisfying  since 
entering  into  the  mercantile  business. 

D.  E.  Carnahan  is  a  prominent  and  active 
member  of  the  Junior  Order  of  the  United 
American  Mechanics  and  was  principally  instru- 
mental in  starting  the  council  of  that  order, 
which  was  organized  at  Shelocta  in  the  summer 
of  1800.  He  has  won  commercial  success  and 
the  position  he  holds  in  the  confidence  of  the 
public,  through  his  own  efforts  and  his  correct 
business  methods. 

In  September,  1890,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Belle  Ralston  at  Niagara  Falls,  Xew 
York. 


Jif/Z^/-?  ^'iTT-^^ 


TJON.  JOHN  YOUNG,  after  whom  Young 
-»-i-  township  was  named,  was  the  fii'st  pres- 
ident judge  of  the  courts  of  Indiana  county. 
He  was  born  in  the  city  of  Glasgow,  Scotland,  j 
July  12, 17(32,  and  was  a  member  of  an  ancient 
Scottish  family,  distinguished  for  its  wealth, 
learning  and  high  rank,  branches  of  it  having 
been  ennobled  before  the  reign  of  the  unhappy 
Mary,  Queen  of  Scots.  His  father,  John 
Young,   was  a  wealthy  merchant  of  Glasgow, 


and  gained  a  re[)utation  for  great  liberality  and 
kindness  of  heart,  which  (|ualities  his  son, 
Judge  Young,  inherited  in  an  eminent  degree. 
John  Young  bailed  his  brother  for  a  large 
amount,  for  which  debt  his  property  was  all 
sold,  and  he  died  in  ten  days  afterwards  in 
consequence  of  the  anxiety  of  mind  which  that 
event  caused  him.  He  had  five  children : 
Judge  John,  Thomas,  Douglas,  William  and 
Mary. 

At  the  time  of  his  father's  death.  Judge 
Young  was  a  student  at  law  and  clerk  in  the 
office  of  Sir  Walter  Scott's  father.  After  pro- 
curing places  for  his  younger  brothers,  he  came 
to  Philadelphia,  where  he  I'cad  law  with  Judge 
Wilson,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  January 
8,  178(5.  The  high  character  of  the  Scotch  and 
Scotch-Irish  settlements  in  this  part  of  the 
State  and  their  great  prosperity  induced  Judge 
Young,  iu  1789,  to  leave  his  practice  in  I'hila- 
delpliia  and  open  an  office  at  Grcensburg, 
Westmoreland  county.     He  soon  gained  a  large 


298 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  INDIANA   COUNTY. 


practice  in  that  and  adjoining  counties  by  rea- 
son of  his  ability  as  a  lawyer  and  his  absolute 
integrity  of  character.  His  participation  in  the 
negotiations  between  the  contesting  parties  in 
the  "  ^Vhiskey  Insurrection "  added  largely  to 
his  popularity  and  materially  increased  his  cli- 
entage. In  1791  he  served  as  captain  of  a 
company  that  was  raised  to  protect  the  western 
frontier  from  Indian  raids;  but  when  the  dan- 
ger was  past  he  declined  all  further  offer  of 
militaiy  command,  and  returned  to  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession,  which  he  pursued  with 
eminent  success  until  1805.  In  that  year  a 
vacancy  occurred  in  the  presideut-judgeship  of 
the  Tenth  Judicial  District  of  Pennsylvania, 
then  composed  of  the  counties  of  Somerset, 
Cambria,  Indiana,  Armstrong  and  Westmore- 
land, and  Gov.  McKean  appointed  Mr.  Young 
to  fill  that  vacancy  on  March  1,  1806.  Judge 
Young  held  the  office  until  the  latter  part  of 
1837,  when,  admonished  by  bodily  infirmities, 
he  resigned  and  retired  to  private  life,  to  enjoy 
the  repose  appropriate  to  advanced  age,  and 
sweetened  by  the  retrospections  of  a  long  and 
sijccessful  career  of  distinguished  activity  and 
usefulness.  He  survived  his  resignation  but  a 
little  over  three  years.  He  died  October  6, 
1840,  and  his  remains  lie  entombed  in  the  old 
St.  Clair  cemetery  at  Grcensburg,  Pa. 

In  1794  he  married  Maria  Barclay,  by  whom 
he  had  eight  children :  Hetty,  who  married  E. 


N.  Clopper,  and  whose  daughter  is  the  wife 
of  William  M.  Stewart,  of  Philadelphia 
(see  his  sketch);  Frank  B.,  Ellen  M.,  wife  of 
Ephraim  Douglass,  of  Uniontown,  Pa. ;  Sta- 
tira,  Joseph  J,;  Elizabeth  Forrester,  wife  of 
J.  F.  Woods;  Mary  Y.,  wife  of  E.  C.  Bur- 
gess; Edward  D.,  and  a  daughter  who  died  in 
infancy.  Mrs.  Young  died  in  1811,  and  Judge 
Young  married,  some  two  years  later,  Statira 
Barclay,  who  bore  him  two  children:  Mary  J., 
wife  of  Hon.  Henry  D.  Foster,  and  Ste- 
phen B. 

Judge  Young  was  well  versed  in  many  lan- 
guages, speaking  some  seven  tongues,  one  of 
!  which  he  acquired  after  retiring  from  the 
f  bench.  Of  him  are  existing  many  pleasing 
legends,  going  to  demonstrate  his  possession  of 
the  attributes  of  an  unusually  lofty  and  tender 
character.  After  coming  to  this  country.  Judge 
Young  became  the  hereditary  laird  of  For- 
rester, succeeding  to  the  entailed  estate  of 
Ester  Culmore,  in  the  county  of  Stirling,  Scot- 
land, and  thereafter  in  that  country  was  known 
as  Hon.  John  Young  Forrester,  while  in  the 
United  States  he  was  Hon.  John  Young.  A 
romantic  interest  is  attached  to  the  story  of 
this  inheritance,  uniting  as  it  does  in  the  same 
individual  the  republican  simplicity  of  a  new 
world  and  the  ancestral  pride  of  the  old,  and 
thus  John  Young  was  an  American  judge  and 
Scottish  laird  at  the  same  time. 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 


AEMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


Boundaries  and  area — Geology  —  Surface  features  — 
Indians — Armstronff's  expedition  —  Battles  of  Kit- 
tanninf;  and  Blanket  Hill  —  Brady's  fight  at  the  mouth 
of  Big  Mahoning  ereek  —  Early  settlers  —  County 
formatio/i  and  official  lists —  Assessment  lists  0/ 1807 
—  Vislilleries,  salt  wells  and  furnaces  —  Railroads  — 
Great  civil  war — Religious  —  Educational  —  Jour- 
nalism—  The  bar —  Political  history  —  Census  statis- 
tics —  Oil  excitement  —  Progress  and  development  — 
Miscellaneoxcs. 

ARMSTRONG  COUNTY,  Pennsylvania 
lies  between  the  seventy-nintli  and  eighti- 
eth meridians  of  west  longitude  and  the  fortieth 
and  forty-second  parallels  of  north  latitude- 
It  is  an  irregular  pentagon  in  shape  and  con- 
tains six  hundred  and  twenty-five  square  miles 
of  territory,  which  is  divided  into  twenty-four 
townships.  Armstrong  county  is  bounded  on 
tiie  north  by  Clarion  county ;  on  the  east  by 
Jefferson  and  Indiana  counties ;  on  the  south  by 
Westmoreland  county  and  on  the  west  by  Butler 
county. 

The  Kiskiminctas  river  is  its  southern  bound- 
ary from  Indiana  county  to  the  Allegheny 
river— 1.5  miles  in  a  straight  line;  whence  to 
Butler  county,  two  miles  more,  the  Allegheny 


river  is  the  boundary.  The  western  boundary 
line  is  a  straight  line  running  due  north  from 
where  it  crosses  Buffalo  creek  at  Freeport,  to 
where  it  intersects  the  Allegheny  river  near 
Foxburg,  a  distance  of  33|  miles.  The  north- 
ern boundary  line  follows  the  Allegheny  river 
from  Butler  county  to  the  month  of  Red  Bank 
creek,  14i  miles  in  a  dire(^t  line,  but  nearly 
double  that  distance  as  the  stream  runs;  thence 
up  Red  Bank  creek  to  Jefferson  county — 18 
miles.  The  east  boundary  line  runs  due  south 
from  Jefferson  county  18  miles  to  the  top  of  the 
divide  overlooking  the  north  fork  of  Plum 
creek;  whence  to  the  Kiskiminetas  river,  20J 
miles. 

Armstrong  county  was  a  part  of  the  foIlo\^i- 
ing  counties  for  the  respective  times  specified  : 

Chester,  from  1682  to  INIay  10,  1729. 

Lancaster,  May  10,  1720,  to  Jan.  27,  1750. 

Cumberland,  Jan.  27,  1750,  to  March  9, 
1771. 

Bedford,  March  9,  1771,  to  Sept.  26,  1773. 

From  1773  to  1800  its  territory  was  parts  of 
the  counties  which  are  named  ou  page  307  of 
this  work. 

299 


300 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


Geology. — Prof.  Leslie  describes  the  geologi- 
cal structure  of  Armstrong  county  as  follows : 

"  The  whole  surface  is  sculptured  in  all  di- 
rections by  the  erosion  of  the  Barren  measures, 
lying  almost  horizoutally,  although  several  wide 
and  gentle  rolls  traverse  it  from  northeast  to 
southwest,  bringing  the  Lower  Productive  coal 
measures  above  water  level  along  the  Allegheny 
river  and  its  great  branches  from  the  east,  the 
Kiskiminetas,  Crooked,  Cowanshannock,  Pine, 
INIahoning,  and  Redbank  creeks;  and  on  the 
western  side,  along  Buffalo  creek,  Glade  run 
and  other  small  streams  descending  from  Butler 
county.  The  Pittsburgh  coal  bed  occupies 
only  a  short  and  narrow  basin  in  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  county.  The  Barren  measures  are 
600  feet  thick,  including  the  Mahoning  sand- 
stone at  the  bottom,  the  long  horizontal  out- 
crops of  which  edge  all  the  "valleys  of  the 
county  with  cliffs,  and  rough  their  steep  slopes 
with  fallen  rocks.  Two  coal  beds,  each  with 
a  limestone  bed  beneath  it,  are  rained  near 
water  level  at  Freeport,  and  rise  slowly  north- 
ward until  they  merely  cap  the  highest  hills. 
The  three  next  coals  are  mined  at  Kittanning, 
the  highest  one  having  a  limestone  bed  under  it, 
and  the  lowest  one  overlying  the  Ferriferous 
Limestone,  which  appears  at  the  surface  in 
southern  Armstrong  only  where  Crooked  creek 
is  crossed  by  the  Paddy's  Run  axis.  It  has 
isolated  outcrops  from  three  to  five  miles  long 
at  Greendale  on  Cowanshannock;  on  both  forks 
of  Pine  creek  from  Echo  to  Pine  P.O.,  and  near 
Goheeuville ;  and  an  unbroken  outcrop  along 
both  .sides  of  the  Allegheny  river  and  Mahoning 
and  Redbank  creeks  from  Kittanning  north- 
ward. It  varies  from  4  to  18  feet  in  thickness, 
and  carries  the  famous  "  buhr.stone "  brown 
hematite  iron-ore  on  which  ran  in  early  years 
the  old  Rock,  Bear  Creek,  Allegheny,  Buffalo, 
Ore  Hill,  Cowanshannock,  Mahoning,  America, 
Phcenix,  Pine  Creek,  Oluey,  Stewardsou,  Mon- 
ticello,  and  Great  Western  cold-blast  charcoal 
furnaces  (with  their  forges  and  rolling-mills), 


some  of  which  were  changed  to  hot-blast  coke 
furnaces.  The  two  Clarion  coal  beds  (beneath  the 
limestone)  only  appear  above  water  level  in  the 
northern  townships;  and  the  Pottsville  con- 
glomerate No.  XII  shows  its  upper  massive 
layers  where  the  anticlinal  lines  cross  the  prin- 
cipal river  valleys,  but  nearly  the  whole  forma- 
tion (300  feet  thick)  has  been  cut  through  by  the 
river  at  Parker  City,  where  the  Clarion  oil  belt 
crosses  the  valley.  Here  on  the  flat  beneath  its 
vertical  cliffs  and  on  the  terraces  above,  hun- 
dreds of  derricks  once  stood,  thick  as  trees  in  a 
forest,  draining  the  Third  Oil  sand  from  a 
depth  of  800  feet  beneath  the  river.  At  Brady's 
Bend  this  third  oil  sand  lies  1,000  feet  beneath 
the  river.  In  all  other  parts  of  this  county  the 
wells,  some  of  them  2,000  feet  deep,  have 
yielded  no  petroleum." 

The  carboniferous  system  occupies  the  whole 
surface  of  the  county.  The  Upper  Productive 
Coal  measures  are  in  the  southeastern  corner  of 
the  county,  the  Lower  Barren  measures  spread 
over  the  uplands  and  the  Lower  Productive 
Coal  measures  are  in  the  sides  of  the  valleys, 
while  the  Pottsville  conglomerate  comes  to 
daylight  in  the  deep  and  rocky  ravines. 

The  geological  structure  of  Armstrong  coun- 
ty consists  of  a  series  of  anticlinal  and  synclinal 
flexures  arranged  in  nearly  parallel  order  from 
southwest  to  northeast.  By  the  geologists  of 
the  First  Survey,  nearly  the  whole  of  Arm- 
strong county  was  includeii  within  what  was 
(tailed  the  Fifth  Great  basin,  which  had  for  its 
southeast  boundary  the  Fourth  Great  axis,  cross- 
ing the  Kiskiminetas  at  the  mouth  of  Roaring 
run;  and  for  its  northwest  boundaiy,  the  Fifth 
Great  Axis,  which,  coming  southward  from 
Clarion  county,  was  thought  to  cross  the  Alle- 
gheny river  between  the  mouths  of  Red  Bank 
and  Mahoning  creeks.  This  great  basin  is 
twenty  miles  wide. 

The  anticlinal  axes  and  synclinal  basins  from 
the  southeast  to  the  northwest  corner  of  the 
county  are  as  follows  : 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


301 


I  Li 


sbon  Basin. 


1.  Lisbon  West  Lebanon  Synclinal 

2.  Maysville  Anticlinal 

3.  Perrysville  Anticlinal 

4.  Smicksburg  Synclinal. 

5.  Wayneisburg  Anticlinal  (Fourth  Axis  of 
the  First  Survey). 

6.  Port  Baniet  Anticlinal. 

7.  Waynesburg  or  Apollo  Synclinal. 

8.  Apollo  Anticlinal. 

9.  Glade  Run  Anticlinal. 

10.  Leechburg  Synclinal. 

11.  Pinhook  or  Brookville  Auticliual. 

12.  Fairmont  Synclinal. 

13.  Anthony's  Bend  Anticlinal. 

14.  Centreville  Synclinal. 

15.  Kellysburg  Anticlinal. 

16.  Lavvsonham  Synclinal. 

17.  Brady's  Bend  Anticlinal  (Fifth  A.xis  of 
the  First  Survey. 

18.  JNIillerstown  Anticlinal. 

Surface  Features. — Of  the  topography  of 
Armstrong  county,  Prof  Piatt  says  : 

"  The  topography  of  Armstrong  county  con- 
sists of  easy-rolling  hill  and  valley  surface,  in 
great  variety  of  aspect,  but  without  especially 
commanding  features.  There  are  here  no 
ridges  of  mountain  land,  and  uo  extensive 
gorges  similar  to  (hose  which  control  the  to- 
pography in  the  counties  to  the  east  and  south- 
east. It  belongs,  in  fact,  to  the  open  country 
of  Western  Pennsylvania — a  region  of  deep 
valleys  with  broad,  undulating  uplands  be- 
tween ;  a  broken  table-land,  u^ion  which  the 
erosive  agencies  have  acted  unceasingly  since 
Palffiozoic  times. 

"  The  main  valleys  are,  for  the  most  part, 
narrov/  and  tortuous.  Their  sides  range  from 
300  to  600  feet  in  height,  sometimes  steep  and 
precipitous,  and  having  long  lines  of  cliffs;  at 
other  times  the  slopes  are  gentle,  and  rise  slow- 
ly towards  the  dividing  water-sheds.  In  this 
respect,  moreover,  the  topography  often  unmis- 
takably reveals  the  geological  structure ;  but 
only  in  the  valleys.     There  the  steep  and   nar- 


row stretches  of  surface  indicate  the  anticlinals, 
and  the  more  open  country  with  gentle  declivi- 
ties, the  synclinals.  On  the  uplands  this  dis- 
tinction is  obliterated,  and  the  arrangement  of 
the  hills  fails,  in  every  case,  to  give  expression 
to  the  geology. 

"  The  glacial  age,  whose  effect  upon  the  topo- 
graphical features  of  the  northwest  counties 
was  to  exert  a  radical  change  there,  straighten- 
ing the  valleys  and  planing  down  the  hills, 
modifietl  but  little  if  any  of  the  then  existing 
outlines  of  Armstrong.  The  great  sheet  of 
southward-moving  ice,  which,  coming  from  far- 
distant  northerly  regions,  crossed  northwest 
Pennsylvania  during  that  time,  passed  close  to 
Armstrong  county,  but  wholly  west  of  it.  No 
marks  of  glacial  action  therefore  appear  in  any 
of  its  valleys ;  and  no  rolled  pebbles  on  its  up- 
lands; the  crystalline  pebbles  of  the  northern 
drift  in  the  bottom  lands  of  the  Allegheny 
river  have  come  from  the  abundant  masses  of 
morainic  matter  which  the  receding  ice  left 
about  the  heads  of  that  stream  at  the  close  of 
the  glacial  age. 

"  Referred  to  ocean  level,  the  elevation  of  the 
upland  region  ranges  from  1500  to  1600  feet. 
Occasionally  an  isolated  knob  or 'round  top,' 
as,  for  example.  Concord  Hill,  rises  from  75  to 
100  feet  still  higher,  and  stands  forth  then  as  a 
prominent  feature  in  the  landscape.  The  ele- 
vations along  some  of  the  principal  lines  of 
drainage  are  shown  in  the  following  tables  : 

1.   West  Pennsylvania  R.  R. ;  KiaUminetat  Valley. 

Feet  above 
Tide. 

Helena 1017 

Salina 955 

Norlh-West 894 

Roaring  Run 827 

Apollo 823 

Townsend's 887 

Grinder's 827 

Bagdad     780 

A.  V.  R.  R.  crossing 791 

Freeport 770 

(Note. — The  elevations  are  of  the  top  of  the  rail, 


302 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


which  is  located  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  from 
20  to  30  feet  above  the  channel  of  the  stream.) 

2.  Allegheny  Valley  R.  R.;  Allegheny  Valley. 

Feet  above 
Tide. 

West  Penn  Junction 791 

Aladdin  Station 793 

White   Rock 782 

Kelly 781 

Logansport 785 

RoBSton 788 

Manorville -798 

Kittanning 810 

Cowanshannock      809 

Pine  creek 812 

Templeton 824 

Mahoning 824 

Reimerton 837 

Red  Bank  Junction  (B.  B.  R.  R.) 851 

Phillipsburg 855 

Brady's  Bend 857 

Catfish • 859 

Sarah  Furnace 861 

Hillville 865 

Montery 875 

Parker   City 889 

3.  Bennett's    Branch    E.vtension    R.R.;    Red 
Bank    Valley. 

Feet  above 
Tide. 

Red  Bank  Junction  (as  above) 851 

Mortimer  run 848 

Lawsonham 919 

Buck-Lick  run 939 

Rock  run 964 

Leatherwood 1027 

Anthony's  Bend  (west  end  of  tunnel) 1051 

Bostouia  Junction  (Bostonia  Branch  R.R)  .   .    .1074 

New  Bethlehem 1080 

Fairmount 1086 

Indiantown  run 1090 

Millville 1093 

Pine  run 1101 

Maysville     1108 

Patton's 1131 

4.  Bostonia  Branch  R.  R.;  Bostonia  Valley. 

Feet  above 
Tide. 

Bostonia  Junction  (as  above) 1074 

Bridge 1075 

2000  feet 1100 

3000  feet 1122 


4000  feet 1143 

5000  feet 1153 

6000  feet 1186 

The  Allegheny  river,  flowing  from  north  to 
south  through  Armstrong  county,  and  dividing 
it  into  two  unequal  parts,  receives  all  of  the  sur- 
face water.  The  drainage  system  of  the  county 
is  thus  greatly  simplified,  consisting  in  brief,  of 
two  sets  of  tributary  streams,  of  which  one 
flows  west,  and  the  other  east  to  join  the  main 
river  flowing  south. 

The  eastern  tributary  streams  are  Kiskimin- 
etas  river  and  Crooked,  Cowanshannock,  Pine, 
Mahoning  and  Red  Bank  creeks;  while  its 
western  affluents  are  Buffalo  creek.  Glade  run. 
Limestone  run,  Sugar  creek  and  Bear  creek. 

The  soils  of  the  county  are  good,  and  are  the 
product  of  the  disintegration  of  local  rocks,  ex- 
cepting the  Allegheny  river  bottom  lands,  which 
were  formed  from  drift  material. 

Indians. — The  Delaware  and  Shawanee  tribes 
settled  on  the  Allegheny  river  as  early  as  1719. 
Their  principal  town  or  village  was  Kittanning, 
from  which  war  parties  went  foi'th  to  harass 
the  white  settlers  east  of  the  Alleghenies,  but  it 
is  unnece.ssary  to  speak  further  of  this  town,  as 
a  full  description  of  it  will  be  found  in  the  ac- 
count of  Gen.  Armstrong's  expedition. 

The  Delawares  and  Shawanees  were  tenants 

at  will  of  the  Six  Nations  (see  page  23)  and  had 

I  few  villages  in  the  county  which  will  be  noticed 

in  the  history  of  the  township.s.     They  had  one 

great  trail  or  war  path  which  ran  from  the  forks 

of  the  Ohio  up  the  Allegheny  river  and  pa.ssed 

into  New  York.  This  path  was  sometimes  called 

the  "  AVarriors'  Road."    An  eastern  trail  was  the 

i  noted  "Kittanning  Path,"  which  run  from  Kit- 

1  tanning   to    Huntingdon.      There   were   many 

I  branch  paths  of  which  to-day  all  trace  seems  to 

be  lost. 

Arinstrong's  Expedition. — After  examining 
several  accounts  of  this  campaign  we  have 
fouud  R.  M.  Smith's  description  to  be  the  most 
accurate  and  give  it  below  in  full : 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


303 


"Eight  companies  of  soldiers,  constituting 
the  second  battalion  of  the  Pennsylvania  regi- 
ment, under  the  command  of  Lieut.-Col.  John 
Armstrong,  were  stationed  at  the  forts  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Susquehanna.  For  the  purpose 
of  carrying  out  the  expedition  against  Kittau- 
ning,  planned  as  above  stated,  Col.  Armstrong, 
with  a  part  of  the  force  assigned  to  him,  consisting 
of  three  hundred  and  seven  men,  inarched  upon 
Fort  Shirley,  Monday,  September  3,  1756,  and 
joined  his  advanced  party  at  Beaver  Dam,  near 
Frankstown,  which  they  left  on  the  4th  and 
advanced  to  within  fifty  miles  of  Kittanning  on 
the  6th,  whence  an  officer,  one  of  the  pilots, 
and  two  soldiers  were  sent  forward  to  recon- 
noiter  the  town.  These  men  returned  on  the 
7th  and  informed  Col.  Armstrong  that  the  roads 
were  entirely  clear  of  the  enemy,  but  it  appeared 
from  what  else  they  said  that  they  had  not  ap- 
proached near  enough  to  the  town  to  learn  its 
situation,  the  number  of  persons  in  it  or  how 
it  might  be  most  advantageously  attacked.  The 
march  was  continued  on  the  8th  with  the  inten- 
tion of  advancing  as  near  as  possible  to  the 
town  that  night.  A  halt  was,  however,  made 
about  nine  or  ten  o'clock  on  account  of  infor- 
mation received  from  one  of  the  guides  that  he 
had  seen  a  fire  by  the  roadside  a  few  perches 
from  the  front,  at  which  were  two  or  three  In- 
dians. The  pilot  returned  again  in  a  short  time 
and  reported  that  from  the  best  observations  he 
could  make  there  were  not  more  tiian  three  or 
four  Indians  at  the  fire.  It  was  determined  not 
to  surround  and  cut  them  oif  immediately,  lest, 
if  only  one  should  escape,  he  might  communi- 
cate their  preseuce  to  his  people  in  the  town, 
and  thus  their  well -laid  plan  of  attack  would 
be,  in  a  measure  at  least,  frustratetl.  Lieut. 
James  Hogg,  of  Capt.  Armstrong's  company, 
with  twelve  men  and  the  pilot  who  first  discov- 
ered the  fire,  was  ordered  to  remain,  watch  the 
enemy  until  the  break  of  day,  on  the  9th,  and 
then  cut  them  off,  if  possible,  at  that  point, 
which  was  about  six  miles  from  Kittanning. 


"  The  tired  horses,  the  blankets  and  other  bag- 
gage were  left  there,  and  the  rest  of  the  force 
took  a  circuit  off  the  road,  so  as  not  to  be  heard 
by  the  Indians  at  the  fire,  which  route  they 
found  to  be  stouy.  That  condition  of  the  route 
and  the  fallen  trees  along  the  way  greatly  re- 
tarded their  march.  Still  greater  delay  was 
cau.sed  by  the  ignorance  of  the  pilots,  who,  it 
seems,  knew  neither  the  real  situation  of  the 
town  nor  the  paths  leading  to  it. 

"After  crossing  hills  and  valleys,  the  front 
reached  the  Allegheny  river  shortly  before  the 

!  setting  of  the  moon  on  the  morning  of  the  9th, 
about  a  hundred  rods  below  the  main  bo<ly  of 
the  town,  or  about  that  distance  below  Market 

,  street,  at  or  near  the  present  site  of  the  poor- 
house,  on  lot  number  241,  in  modern  Kittan- 
ning. They  were  guided  thither  by  the  beat- 
ing of  the  drum  and   the  whooping  of  the  In- 

I  diaus  at  their  dances,  rather  than  by  the  pilots. 
It  was  neceasary  for  them  to  make  the  best  pos- 
sible use  of  the  remaining  moonlight,  but  in  this 

I  they  were  interrupted  for  a  few  moments  by 
(he  sudden  and  singular  whistling  of  an  Indian, 
about  thirty  feet  to  the  front,  at  the  foot  of  a 
cornfield,  which  was  at  first  thought  by  Col. 
Armstrong  to  be  a  signal  of  their  approach  to 
the  rest  of  the  Indians.  He  was  informed  by  a 
.soldier  by  the   name  of   Baker  that   it  was  the 

I  way  a  young  Indian  called  his  squaw  after  the 
dance.  Silence  was  |)as.sed  to  the  rear  and  they 
lay  quietly  until  after  the  going  down  of  the 
moon.  A  number  of  fires  soon  flashed  up  in 
various  parts  of  the  cornfield,  which,  Baker  said, 
were  kindled  to   keep  off  the  gnats,  and  would 

i  soon  go  out.  As  the  weather  was  warm  that 
night,  the  Indians  slept  by  the  fires  in  the  corn- 
field. 

"Three  companies  of  Col.  Armstrong's  force 
had  not,  at  daybreak  on  the  9th,  passed  over 
the  last  precipice.  Their  march  of  thirty  miles 
had  wearied  them  and  mo.st  of  them  were  asleep. 

I  Proper  persons  were  dispatched  to  rouse  them  ; 

'  a  suitable  number,  under  several  officers,  were 


304 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


ordered  to  take  the  end  of  the  hill  at  which  they 
then  lay,  and  to  march  along  to  the  top  of  it  at 
least  one  hundred  perches,  and  so  much  farther 
as  would  carry  them  opposite  the  upper  part,  or 
at  least  the  body  of  the  town.  Col.  Armstrong, 
presuming  that  the  Indian  warriors  were  at  the 
lower  end  of  that  hill,  kept  the  larger  portion 
of  his  men  there,  promising  to  postpone  the  at- 
tack eighteen  or  twenty  minutes,  until  the  de- 
tachment along  the  hill  should  have  time  to 
advance  to  the  point  to  which  they  had  been 
ordered.  They  were  somewhat  unfortunate  in 
making  that  advance.  The  time  having  elapsed, 
a  simultaneous  attack  was  made  as  expeditiously 
as  possilile,  through  and  upon  every  part  of  the 
cornfield.  A  party  was  dispatched  to  the  houses, 
when  Capt.  Jacobs  and  several  other  Indians, 
as  the  English  prisoners  afterward  stated, 
shouted  the  war-whoop  and  yelled  :  '  The  white 
men  are  come  at  last  and  we  will  have  scalps 
enough,'  at  the  same  time  ordering  their  squaws 
and  children  to  flee  to  the  woods." 

Battle  of  Kittanning. — "Col.  Armstrong's 
men  rushed  through  and  fired  into  the  cornfield, 
where  they  received  several  returns  from  the 
Indians  in  the  field  and  from  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river.  A  brisk  fire  commenced  soon 
after  among  the  houses,  which  was  very  reso- 
lutely returned  from  the  house  of  Capt.  Jacobs, 
which  was  situated  on  the  north  side  of  Market 
a  short  distance  above  McKean  street,  on 
Jacobs'  Hill,  in  the  rear  of  the  site  at  the  north- 
ern end  of  the  stone  wall  in  the  garden,  on 
which  Dr.  John  Gilpin  built,  in  1834-35,  that 
large  two-story  brick  mansion  now  owned  and 
occupied  by  Alexander  Reynolds.  Thither 
Col.  Armstrong  repaired  and  found  that  several 
of  his  men  had  been  wounded,  and  some  had 
been  killed  from  the  port-holes  of  that  house 
and  other  advantages  which  it  afforded  to  the 
Indians  within  it.  As  the  returning  fire  upon 
that  houses  proved  ineffectual,  he  ordered  the 
adjoining  house  to  be  fired,  which  was  quickly 
done,  the  Indians  seldom  failing  to  wound  or 


kill  some  of  their  assailants  when  they  presented 
themselves.  Col.  Armstrong,  while  moving 
about  and  giving  the  necessary  orders,  received 
a  bullet-wound  in  his  shoulder  from  Capt_ 
Jacobs'  house.  It  is  stated  in  '  Robinson's 
Narrative '  that  Col.  Armstrong  said  :  '  Ai-e 
there  none  of  you  that  will  set  fire  to  these  ras- 
cals that  have  wounded  me  and  killed  so  many  of 
us  ? '  John  Ferguson,  a  soldier,  swore  he 
would.  He  went  to  a  house  covered  with  bark 
and  took  a  strip  of  it  which  had  fire  on  it,  and 
rushed  up  to  the  cover  of  Jacobs'  house  and  held 
it  there  till  it  had  burned  about  a  yard  square. 
Then  he  ran  and  the  Indians  fired  at  him.  The 
smoke  blew  about  his  legs  and  the  shots  missed 
him.  That  house  contained  the  magazine, 
which  for  a  time  caused  it  to  be  observed,  to 
see  whether  the  Indians,  knowing  their  peril, 
would  escape  from  it.  They,  as  we  say  now-a- 
days,  '  held  the  fort '  until  the  guns  were  dis- 
charged by  the  approaching  fire. 

"  Several  persons  were  ordered  during  the  action 
to  tell  the  Indians  to  surrender  themselves  prison- 
ers. On  being  thus  told,  one  of  them  replied :  '  I 
am  a  man  and  I  will  not  be  a  prisoner.'  Being  told 
in  his  own  language,  that  he  would  be  burned, 
he  said  :  '  I  don't  care,  for  I  will  kill  four  or 
five  before  I  die.'  Had  not  Col.  Armstrong  and 
his  men  desisted  from  exposing  themselves,  the 
Indians,  who  had  a  number  of  loaded  guns, 
would  have  killed  many  more  of  them.  As  the 
fire  approached  and  the  smoke  thickened,  one  of 
the  Indians  evinced  his  manhood  by  singing. 
A  squaw  being  heard  to  cry  was  severely  re- 
buked by  the  Indians.  But  after  awhile,  the 
fire  having  become  too  hot  for  them,  two  Indians 
and  a  squaw  sprang  out  of  the  house  and  started 
for  the  cornfield,  but  were  immediately  shot  by 
some  of  their  foemen.  It  was  thought  that 
Capt.  Jacobs  tumbled  out  of  the  garret  or  cock- 
loft window  when  the  houses  were  surrounded. 
The  English  prisoners  who  were  recaptured 
offered  to  be  qualified  that  the  powder-horn  and 
pouch  taken  from  him  were  the  very  ones  which 


ARMSTROXG  COUNTY. 


305 


Capt.  Jacobs  had  obtained  from  a  Frencli  officer 
iu  exchange  for  Lieut.  Armstrong's  boots,  which 
he  had  brought  from  Fort  Greenville,  where  the 
lieutenant  was  killed.  Those  prisoners  said  they 
were  perfectly  assuretl  of  Capt.  Jacobs'  scalp, 
because  no  other  Indians  there  wore  their  hair 
in  the  same  manner,  and  that  they  knew  his 
squaw's  scalp  by  a  particular  bob,  and  the  scalp 
of  a  young  Indian,  called  the  king's  son. 

"  The  report  of  the  explosion  of  the  magazine 
under  Capt.  Jacobs'  house,  says  Patterson's '  His- 
tory of  the  Backwoods,'  was  heard  at  Fort  Du 
Quesne,  whereupon  some  French  and  Indians, 
fearing  an  attack  had  been  made  on  the  town 
(Kittauuing),  instantly  started  up  the  river,  but 
did  not  reach  the  place  until  the  day  after  the 
explosion  and  battle,  when  the  troops  had  been 
withdrawn.  They  found  among  the  ruins  the 
bodies  of  Capt.  Jacobs,  his  squaw  and  his  son. 

"  Capt.  Hugh  Mercer,  who  was  wounded  in 
the  arm  early  in  the  action,  had  been,  before  the 
attack  on  Capt.  Jacobs'  house,  taken  to  the  top 
of  the  hill  above  the  town,  where  several  of  the 
officers  and  a  number  of  the  men  had  gathered. 
From  that  position  they  discovered  some  Indians 
crossing  the  river  and  taking  to  the  hill,  with 
the  intention,  as  they  thought,  to  surround  Col. 
Armstrong  and  his  force,  and  cut  them  off  from 
their  retreat.  The  colonel  received  several  very 
pressing  requests  to  leave  the  house  and  retreat 
to  the  hill,  lest  all  should  be  cut  off,  which  he 
would  not  con.sent  to  do  until  all  the  houses 
were  fired.  Although  the  spreading  out  of  that 
part  of  the  force  on  the  hill  appeared  to  be 
necessary,  it  nevertheless  prevented  an  examina- 
tion of  the  cornfield  and  river  side.  Thus  some 
scalps,  and  probably  some  squaws,  children  and 
Euglish  prisoners  were  left  behind,  that  might 
have  otherwise  been  secured. 

"  Nearly  thirty  houses  were  fired,  and  while 
they  were  burning,  the  ears  of  Col.  Armstrong 
and  his  men  were  regaled  by  the  successive  dis- 
charges of  loaded  guns,  and  still  more  so  by  the 
explosion  of  sundry   bags  and    large   kegs   of 


powder  stored  away  in  every  house.  The  Eng- 
lish prisoners,  after  their  recapture,  said  that 
the  Indians  often  told  them  that  they  had  ammu- 
nition enough  to  war  ten  years  with  the  English. 
The  leg  and  tliigh  of  an  Indian  and  a  child 
three  years  old  were  thrown,  when  the  powder 
exploded,  with  the  roof  of  Capt.  Jacobs'  house, 
.so  high  that  they  ap[)eared  as  nothing  and  fell 
into  an  adjacent  cornfield.  A  large  quantity  of 
goods  which  the  Indians  had  received  from  the 
French  ten  days  before  was  burned. 

"  Col.  Armstrong  then  went  to  the  hill  to 
have  his  wound  tied  up  and  the  blood  stopped. 
Then  the  English  jirisoners,  who  had  come  to 
his  men  in  the  morning,  informed  him  that  on 
that  very  day  two  batteanx  of  Frenchmen,  witli 
Delaware  and  French  Indians,  were  to  join 
Capt.  Jacobs  at  Kittanning,  and  to  set  out  early 
the  next  morning  to  take  Fort  Shirley,  and  that 
twenty-four  warriors  who  had  lately  arrived 
were  sent  Ijefore  them  the  })revious  evening, 
whether  to  prepare  meat,  spy  the  fort,  or  make 
an  attack  on  the  frontier  settlements,  these  pris- 
oners did  not  know. 

"  Col.  Armstrong  and  others  were  convinced, 
on  reflection,  that  those  twenty-four  warriors 
were  all  at  the  fire  the  night  before,  and  began 
to  fear  the  fate  of  Lieut.  Hogg  and  his  party. 
They,  therefore,  deemed  it  imprudent  to  wait  to 
cut  down  the  corn,  as  they  had  designed.  So 
they  immediately  collected  their  wounded  and 
forced  their  way  back  as  well  as  they  could,  I)y 
using  a  few  Indian  horses.  It  was  difficult  to 
keep  the  men  together  on  the  march,  because  of 
their  fears  of  being  waylaid  and  surrounded, 
which  were  increased  by  a  few  Indians  firing, 
for  awhile  after  the  march  began,  on  each  wing, 
and  then  running  off,  whereby  one  man  was 
shot  through  the  legs.  For  several  miles  the 
march  did  not  excee<l  two  miles  an  hour." 

Blanket  Hill.— "On  the  return  of  Col.  Arm- 
strong and  his  force  to  the  place  where  the 
Indian  fire  had  been  discovered  the  night  be- 
fore,  they  met  a  sergeant   of  Capt.    Mercer's 


306 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


company  and  two  or  three  others  of  his  men  [ 
who  had  deserted  that  morning  immediately 
after  the  action  at  Kittanniug,  who,  in  running 
away,  had  met  Lieut.  Hogg,  lying  by  the  road- 
side, wounded  in  two  parts  of  his  body,  who  \ 
then  told  them  of  the  fatal  mistake  which  had 
been  made  by  the  pilot  in  assuring  them  that 
there  were  only  three  Indians  at  the  fireplace  i 
the  previous  night,  and  that  when  he  and  his  ' 
men  attacked  the  Indians  that  morning,  accord-  \ 
ing  to  orders,  he  found  their  number  consider- 
ably superior  to  his  own.  He  also  said  that  he 
believed  he  had  killed  or  mortally  wounded 
three  of  the  Indians  at  the  first  fire;  that  the 
rest  fled,  and  he  was  obliged  to  conceal  himself 
in  a  thicket,  where  he  might  have  lain  safely  if 
'  that  cowardly  sergeant  and  his  co-deserters,' 
as  Col.  Armstrong  stigmatizes  them  in  his  re- 
port, had  not  removed  him.  When  the)'  had 
marched  a  short  distance,  four  Indians  appeared 
and  those  deserters  fled.  Lieut.  Hogg,  not- 
withstanding his  wounds,  with  the  true  heroism 
of  a  brave  soldier,  was  still  urging  and  com- 
manding those  about  him  to  stand  and  fight, 
but  they  all  refused.  The  Indians  then  pur- 
sued, killed  one  man  and  inflicted  a  third 
wound  ujjou  the  gallant  lieutenant — in  his 
belly,  from  which  he  died  in  a  few  hours,  hav- 
ing ridden  on  horseback  seven  miles  from  the 
place  of  action.  That  sergeant  also  represented 
to  Col.  Armstrong  that  there  was  a  much  larger 
number  of  Indians  there  than  had  appeared  to 
them  to  be;  that  they  fought  five  rounds;  that 
he  had  seen  Lieut.  Hogg  and  several  othei's 
killed  and  scalped;  that  lie  had  discovered  a 
number  of  Indians  throwing  themselves  before 
Col.  Armstrong  and  his  force,  which,  with 
other  such  stuff,  caused  confusion  in  the  colonel's 
ranks,  so  that  the  officers  had  difficulty  in  keep- 
ing the  men  together,  and  could  not  prevail  on 
them  to  collect  the  horses  and  baggage  which 
the  Indians  had  left,  excejrt  a  few  of  the 
horses,  which  some  of  the  bravest  of  the  men 
were  persuaded  to  secure. 


"  From  the  mistake  of  the  pilot  in  underrat- 
ing the  number  of  Indians  at  the  fire  the  night 
before,  and  the  cowardice  of  that  sergeant  and 
the  other  deserters,  Col.  Armsti'ong  and  his 
command  met  with  a  considerable  loss  of  their 
horses  and  baggage,  which  had  been  left,  as 
before  stated,  with  Lieut.  Hogg  and  his  detach- 
ment when  the  main  force  had  made  their 
detour  to  Kittanniug. 

"Many  blankets  were  afterward  found  on 
the  ground  where  Lieut.  Hogg  and  his  small 
force  were  defeated  by  the  superior  number — 
about  double — of  their  Indian  foes.  Hence 
that  battle-field  lias  ever  since  borne  the  name 
of  '  Blanket  Hill.'  It  is  on  the  farm  of  Piiilip 
Dunmire,  in  Kittanniug  township,  to  the  right, 
going  east,  of  the  turnpike  road  from  Kittan- 
ning  to  Elderton  and  Indiana,  about  four  hun- 
dred and  .seventy-five  rods,  a  little  east  of  south 
from  the  present  site  of  the  Blanket  Hill  post- 
office,  and  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  rods 
west  of  the  Plum  creek  township  line. 

"  Various  other  relics  of  that  fight  have  been 
found  from  time  to  time,  among  which  a 
straight  sword  with  the  initials  '  J.  H.'  on  it, 
which  is  owned  by  James  Stewart,  of  Kittan- 
niug borough,  was  on  exhibition  with  otlier 
relics  at  the  Centennial  exposition,  Philadelphia. 

"  It  was  imj)ossible  for  Col.  Armstrong  to 
a.scertain  the  exact  number  of  the  enemy  killed 
in  the  action  at  Kittanniug,  since  some  were 
burned  in  the  conflagration  of  the  houses  and 
others  fell  in  different  parts  of  the  cornfield; 
but  he  thought  there  could  not  be  less,  on  a 
moderate  estimate,  than  thirty  or  forty  eitiier 
killed  or  mortally  wounded,  as  mucli  blood  was 
found  in  various  parts  of  the  cornfield,  as  In- 
dians were  seen  crawling  from  several  parts 
thereof  into  the  woods,  whom  the  soldiers,  in 
their  pursuit  of  others,  passed  by,  expecting 
afterward  to  find  and  scalp  them,  and  as  several 
others  were  killed  and  wounded  while  crossing 
the  river. 

"  When  the  victors  commenced  their  I'eturn 


ARMSTROXG   COUNTY. 


307 


march  they  had  about  a  dozen  scalps  and  eleven 
English  prisoners.  Part  of  the  scalps  were 
lost  on  the  road,  and  some  of  them  and  four  of 
the  prisoners  were  in  the  custody  of  Capt. 
Mercer,  who  had  separated  from  the  main  body, 
so  that  on  the  arrival  of  the  main  body  at  Fort 
Littleton,  Sabbath  night,  September  14,  1756, 
Col.  Armstrong  could  report  to  Governor 
Denny  only  seven  of  the  re-captured  prisoners 
and  a  part  of  the  scalps." 

Brady's  Fight. — In  1780,  Capt.  Samuel 
Brady,  with  five  men  and  his  pet  Indian,  inter- 
cepted, at  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Mahoning  creek, 
a  war  j)arty  of  Indians  who  were  returning 
from  a  murdering  and  plundering  expedition 
in  the  Sewickley  Creek  region  of  Westmore- 
land county.  He  surprised  the  Indians  in  their 
camp  at  break  of  day  and  killed  five  of  them 
besides  securing  all  of  their  plunder  and  a  val- 
uable horse  which  they  had  stolen. 

Early  Settlers. — The  early  settlers  were 
chiefly  of  Scotch-Irish  and  German  descent. 
The  former  came  from  Westmoreland  county 
and  the  Cumberland  Valley,  while  the  latter 
were  mainly  from  Lehigh  and  Northampton 
counties.  One  of  the  pioneer  settlers  was  Capt. 
Andrew  Sharp,  who  dietl  from  wounds  received 
in  a  fight  with  Indians,  which  will  be  de- 
scribed in  the  history  of  Plum  Creek  township. 
In  the  histories  of  the  townships  will  be  given 
the  few  names  of  all  the  pioneers  which  we 
have  been  enabled  to  secure,  although  it  is  fair 
to  presume  that  a  respectable  number  of  those 
residents  given  in  the  assessment  lists  of  1807 
were  pioneer  settlers. 

"  Armstrong  county  was  formed  out  of  parts 
of  Allegheny,  Westmoreland  and  Lycoming 
counties  by  act  of  March  12,  1800.  All  that 
portion  west  of  the  Allegheny  river  was  taken 
from  Allegheny  county;  all  that  portion  on  the 
east  side  of  that  river,  between  the  Kiskimi- 
netas  river  and  the  then  northern  boundary  of 
Westmoreland  county,  viz.,  a  line  due  west  from 
the  purchase  line  at  the  head  of  the  Susque- 
19 


hanna,  striking  the  Allegheny  river  a  short 
distance  below  the  mouth  of  Cowanshannock 
creek,  was  taken  from  Westmoreland  county, 
east  of  the  Allegheny  river  and  Clarion  river 
was  taken  from  Lycoming  county  which  had 
been  formed  out  of  Northumberland  county  by 
act  of  April  13,  1795. 

"The  original  boundaries  of  Armstrong 
county  were:  'Beginning  on  the  Allegheny 
river,  at  the  mouth  of  Buffalo  creek,  the  corner 
of  Butler  county,' "  which  was  also  erected  by 
act  of  March  12,1800;  "' thence  northerly  along 
the  line  of  said  county  of  Butler  to  where  the 
northeast  corner  of  the  said  county  of  Butler 
shall  strike  the  Allegheny  river;  thence  from 
the  said  corner,  on  a  line  at  a  right  angle  from 
the  first  line  of  the  county  of  Butler,  until  the 
said  line  shall  strike  the  Allegheny  river; 
thence  by  the  margin  of  said  river  to  the  mouth 
of  Toby's  creek' — Clarion  river — '  thence  cross- 
ing the  river  and  up  said  creek  to  the  line 
dividing  Wood's  and  Hamilton's  districts: 
thence  southerly  along  said  line  to  the  present 
line  of  Westmoreland  county ;  thence  down  the 
(Kiakiminetas)  river  to  the  mouth  thereof  on 
the  Allegheny  river;  thence  across  the  said 
river  to  the  westwardly  margin  thereof;  thence 
down  the  said  river  to  the  mouth  of  Buffalo 
creek,  the  place  of  beginning.' 

"By  act  of  March  11,  1839,  that  part  east  of 
the  Allegheny  river  and  between  Red  Bank 
creek  and  the  Clarion  river  was  detached  from 
Armstrong  and  annexed  to  Clarion  county. 
Thus  it  appears  that  the  territory  of  Armstrong 
county  has  been  successively  included  in  the 
counties  of  Chester,  Lancaster,  Cumberland  and 
Bedford,  wholly,  and  in  Northumberland,  West- 
moreland, Allegheny,  and   Lycoming,  partly." 

While  the  above  is  correct  in  regard  to  the 
legislative  acts  creating  the  different  counties 
named,  yet  the  Legislature  prohibited  settle- 
ments in  that  part  of  the  county  south  of  a 
straight  line  from  Kittanning  to  the  Indiana 
county  line  (Purchase  Line)  and  east  of  the 


308 


OEOLOQICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


Allegheny  river,  until  the  purchase  of  1768, 
and  the  remainder  of  the  county  until  the  suc- 
ceeding purchase  from  the  Indians,  of  1784. 

We  endeavored  to  compile  a  list  of  senators 
and  assemblymen  from  Armstrong  county,  from 
1860  to  1890,  from  "  Smull's  Legislative  Hand- 
Book."  We  found  several  errors  in  names  and 
dates,  and  were  compelled  to  drop  the  list  for 
want  of  time  to  correct  it. 

We  give  the  county  roster  as  found  in 
Smith's  history  of  the  county. 

CIVIL    ROSTER     FROM    1805    TO    1880. 

-Stote  .Senators.— Robert  Orr  Jr.,  1822-25  ; 
Eben  Smith  Kelley,  1825-29  (dii^d  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties  at  Harrisburg,  Saturday, 
March  28, 1829);  Philip  Mechling,  1830-34; 
William  F.  Johnston,  1847,  until  he  was  inaug- 
urated Governor  in  January, 1849;  Jonathan 
E.  Meredith,  1859-62. 

Members  of  Asaemhhj. — James  Sloan,  1808-9; 
Samuel  Houston,  1817-18-19;  Robert  Orr  Jr., 
1818-19-20-21;  James  Douglass,  1834-5-6  ; 
William  F.  Johnston,  1836-7-8  and  1841  ; 
John  S.  Rhey,  1850-1-2;  J.  Alexander  Ful- 
ton, 1853;  Darwin  Phelps,  1856;  John  K. 
Calhoun,  1857-8;  Philip  K.  Bowman,  1872-3  ; 
And.  W.  Bell,  Wm.  G.  Heiner,  1877-80;  W.  F. 
Rumbcrger,  Lee  Thompson  and  Frank  Martin, 
1880;  Thompson    and   A.    D.    Glenn,  1882. 

President  Judges. — John  Young,  Westmore- 
land county  ;  Thomas  White,  Indiana  couirty  ; 
Jeremiah  M.  Burrell,  Westmoreland  county ; 
JoI)n  C  Knox,  Tioga  county  ;  Joseph  Buffing- 
ton,  Armstrong  county  ;  James  A.  Logan,  West- 
moreland county  ;  John  V.  Painter,  Armstrong 
county ;  Jackson  Boggs  and  James  B.  Neale. 

Associate  Judges — Robert  Orr,  Sr.,  James 
Barr,  George  Ross,  Joseph  Rankin,  Robert  Orr, 
Jr.,  Charles  G.  Snovvden,  John  Calhoun,  An- 
drew Arnold,  Hugh  Bingham,  Robert  Wood- 
ward, Michael  Cochran,  George  F.  Keener, 
John  Woods,  Josiah  E.  Stephen.son,  H.  A.  S. 
D.  Dudley,  John  F.  Nulton,  Robert  M.  Beatty, 
James  M.  Stephenson. 


Sheriff's. — John  Orr,  Jonathan  King,  James 
McCormick,  Joseph  Brown,  Philip  Mechling, 
Robert  Robinson,  Thomas  McConnell,  Jacob 
Mechling,  James  Douglass,  Chambers  Orr, 
Samuel  Hutchinson,  Job  Truby,  George  Smith, 
John  Mechling,  William  G.  Watson,  Joseph 
Clark,  Hamilton  Kelly,  George  B.  Sloan,  Jon- 
athan Myers,  Robert  M.  Kirkadden,  George 
W.  Cook  (appointed  vice  Kirkadden,  deceased), 
David  J.  Reed,  Alexander  J.  Montgomery, 
John  B.  Boyd,  George  A.  Willi.^ms,  James  G. 
Henry,  James  H.  Chambers. 
!  District  Attorneys. — John  W.  Rohrer.Frank- 
i  lin  Mechling,  William  Blakely,  Henry  F. 
j  Phelps,  John  V.  Painter,  John  O.  Barrett,  Jef- 
ferson Reynolds,  Joseph  R.  Henderson,  M.  F. 
Leason,  R.  S.  Martin. 

Deputy  Attorneys- General. — Deputy  attor- 
neys-general were  appointed  by  the  attorney- 
general  until  by  act  of  May  3,  1850,  the  name 
was  changed  to  district  attorney,  one  of  whom 
was  thereafter  to  be  elected  by  the  voters  of 
each  county.  Thomas  Blair,  William  F.  John- 
ston, Michael  Gallagher,  J.  B.  Musser,  John  B. 
Alexander,  John  Reed,  George  W.  Smith,  John 
S.  Rhey,  Thomas  T.  Torrey,  Daniel  Stanard, 
Hugh  H.  Brady,  Ephraim  Carpenter,  J.  G. 
Barclay,  John  W.  Rohrer,  James  Stewart. 

Prothonotarics  and  Clerks. — Paul  Morrow, 
James  Sloan,  George  Hiccox,  Eben  S.  Kelley, 
James  E.  Brown,  Frederick  Rohrer,  Simon 
Torney,  W.  W.  Gibson,  James  Douglass,  Jon- 
athan E.  Meredith,  Samuel  Owens,  Simon 
Truby,  Jr.,  James  S.  Quigley,  John  G.  Parr, 
James  G.  Henry,  A.  H.  Stitt. 

Registers  and  Recorders. — Paul  Morrow, 
James  Sloan,  George  Hiccox,  Eben  S.  Kelley, 
David  Johnston,  Philip  Mechling,  Frederick 
Rohrer,  John  Croll,  John  Mechling,  John  R. 
Johnston,  Joseph  Bullman,  William  Miller, 
David  C.  Boggs,  Philip  K.  Bowman,  William  R. 
Millron,  James  H.  Chambers  and  H.  J.  Hayes. 
County  Treasurers. — Appointed  annually  by 
the  county  commissioners,  as  provided  by  acts  of 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


309 


April  11,  1799,  and  April  15,  1834;  Adam 
Elliott,  Robert  Brown,  Samuel  Mattliews,  Guy 
Hiccox,  Thomas  Hamilton,  James  Pinks,  Alex- 
ander Colwell,  David  Johnston,  Jonathan  H. 
Sloan,  Samuel  McKee,  Andrew  Arnold,  James 
Douglass,  Samuel  Hutchinson,  John  F.  Nulton. 
Some  of  them  were  reappointed  once  or  twice. 

County  Commissioners.— Ayii^ointed :  James 
Sloan,  James  Matthews  and  Alexander  Walker. 
Elected  :  Jonathan  King,  Adam  Ewing,  James 
Jackson,  Thomas  Johnston,  John  Henry, 
George  I^ong,  Alexander  IMcCain,  John  David- 
son, David  Johnston,  Philip  Clover,  Isaac 
Wagle,  David  Reynolds,  Joseph  Rankin, 
Joseph  Waugh,  Daniel  Reichert,  Philip  Tem- 
pleton  Sr.,  Joseph  Siiields,  Hugh  Reed,  James 
Barr,  George  Williams,  Jcfhn  Patton,  Samuel 
Matthews,  James  Green,  Job  Johnston,  Jacob 
Allshouse,  James  Reichert,  Alexander  A. 
Lowry,  John  R.  Johnston,  William  Curll, 
Jacob  Beck,  George  W.  Brodhead,  Lindley 
Patterson,  James  Stitt,  Joseph  Bullman,  Wil- 
liam Coulter,  Amos  Mercer,  Philip  Hutchinson, 
John  Boyd,  Robert  Mcintosh,  Arthur  Fleming, 
Andrew  Roulston,  John  Shoop,  William  Mcin- 
tosh, Archibald  Glenn,  Wilson  Todd,  Thomas 
H.  Caldwell,  James  Douglass,  David  Beatty, 
George  B.  Sloan,  William  W.  Hastings,  John 
M.  Patton,  William  H.  Jack,  James  Blair, 
Thomas  Terapleton,  James  Barr,  Daniel  Slagle, 
George  H.  Smith,  Augustus  T.  Pontius,  Peter 
Heilman,  William  P.  Lowry,  Thomas  Mont- 
gomer)',  Thomas  Herron,  William  Buffiugton, 
Brice  Henderson  and  Owen  Handcock,  Lewis 
Corbett,  John  Murphy,  James  White,  John 
Alward,  T.  V.  McKee. 

County  Surveyors. — James  Stewart,  Robert 
S.  Slaymaker,  John  Steele,  Robert  H.  Wilson. 

Assessment  Lists  of  1807. — The  following 
lists  of  taxables  were  returned  in  the  above- 
named  year  for  the  towiishijw  of  Kittanning, 
Toby,  Sugar  Creek,  Red  Bank,  Allegheny,  and 
the  borough  of  Kittanning  : 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  taxables  of 


Kittanning  township  in  1807 :  Peter  Altmau, 
Frederick  Altman,  John  Allison,  James  Bark- 
ley,  Bleakley,  Hugh  Brown  (store-keeper), 

John  Beer  (s),  George  Beer  (gunsmith),  Samuel 
Beer  (saw  and  grist-mill),  George  Beek,  John 
Bachman,  William  Brinigh,  William  Boyd, 
Jacob  Baumgarner,  Jonathan  Bouser  (s),  James 
Cogley,  Joseph  Claypole,  James  Claypole  (s), 
Conrad  Cook,  George  Cook,  Jeremiah  Cook, 
Joseph  Clark,  James  Carson  (s)  (saw  and  grist- 
mill), James  Clark,  William  Clark,  Andrew 
Craft,  John  Caldwell,  John  Coon,  James  Cun- 
ningham, John  Cohun,  James  Cohuu,  Samuel 
Cohun,  Heniy  Davis,  Williann  Doty,  James 
Douglas,  Patrick  Dougherty,  John  Davis,  An- 
drew Dormoyer,  Robert  Duncan,  Peter  Eg- 
inger,  John  Ekey,  Robert  Ekey  (s),  James  El- 
gin, Ephraim  Evans,  McKnight  Elliott,  Dan- 
iel Fichard,  Abraham  Fiskus,  Thomas  Fitz- 
hard,  John  Golde,  Daniel  Golde,  James  Gaff, 
Samuel  George,  James  Guthrie,  Sr.,  John  Gross, 
George  Hoover,  Chris.  Hoover,  -lames  Henry, 
Michael  Hardraan,  Peter  Hyleman,  John  Hyle- 
mau,  Jacob  House,  Samuel  Hill  (s),  James  Hall, 
George  Helfried  (.saw-mill),  William  Hookes, 
Robert  Jordan,  John  Irvin,  Peter  Kealer,  Jon- 
athan Killgore,  Ezekiel  Killgore,  George  King, 
John  Kirk,  John  T.  King,  Daniel  Kimmel, 
William  Kirkpatrick  (distillery),  James  Kirk- 
patrick,  Sr.,  James  Kirkpatrick,  Jr.,  James 
Kean  (s),  Adam  Lowry,  Benjamin  Lowry  (.s), 
Jacob  Lafferty,  Abraham  I^ee  (s),  Daniel  Long, 
John  Mufley,  Alex.  McGache,  Thomas  Mc- 
Gache,  Hugh  Martin,  James  Miller,  George 
Miller,  Joseph  McKraken,  John  McKraken, 
John  McMilleu,  Sr.,  John  McMillen,  Jr., 
Smith  McMillen  (tailor),  Arch.  Mcintosh,  Jon- 
athan Mason,  John  Munroe,  William  McAdoo 
(s),  Thomas  McMillen,  James  Moore  (s)  (school- 
master), Thomas  Miller  (s),  Jacob  McFuse, 
William  Marchel,  Joseph  Marchel,  John  Nol- 
der,  John  Nolder,  Jr.,  Henry  Neas,  Henry 
Xeas,  Jr.,  John  Neas,  Peter  Neas,  Peter  Neal- 
ich,  John   S.  Oliver,  Chris.  Oury  (distillery), 


310 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


Adam  Ouiy,  Robert  Patrick,  John  Patrick, 
Lewis  Pears,  Williaro  Pears,  Abe.  Parkisou, 
Henry  Ruftner,  Jolin  Roley,  Jacob  Robey, 
David  Robson,  Peter  Rubert  (weaver),  Peter 
Rubert,  Jr.,  John  Rubert,  Patrick  Rabb,  Philip 
Rearight,  John  Ruff,  Chris.  Rupp,  Francis 
Rupp,  George  Rupart,  Fred.  Rupart,  Peter 
Richard,  George  P.  Shaffer,  William  Sheenes 
(s),  William  Simrcl,  Richard  Smith,  Sr.,  George 
Smith   (distillery),  John    Steel,  Samuel    Sloan, 

Smith,  George  Smith,  Jr.,  Robert  Sloan, 

Philip  Shaffer,  George  Shoemaker,  George 
Shall,  Jr.,  Thomas  Swan  (s),  James  Simpson, 
David  Shields,  Conrad  Shrackencost,  George 
Smith,  John  Smith,  James  Sloan,  James 
Shall,  Jacob  Shrackencost,  Henry  Shracken- 
cost, John  Shrackencost,  George  Shrackencost, 
John  Thomas,  Peter  Thomas  (grist  and  saw- 
mill), John  Templeton,  John  Thomas  (mulatto), 
David  Todd,  Peter  Terney,  Parker  Truett, 
Anderson  Truett,  John  Willis,  Abraham  Wood- 
ward, Jacob  Weamer,  Peter  Wearaer,  Adam 
Waltenbach,  Thomas  Wilson, Wolf  (wid- 
ow), Thomas  Williams,  Jacob  Wolf,  George 
Wolf,  (s)  Adam  Wilhelra,  Jacob  Willyard,  Philip 
Wheitzel,  Isaac  Wagley  (grist-mill),  Robert 
Walker  (s),  James  Walker  (s),  Abe  Walker, 
Robert  Work,  David  White,  John  Wilson, 
Rolin  Weldon,  John  Wagle  (s),  George  Wil- 
liams, Robert  White,  Daniel  Younts,  Jonathan 
Younts,  Fred.  Yackey. 

Tax  list  of  the  Town  of  Kittanning  for  1807. 
— Robt.  Beatty  (surveyor),  James  Brown  (s), 
(joiner),  Muthias  Bouser  (mason),  Eli  Bradford 
(joiner),  Francis  Bell  (hatter),  Thomas  Beatty 
(s),  John  Bellark  (mason),  Alex.  Blear,  John 
Caldwell  (tailor),  Robt.  Cooper  (joiner),  Pat- 
rick Daugherty,  James  Gibson,  James  Guthrie 
(joiner),  S.  M.  Harrison  (atty.  at  law),  James 
Henry,  James  Hanegan  (hatter),  William  Han- 
egan  (tailor),  Daniel  Lemon  (s),  Joseph  Miller 
(store- keeper),  Barnard  Mahon  (shoemaker), 
Alex.  Moore,  James  Metheny  (wheelwright), 
Samuel   Miller   (shoemaker),    Samuel    Massey 


(atty.  at  law),  Michael  Machlen,  Paul  Monroe, 
Jacob  Nealish  (saddler),  James  Pike  (joiner), 
Abe  Parkeson  (mason),  David  Ronalds  (store- 
keeper), William  Ronalds  (tanner),  James  Sloan, 
Walter  Sloan  (s),  John  Shafer  (joiner),  Dewalt 
Shafer  (cai-penter),  Erastus  Sands  (joiner),  Mi- 
chael Starr,  John  Thomas  (shoemaker). 

List  of  taxables  in  To%  township  in  1807. — 
Thomas  Guthrie  &  Co.,  William  Love,  Thomas 
Miller  and  John  Mortimer  (grist  and  saw-mill 
owners),  Philip  Clover  (blacksmith),  Francis 
Hillard  and  James  McElhany  (wheelwrights), 
John  Simpkins  (wagon-maker),  John  Guthrie 
(carpenter),  John  Wilson  (tanner),  William 
Kelly  (schoolmaster),  Absalom  Travis  (cooper), 
Philip  Bigley  (shoemaker),  Hugh  Reed  (mill- 
wright), Daniel  Boyles  (tailor),  Tate  Allison, 
James  Colhoon,  William  Cochran,  John  Coy, 
John  Love,  William  Miller,  Nicholas  Polyard, 
James  Smith  and  Robert  Wilson  (weavers). 

The  following  persons  were  land- owners,  and 
principally  farmers:  Robert  Alison,  William 
Adams,  Williams  Adams,  Jonathan  Adams, 
William  Ashton,  Samuel  Ashton,  Robert 
Beatty,  George  Beck,  Joseph  Boney,  John 
Boney,  Joseph  Barns,  George  Baird,  Thomas 
Brown,  Alex.  Brown,  James  Brown,  Jacob 
Bunker,  William  Bunker,  Henry  Benn,  Wil- 
liam Barr,  Thomas  Barr,  John  Brandon,  James 
Brandon,  John  Brown,  Jacob  Bnmgardner, 
William  Booth,  John  Black  (s),  Peter  Ben- 
ninger,  John  Bowls,  John  Bole,  John  Boney, 
Abe  Corsal,  Paul  Corsal,  Philip  Corsal  (tan- 
ner), John  Corbitt,  Alex.  Cannon,  William 
Clark,  James  Cannon,  John  Cochran,  John 
Crawford,  Thomas  Connor,  Robert  Culbertson, 
Samuel  Crow,  Hugh  Cullan,  James  Cathcart, 
Robert  Cathcart,  Joseph  Craig,  Andrew  Camp- 
bell, Samuel  Colhoon,  John  Colhoon,  John 
Clugh,  James  Callen,  Peter  Coy,  Benj.  Coy, 
James  Carson,  Fleming  Davidson,  Peter  Dun- 
cle,  Isaac  David,  John  Donnel,  Lewis  Dover- 
spike  (s),  George  Delp  (s),  George  Delp,  Sr., 
John    Dovei-spike,   George    Doverspike,    John 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


311 


Duntap,  Fleming  Davis,  Joseph  Erwin,  Philip 

Essex,  Wright  Elliott,  John  Eramitt,  George 
Emmitt,  John  Eaton,  Samuel  Early,  Joseph 
Everet,  Peter  Fidler,  Thomas  Freeman,  Jacob 
Flyfoot,  Isaac  Fetzer,  Henry  Fulton  (s),  Wil- 
liam Frazier  (s),  James  Fulton,  Cochran  Ful- 
ton (s),  Levi  Gipson,  John  Gipson,  William 
Guthrie,  Sr.,  William  Guthrie,  Ah'X.  (Juthrie, 
Henry  Gist,  Joseph  Greenawalt,  William  Grim, 
John  Gross,  William  Henry,  John  Henry,  Pe- 
ter Hilliard,  George  Hall,  John  Hepler,  Ed- 
ward Hegin,  David  Hegin,  David  Hull,  George 
Hilliard,  Job  Joiinston,  Hugh  Kerr,  Moses 
Kirkpatrick,  William  Kirkpatrick,  James  Kirk- 
patrick,  Francis  Kirkpatrick,  James  Knox, 
John  Loge,  James  Laughlin,  John  Langhlin, 
Daniel  Long,  Abe  Lee,  Peter  Lobaugh,  Abe 
Lobaugh,  Peter  Lotshaw,  Sr.,  Peter  Lotshaw, 
John  Long,  William  Lattinier,  Frederick  Miles 
(s),  William  Meals,  Jacob  Meals,  Jacob  Mon- 
ney,  Robert  Myler,  Thomas  Meredith,  William 
Moorhead,  Paul  McLean,  Jacob  McFadden  (s), 
Joseph  McQuown,  Samuel  Myers,  Alex.  Mc- 
Kean,  John  McGee,  John  Martin,  Robert  Mc- 
Call,  Arch.  McNeel,  James  McGuire,  William 
McKinley,  Ezekiel  Matthews,  Thomas  McGa- 
hey,  Alex.  McGahey,  William  Marchel,  William 
Maft'et,  John  Mufflee,  Alex.  Moore  (weaver), 
AVilliam  Matthew  (s),  Rev.  Robert  McGery, 
Arch.  McKinney,  Jesse  McConnell  (s),  Joseph 
Marshall,  Aroh.  Monney,  John  Miller,  Charles 
McCoy,  Thomas  McKibbons,  John  McKib- 
bons  (s),  John  McKibbons,  Valentine  Moir, 
Henry  Nulfs,  John  Nulfs,  Henry  Nees,  John 
Nees,  Peter  Nees,  Richard  Nesbitt,  Samuel  C. 
Orr,  Samuel  Orr,  William  Orr,  Adam  Aurey, 
William  Oliver,  Chris.  Over,  William  Pollock, 
Thomas  Pollock,  James  Potter,  James  Parker, 
Joseph  Pearce,  Sr.,  Joseph  Pearce,  Thomas 
Patrick,   Robert    Prather   (s),  James    Parker, 

Peter  Price,  Robert  Patrick,  Phillips, 

John  Patrick,  Edward  Pearce,  George  Peech, 
Francis  Rupe,  Chris.  Richart,  Joseph  Reed, 
John  Rcll,  John  Ross,  Joseph  Rankin,  David 


Ramsey,  Joshua  Rhea,  Peter  Richards,  John 
Reed,  James  Reed  (s),  David  Ramsey,  Sr., 
Thomas  Riley  (s),  Andrew  Smith,  John  Stock- 
ton, Francis  Stanford,  Jacob  Silvus,  Conrad 
Secongros,  George  Secongros,  John  Secongros 
(s),  William  Stewart,  James  Shields,  William 
Spiney,  James  Scott,  John  Standford,  Isaac 
Sfaudford,  Abe  Standford,  Chris.  Smathus, 
John  Sowers,  James  Shields,  John  Stockton, 
John  Sterrett,  Herman  Skiles  (s),  William 
Smith,  Samuel  Seawright,  Steele  Semple,  Rob- 
ert Smith,  Capt.  John  Sloan,  David  Shields, 
William  Sypes  (potter),  Peter  Sylvis,  Michael 
Starr,  Lewis  Swytzer,  Stephen  Travis  (s), 
Robert  Travis,  Peter  Titus,  William  Thomp- 
son (s),  Michael  Trainer,  Samuel  Thompson, 
William  Thompson,  Robert  Thompson,  AVil- 
liam  Thomas,  John  Wilson  (s),  William  Wil- 
son (s),  Alex.  Wilson,  Lewis  Wilson,  David 
Wilson,  William  Wilson,  John  Wishey,  George 
Williams,  Mark  Williams,  Robert  Walker  (s), 
Alex.  Walker,  Benj.  Walker,  James  Walker 
(s),  Abe  Walker,  Absalom  Woodward,  Peter 
Wally,  Thomas  Watson,  James  Watterson, 
James  Wilkins,  Robert  Warden,  David  White, 
John  Wilkins,  William  Young,  Philip  Youk- 
ley,  Fred.  Youkley. 

List  of  taxables  in  Sugar  Creek  township  in 
1807: 

Major  John  AVeames,  distillery  owner  ;  John 
Mounts,  William  Parker,  Leonai'd  Silvis  and 
Chris.  Truby,  grist  and  saw-mill  owners  ;  John 
Wernsel,  saw-mill  owner ;  William  Blaney, 
David  Huston  and  M.  Sheckley,  weavers; 
George  Dougherty,  tailor ;  Robert  Galbreath, 
tanner ;  Joseph  Hall  and  Andrew  Kennedy, 
shoemakers  ;  Robert  Nilson,  blacksmith ;  James 
Thompson,  carpenter. 

The  following  persons  were  principally  land- 
owners : 

Philip  Anthony,  Jacob  Alimong,  James 
Armstrong,  Thomas  Armstrong,  Daniel  Ash- 
baugh,  Jacob  Anthony,  John  Bowser,  Ruben 
Beerfit,  Robert  Boyd,  John  Beard,  James  Blane, 


312 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


Wlliam  Blane,  George  Brown,  William  Brown- 
field,  Melcher  Buzzard,  Peter  Burger,  William 
Bell,  Andrew  Blair,  John  Bisli,  Jacob  Bish,  John 
Benkert,  John  Beatty,  Johu  Brown,  John 
Burns,  Valentine  Bowser,  Andrew  Blair,  Alex- 
ander Blair,  Joseph  Blair,  William  Barr,  Fred. 
Buzzard,  Charles  Brian,  James  Brown,  Patrick 
Boil,  Andrew  Bullman,  John  Campbell,  James 
Cunningham,  Lauders  Clark,  William  Coch- 
ran, Henry  Chi'isman,  Fred.  Chrisman,  Joseph 
Carroll,  Alexander  Camjjbell,  John  Crawford, 
John  Cowan,  William  Cowan,  M.  Coyle, 
Charles  Campbell,  John  Crawford,  John  Cur- 
ry, Robert  Curry,  John  Clippinger,  Robert 
Core,  Daniel  Campbell,  George  Corman,  Thos. 
Collins,  Thomas  H.  Cook,  Thomas  Collins, 
Johu  Dun  lap,  Eben  Davis,  John  Davis,  James 
Dunlap,  John  Donaldson,  James  Farley,  James 
Eminit,  Chas.  Fllenberger,  Samuel  Farley, 
Samuel  Elder,  Johu  Eton,  John  Edinburg, 
Thomas  Foster,  James  Foster,  Alex.  Foster, 
John  Foster,  Ubanks  Foster,  James  Foster, 
"William  Freeman,  William  Freeman,  Jr.,  Jo- 
seph Frazer,  Michael  Fair,  Harman  Girt,  Gid- 
eon Gibson,  John  Gibson,  Alex.  Gibson,  James 
Gibson,  Charles  Glover,  John  Gillespie,  Mi- 
chael Geyer,  Daniel  Henry,  Stewart  Henry, 
James  Hannah,  Thomas  Hannah,  Thomas- 
Herron,  Chas.  Holden,  James  Hindman,  Thos. 
Hindman,  Peter  Hauseman,  Jacob  Hepler, 
Jacob  Hepler,  Jr.,  Ciiris.  Hepler,  James  Hun- 
ter, R.  Hamilton,  Geo.  Huckelbeny,  David 
Henry,  Simon  Hovey,  Henry  Hustley,  Peter 
Hustley,  Andrew  Hallibaugh,  Michael  Haius, 
John  Johnston,  David  Johnston,  Martin  Johu, 
William  Kerr,  Barney  Kelly,  James  Keer, 
Jonathan  King,  Geo.  Knox,  Edward  Kelly, 
Geo.  King,  Hugh  Kerr,  James  Kerr,  Johu 
Kerr,  John  Kerr,  Sr.,  Jacob  Eighty,  Benj. 
Jjcasure,  John  Leubarger,  Ezekiel  Lewis,  Alex. 
Lewis,  Abe  Lennington,  Jacob  Loop,  John 
Lewis,  Daniel  Mortimer,  Neil  !McBride, 
Clements  McKern,  James  McMauigle,  Elijah 
Mounts,    Robert    MeCutcheon,    Adam    Mier, 


Conrad  Mier,  Jacob  Milliron,  Robert  Manough, 
Chas.  McCathey,  James  McCathey,  Thomas 
Miller,  Chas.  McManus,  Geo.  McManus,  Geo. 
Miers,  Patrick  McBride,  Chas.  McGinigle, 
David  McNinch,  Henry  McNinch,  Arch.  Mc- 
Ninch,  William  McNinch,  Joseph  McKee, 
Andrew  McKee,  James  McKee,  Johu  Mont- 
gomery, Audrew  Milligan,  Robert  McDowell 
(s),  Johu  McDowell,  William  Moore,  Arch. 
Moore,  William  Moore,  William  McKee, 
Samuel  Morney,  Thomas  Morrow,  William 
McNinch,  Jr.,  James  Milleken,  Thomas  Mil- 

leken,    Robert    McDonald, McKinley, 

James  Nicholson,  John  Orr,  Robert  Orr,  Sam- 
uel Orr,  Robert  Orr  (s),  Chris.  Overt,  Henry 
Orner,  Henry  Prumer,  Richard  Price,  Nich 
Pountees,  Johu  Painter,  Jr.,  Josejjh  Philips, 
Adam  Peter,  Samuel  Parker,  Peter  Pence, 
Owen  Queen,  John  Quigley,  Owen  Quin,  Mi- 
chael Reed,  Samuel  Robiusou,  William  Reed, 
Thomas  Reed,  Henry  Rumel,  Thomas  Riley 
(s),  James  Red  (s),  Johu  Sloan  (s),  William 
Sloan,  Jonathan  Shreader,  Joseph  Shields,  Wil- 
liam Stephenson,  Neil  Sweeney,  Michael  Stare, 
Lewis  Steelsmith,  Jacob  Steelsmith,  Peter  Sny- 
der, Solomon  Shoop,  Fred.  Shoop, Sny- 
der, John  Spangler,  Conrad  Snider,  Isaac  Steel, 
•Nich.  Snow,  John  Suow,  R.  Shears,  Neal 
Sweeney,  Geo.  Stewart,  Samuel  Sanderson, 
Jonathan  Streeter,  David  Sloan,  Thos.  Thomp- 
son, Francis  Thompson,  James  Thompson, 
Arch.  Thompson  (s),  Chas.  Thompson  (s),  John 
Titus,  Leonard  Trees,  Philip  Templeton,  Thos. 
Taylor,  Jacob  Truby,  Henry  Turner,  Samuel 
Taylor,  Johu  Willey,  Edward  Wiggins,  Robert 
Wallace,  John  Weeks,  Elisha  Weeks  (s),  Jacob 
Wiles,  Joseph  Wiles,  John  Wiles,  Nicholas 
Wankey,  Elisha  Walls,  Fred.  Wilk,  William 
White,  James  W^atterson,  Josiah  Wliite,  Henry 
W^iles  (s),  Jacob  Watterson,  John  W^euzel, 
Jesse  Young,  Abe  Young,  Chris.  Yockey, 
Abe  Yockey,  William  Telepliro. 

A    list  of  taxables    in    Buffalo   township   in 
1807:  General  Charles  Campbell,  John  Craig, 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


313 


James  Barr,  John  Orr  and  George  Ross,  Es- 
quires ;  Rev.  John  Boyd,  minister ;  James 
Barr,  Jr.,  schoolmaster;  Jacob  Weaver,  store- 
keeper ;  Andrew  Patterson,  James  Clark,  Jo- 
seph Galbraith,  wheelwright ;  John  Simon,  Jo- 
seph Cogley,  John  Duffy,  and  Charles  Sype, 
blacksmiths;  Charles  Boner,  Joseph  McDon- 
ald, Samuel  Richey,  E.  Erwin,  JosC|)h  Brown, 
and  Robert  Colter,  millwrights;  Samuel  Craig, 
fulling-mill  owner ;  John  Painter,  Enos  JIc- 
Bride  and  Robert  McKinley,  distillery  owners  ; 
Casper  Easley,  John  Harbesou,  saw-mill  own- 
ers; William  Green,  David  Hall,  Robert  Mo- 
Cormick,  grist-mill  ownere ;  George  Holli- 
baugh,  Joseph  Hall  and  Andrew  Kennedy, 
shoemakers  ;  Robert  Long,  tanner  ;  James  Mc- 
Cormick,  ferryman. 

The  following  persons  were  chiefly  land- 
owners :  Philip  Anthony,  Jacob  Alimony, 
James  Armstrong,  Thomas  Armstrong,  Daniel 
Ashbaugh,  Jacob  Anthony  (s),  William  Bar- 
nett,  John  Beck,  Abner  Bradford,  Robert 
Brown,  George  Brown,  Jacob  Bowser,  George 
Byers,  James  Barr,  David  Barr  (s),  Samuel 
Bowser,  John  Bish,  Jacob  Bish,  Nicholas 
Bricker,  H.  Claypole,  James  Campbell,  John 
Campbell,  George  Clark  (.s),  James  Cunning- 
ham, Abe  Colmer,  Conrad  Colmer,-  John  Cal- 
lan,  P.  Callan,  John  Crawford,  Robert  Cogley, 
James  Cogley,  Jamex  Callan,  Robert  Con, 
George  Claypole,  David  Claypole,  Henry  Cun- 
ningham, John  Crookshanks,  Samuel  Dickin- 
son, John  Donaldson,  George  T.  Doherty  (s), 
John  Duffy,  James  Dunlap,  Casper  Easly, 
Jacob  Everhart,  Adam  Ewing,  Andrew  Easley, 
Robert  Flemmen,  John  Fish,  Robert  Fish, 
Thomas  Fales,  David  Fales,  James  Fish  (s), 
Ubanks  Foster,  John  Girt,  Harman  Girt  (s), 
William  Gallagher  (s),  Richard  Gazy,  John 
Galbraith,  John  Green,  Samuel  Green,  James 
Green,  Daniel  Green,  Thomas  Green,  Charles 
Glover  (s),  James  Gibson,  Abe  Gardner,  James 
Gallagher,  James  Gallagher  (s),  Jesse  T.  Glenn, 
Jacob  Garver,  Jacob  Garver,  Jr.,  David  Graham, 


Joseph  Hancock,  Thomas  Hook,  David  Henry, 
Daniel  Helm,  James  Hanna,  George  Hawk, 
Andrew  Hollibaugh,  Charles  Holder,  James 
Hill,  Alexander  Hunter,  William  Hook,  Geo. 
T.  Hall,  James  Hazlett,  Matthew  Hopkins, 
William  Jack,  Nicholas  Iseman,  Thomas  John- 
sou,  Thomas  Jack,  John  Jack  (s),  William  Kear, 
Andrew  Kear,  James  Kear,  Barney  Kelly,  Wil- 
liam Kiscaden,  Thomas  Kiscaden,  James  Kis- 
caden,  Ned  Kelly,  Robert  Kincaid  (s),  Abe  Lea- 
sure,  George  Long,  Timothy  Liunington,  Abe 
Linnington  (s),  Hugh  Linnington  (s),  Isaac  Liu- 
nington, David  Law.son,  Adam  Maxwell,  Wil- 
liam McLaughlin,  John  INLitthews,  James 
Matthews,  James  Matthews,  Sr.,  P.  MeCue, 
Stephen  Mahaifey,  Joseph  Morrison,  P.  Mc- 
Bride,  Archibald  Moore  (s),  Joseph  McKee, 
Robert  McKee,  Henry  McEnich,  Archibald 
McEnich,  William  McEnich,  James  McKee, 
John  Montgomery,  William  Moore,  ^Vrehibald 
Moore,  Collum  McGinley,  Daniel  MeCue, 
James  McCormick,  Nicholas  Myers,  Joseph 
Millen,  James  Millen,  William  McKee,  Jon. 
Moore,  Samuel  Murphy,  Adam  Morrow  (s)  John 
McKean,  James  McCullough,  Samuel  Mooney, 
William  Moore,  Roger  McCue,  Henry  McEii- 
niuey,  William  McEnnich,  Jacob  McGinley, 
William  Noble,  James  Noble  (s),  John  Organ, 
Wm.  Park,  Henry  Prumer,  Margaret  Peoples 
(widow),  Isaac  Powell,  Richard  Price,  John 
Pennell,  John  Quigley  (s),  Fred  Razor,  Gilbert 
Right,  David  Reed,  James  Rayburn,  Thomas 
Riley  (s),  Samuel  Robinson,  William  Russell, 
William  Shields,  Wendel  Stoup,  William  Sloan, 
Abe  Smith,  John  Sype,  James  Sheridan,  James 
Steel,  James  Summeral,  James  Sloan,  Michael 
Starr,  James  Sloan,  Jr.,  Peter  Tie,  Samuel  Tay- 
lor, Robert  Thorusburg,  William  Thornsburg 
(s),  James  Stuart,  George  Van  Dyke  (s),  Jacob 
White,  Thomas  Willard,  Leonard  White, 
Thomas  Watkins,  Jacob  Young,  John  Young. 
A  list  of  taxables  in  Red  Bank  township  in 
1807  :  Captain  John  Sloan,  John  Brandon  and 
Samuel  C.  Orr,  Esquires  ;  John  Wilson,  distil- 


314 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


leiy  owner;  James  and  Fred  Laughlin,  saw- 
mill owners;  John  Mortimer  and  Abe  Stan- 
ford, grist-mill  owners;  William  Love  and  ' 
Thomas  Guthrie  &  Co.,  saw  and  grist-mill  own- 
ers ;  James  McElhany,  wheelwright ;  Daniel 
Boyles  and  William  McConnell,  tailors;  Philip 
Clover  and  John  Wilson,  tanners ;  Tate  Alli- 
son, William  Cochran,  William  Frees,  Robert 
Wilson,  Alexander  Moore  and  William  Miller, 
weavers ;  James  McGuire  owned  a  slave  ten 
yeai-s  of  age,  which  was  to  be  free  at  twenty- 
eight. 

The  following  persons  were  principally  laud- 
owners  :  Robert  Allison,  William  Adams,  Jon. 
Adams,  William  Aston,  Samuel  Aston,  George 
Beck,  George  Beard,  Jacob  Bumgarduer, 
Thomas  Barr,  John  Brandon,  James  Buchanan, 
Paul  Clover,  John  Corbit,  Abe  Corsal,  Alex. 
Cannon,  James  Cannon,  John  Cochran,  John 
Crawford,  Thomas  Connor,  James  Cathcart, 
Andrew  Campbell,  James  Carson,  I.  F.  Davids, 
Lewis  Doverspike  (s),  John  Emmet,  Joseph 
Everett,  Samuel  Earls,  John  Grace,  John  Hind- 
man,  Robert  Henry  (s),  Daniel  Long,  Peter 
Latchaw,  Jr.,  John  Long,  Robert  Myler,  James 
McGohauey,  Arch.  Money,  Charles  McCo}', 
Thomas  McKibban,  John  McKibban,  Henry 
Nulfs,  John  Nulfs,  Adam  Oury,  Joseph  Pierce, 
Sr.,  James  Potter,  James  Parker,  Thomas  Pat- 
rick, Edward  Pierce,  Joseph  Reed,  John  Roal, 
John  Ro.ss,  Joshua  Rea,  James  Reed,  William 
Spivey,  Abe  Stanford,  Robert  Smith,  James 
Sloan,  John  Soders,  Michael  Starr,  Freedom 
Stiles,  Stephen  Travis,  Peter  Titus,  William 
Thompson  (s),  Samuel  Thompson,  Michael 
Trainer,  Henry  Teeter,  Thomas  Watson,  James 
Wilkins,  Robert  Werdeu,  Mark  Williams,  John 
Wilkins,  Benjamin  Walker,  William  Young, 
Philip  Youkly,  Fred.  Youkly. 

List  of  taxables  in  Allegheny  township  in 
1807:  John  Findley,  Esq.;  Jacob  Hankey, 
wheelright;  John  Shall,  blacksmith;  George 
Robinson,  weaver;  Alex.  Walker,  grist  and 
saw-mill  owner. 


The  following  persons  were  principally  land- 
owners: Michael  Anderson,  Henry  Bolles, 
Philip  Bolan,  William  Beatty,  Samuel  Beatty 
(s),  John  Beach,  John  Barg,  Michael  Barrick- 
man,  John  Barr,  Jacob  Baer,  Jonathan  Black, 
James  Brier  (s),  John  Criswell,  Daniel  Copley, 
Philip  Clingensmith,  Johu  Clingensmith,  Nich- 
olas Clingensmith,  Peter  Clingensmith  (s), 
James  Coulter,  John  Carney,  Philip  Clinge, 
James  Cunningham,  William  Dickson,  Barn- 
ard   Devers,   Isaac    David  (s),     E.    Eakman, 

Findley,   James  Findley,  David  Findley, 

Thomas  Gallagher,  Jacob  Grave,  James  Guthrie, 
John  Gist,  John  Henry,  Robert  Hannah,  Wil- 
liam Hill,  James  Herold,  John  Hawk,  William 
Heselgazor,  Conrad  Hawk,  Sr.,  Conrad  PLiwk, 

Jr.,  Jacob  Hawk,  William  Hum, Hancock, 

William  Hancock  (s),  Jeremiah  Hancock  (s), 
Chris.  Hancock  (s),  Henry  Hoover,  John  House- 
holder, William  Hess,  tanner;  John  Johnston, 
Adam  Johnston  (s),  John  Jackson,  James  Jack- 
son, James  Jack,  Alex.  Irvine,  William  Keer, 
John  Laughlin,  Peter  Lefascar,  David  Lynch, 
James  Lynch,  James  Littel,  Hugh  Mullen, 
Adam  Marsh,  Jacob  Miller,  Joseph  McKee, 
Michael  Morehead,  John  Moore,  James  Moore, 
Samuel  Moore,  William  Moore,  Thomas 
McMillen  (s),  Simon  Marsh,  James  Ncely, 
Patrick  O'Donald,  John  Postlewait,  John  Pat- 
ten (s),  Peter  Risher,  John  Ritchey  (s),  John 
Ritchey,  Michael  Risher,  Joseph  Shoemaker, 
James  Smith,  Barnabas  Stear,  David  Shields, 
Ludwick  Sheets,  Peter  Shefar,  William  Stitt, 
Samuel  Stitt,  Samuel  Stitt,  Jr.,  Solomon  Shoe- 
maker, Arch.  Smith,  Geo.  Smith,  Mi(;hael  Shall, 
Michael  Shall,  Jr.,  Geo.  Shall,  James  Scott, 
Johu  Stitt  (s),  William  Smith,  Theo.  Smith, 
Geo.  Smith,  Michael  Smith,  Susan  Smith 
(widow).  Josh  Spencer,  John  Titus,  Pater  Titus, 
John  Titus,  John  Templeton,  Isaac  Townsend, 
Elizabeth  Winzel,  Absalom  Woodward,  Nich. 
Whitzel,  Sam.  Walker,  Robert  Watson,  James 
Watson  (s),  Robert  Watson  (s),  John  Watson, 
William  Watson,  Peter  Warner,  Peter  Waiting, 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


315 


Geo.  Winzel  (s),  Jehu  Woodward,  John  Wilson, 
Andrew  Whiteger,  David  Watson,  Jacob 
Yockey. 

Distilleries. — In  an  early  day  distilleries  were 
plenty,  but  subsequently  decreased  in  number. 
To-day  one  of  the  largest  and  most  important 
group  of  distilleries  in  Penns\dvania  is  the 
Guckenlieiiner  plant  at  Freeport. 

The  manufacture  of  salt  along  the  Kis- 
kiminetas  was  formerly  more  extensively  car- 
ried on  than  now.  Only  one  well  is  at  present 
in  working  order,  the  others  having  from  time 
to  time  been  abandoned  as  the  business  became 
unremunerative.  The  salt  water  comes  from  the 
sandstones  of  the  Pocono  formation,  the  top  of 
which  underlies  the  river  bed  about  250  feet  at 
the  centre  of  the  Roaring  run  anticlinal.  From 
the  same  geological  horizon  tiie  water  is  pumped 
that  is  used  in  the  manufacture  of  salt  near 
Saltsburg,  in  Indiana  county. 

Farmu^es. — The  manufacture  of  iron  com- 
menced as  early  as  1825  in  Armstrong  county. 
In  that  year  Rock  furnace  was  built,  on  the 
Kiskiminetas  river,  east  of  Apollo  ;  although  it 
is  claimed  that  Bear  Creek  furnace  near  Parker 
City  was  built  a  few  years  earlier.  Rock  fur-  [ 
nace  made  20  tons  of  iron  per  week  and  ran 
until  1855,  while  Bear  Creek  furnace  had  a  ca- 
pacity of  40  tons  per  week.  Allegheny  fur- 
nace, on  the  west  bank  of  the  Allegheny,  was 
two  miles  north  of  Kittanning  and  was  erected 
in  1827.  Buffalo  furnace  No.  1  was  built  in 
1839,  by  P.  Graff  <t  Co.,  on  Buffalo  creek,  at 
the  crossing  of  the  Kittanning  and  Butler  pike. 
It  was  afterwards  constructed  to  use  coke,  and  ' 
was  continued  in  blast  until  the  close  of  the 
war,  in  1865. 

Following  the  completion  of  Buffalo  furnace 
was  a  period  of  considerable  activity  in  the  iron 
industry  of  Armstrong  county,  extending  for 
nearly  twenty  years,  until  the  financial  crash 
of  1857.  Many  new  furnaces  were  in  that 
time  added  to  the  list.  AH  used  charcoal  for  ' 
fuel. 


In  1840  the  first  of  the  Great  Western  fur- 
naces was  built  at  Brady's  Bend  by  Philander 
Raymond,  who  subsequently  erectetl  here  three 
additional  furnaces,  besides  a  rolling-mill  and 
a  nail  factory.  In  fact  this  plant  ultimately 
became  one  of  the  most  extensive  in  Western 
Penn.sylvania,  being  among  the  first  in  America 
to  make  iron  rails.  Financial  embarrassment, 
however,  in  the  end  wrecked  the  enterprise,  and 
both  the  furnaces  and  the  mllinfr-mill  were  dis- 
mantled.  The  rolling-mill  and  nail  factory  were 
built  in  1841. 

Great  Western  furnace  No.  2  was  an  exact 
copy  of  the  first,  and  was  built  in  1841.  The 
capacity  of  each  was  100  tons  of  metal  per 
week.  They  employed  the  hot  blast,  but  were 
chiefly  distingushed  by  the  large  size  of  their 
l)0shes  (14  feet)  the  poor  success  of  which  estab- 
lished later  the  12  foot  boshes  as  the  favorite 
size  for  coke  furnaces. 

No.  3  furnace  was  built  in  1843.  Its  capac- 
ity was  nearly  as  great  as  that  of  tiie  larger 
furnaces. 

In  1845  three  smaller  stacks  were  erected  in 
other  parts  of  the  county  : 

Ore  Hill  Furnace,  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
Allegheny  river,  8  miles  northeast  of  Kittan- 
ning. Its  capacity  was  between  35  and  40  tons 
per  week. 

Cowanshannock  Furnace  (called  also  Boner 
Furnace)  was  situated  on  Cowanshannock  creek, 
three  miles  north  of  Kittanning. 

^lahoning  Furnace,  on  Mahoning  creek,  be- 
low Putneyville,  was  built  by  Mr.  John  A. 
Colwell,  of  Kittanning,  by  whom  it  was  most 
successfully  conducted  for  more  than  30  years. 
The  stack  originally,  like  all  the  furnaces  of 
that  time  in  the  county,  was  built  of  stone.  It 
used  the  cold  blast,  and  made  from  30  to  40 
tons  of  metal  per  week.  In  1860  the  furnace 
was  remodeled  to  use  coke,  at  which  time,  also, 
the  stack  was  not  only  enlarged,  but  the  stone 
structure  was  replaced  by  an  iron  jacket,  lined 
with  fire-brick.    The  hot  blast  was  applied  at  the 


316 


GEOLOOICAL   AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


same  time.  These  alterations  more  than  doubled 
the  capacity  of  the  stacii.  It  went  out  of  blast 
in  September,  1878,  in  consequence  of  the  de- 
jiression  then  existing  in  the  iron  trade.  Until 
the  completion  recently  of  the  new  furnace  at 
Kittanning,  the  Mahoning  furnace  was  the  best 
arranged  iron  plant  in  Armstrong  county. 

In  1846  five  new  furnaces  were  erected: 

Brady's  Bend  Furnace  No.  4  was  completed. 
It  made  hot  blast  charcoal  iron;  was  11  feet 
in  the  boshes  and  4.3  feet  in  height,  and  had  a 
capacity  of  about  60  tons  of  iron  per  week. 

Buffalo  Furnace  No.  2  was  completed  by  Mr. 
Graff,  on  Buffalo  creek.     It  was  8  by  35 ;  made  | 
hot  blast  charcoal  metal,  and  had  a  capacity  of  I 
from  40  to  50  tons  per  week. 

America  Furnace  was  built  in  the  same  year, 
on  the  east  bank  of  the   Allegheny   river  near 
the  pre.sent  village  of  Rimerton.     Its  capacity 
was  about  40  tons  of  hot  blast  charcoal  iron  per  ! 
week.  ; 

Phcenix  Furnace  (coal  blast)  stood  on  Mahon- 
ing creek  below  Milton.  Instead  of  smelting  the 
usual  "buhrstone"  ore  which  is  locally  absent 
from  that  region,  the  furnace  used  a  loamy  hem- 
atite ore  found  near  Milton.  The  ore  being  lean 
and  poor,  the  enterprise  soon  proved  a  failure. 

Pine  Creek  Furnace  owned  by  IMessrs.  Brown 
and  Mosgrove,  of  Kittanning,  is  one  of  the  few 
original  stacks  in  Armstrong  county  that  were 
remodeled  to  use  coke  after  the  supply  of  char- 
coal had  been  exhausted.  It  occupies  a  site  on 
the  left  bank  of  Pine  creek,  six  miles  northeast 
of  Kittanning. 

In  1847  little  additional  capital  was  invested 
in  the  iron  trade  in  Armstrong  county. 

Olney  Furnace  alone  was  built.  It  occupies 
a  position  on  the  left  bank  of  Mahoning  creek 
above  Eddyville.  It  was  enlarged  in  1855  and 
shortly  afterwards  abandoned. 

In  1848  the  Kittanning  Rotling-mill  was 
built  at  Kittanning.  It  had  20  puddling  fur- 
naces, 3  trains  of  rolls,  and  seven  machines 
driven  by  water.     In  1857  it  made  2550  tons 


of  bar  iron,  nails  and  castings.*  It  was  aban- 
doned shortly  after  the  financial  break  of  1873, 
remaining  then  idle  until  1880,  when,  after  com- 
plete remodeling,  operations  in  it  were  renewed 
in  connection  with  the  new  furnace  at  Kittan- 
ning. It  was  formerly  called  Valley  Rolling- 
mill,  and  its  annual  capacity  in  1880  was  7000 
tons. 

Stewardson  Furnace  was  built  in  1851.  It 
is  situated  on  Mahoning  creek,  1|  miles  from 
the  Allegheny  river.  It  is  built  of  stone,  and 
its  capacity  is  from  75  to  80  tons  per  week. 

In  1856  the  Apollo  Rolling-mill  was  built  at 
Apollo.  The  primary  object  of  this  enterprise 
was  the  manufacture  of  nails,  which,  proving  un- 
successful, was  abandoned  about  1861,  when 
tlie  production  of  sheet-iron  was  commenced. 
The  mill  was  originally  erected  by  the  Kiski- 
miuetas  Iron  Co.  but  subsequently  passed  out  of  ' 
their  hands,  and  in  the  next  ten  years  changed 
ownership  several  times,  finally  passing  into 
bankruptcy  in  1875;  in  1876  it  was  purchased 
l)y  Messrs.  Laufman  &  Co.,  who  have  since 
conducted  it  with  marked  success  and  profit. 
The  iron  made  is  of  excellent  quality  and  finds 
a  ready  sale  in  all  the  markets. 

The  mill  has  seven  puddling  furnaces,  and 
tive  charcoal  fires  for  sinking  wrought  scrap 
iron  ;  two  trains  of  rolls;  one  steam  hammer 
striking  a  fifteen  ton  blow  ;  one  set  of  bar  rolls, 
and  one  pair  of  cold  rolls.  At  the  present  time 
the  full  capacity  of  the  mill  is  65  tons  of  fin- 
ished iron  per  week. 

The  erection  of  this  mill  at  Apollo  in  1856 
about  completes  the  period  of  the  production  of 
charcoal  iron  in  Armstrong  county,  which,  as 
we  have  seen,  flourished  witli  considerable  vigor 
between  1840  and  1850,  rising  perhaps  to  its 
maximum  height  between  1850  and  1856  and 
then  rapidly  declining.  According  to  the  .sta- 
tistics in  the  Iron  Manufacturers'  Guide,  20,411 
tons  of  pig  iron  were  produced  here  in  1856 
from  eight  furnaces. 

*  Iron  Manufacturers'  Guide,  p.  252. 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


317 


The  manufacture  of  iron  in  Armstrong 
county  during  the  charcoal  period  was  not 
attended  financially  with  much  success. 

Abundant  railroad  facilities,  and  the  recent 
improved  appliances  for  making  iron  have 
wholly  changed  the  conditions  which  caused 
the  failure  of  the  charcoal  furnaces.  AVith  pru- 
dent and  intelligent  management  there  is  now 
no  reason  for  the  failure  of  a  furnace  in  Arm- 
strong county. 

Monticello  Furnace  was  built  in  1850,  at  the 
mouth  of  Cowanshannok  creek,  by  Robert  E. 
Brown,  and  was  in  operation  until  1873  and 
attempted  to  use  high  grade  lake  ores  with 
native  carbonates. 

The  Leechburg  Rolling-mill  was  built  in  1872, 
It  is  distinguished  for  having  been  the  first  to 
successfully  employ  natural  gas  in  iron-making. 
The  iron  produced  is  of  excellent  quality. 

The  Kittanning  Furnace,  erected  in  1880,  is 
not  only  the  largest,  but  Ijy  far  the  most  com- 
plete in  all  its  appointments,  of  any  furnace 
plant  in  the  Allegheny  Valley,  out  of  Pitts- 
burgh. It  stands  on  the  river  bank  at  the 
southern  end  of  Kittanning,  close  to  the  rolling- 
mill. 

Iron  Ores. — The  greater  jiart  of  all  the  iron 
made  in  Armstrong  county,  either  in  times  past 
or  recently,  has  been  from  the  reduction  of  the 
so-called  Buhrstone  ore.  The  Brady's  Bend 
furnaces,  and  those  also  of  Mr.  Graff,  on  Buf- 
falo creek,  used  some  ore  from  the  Freeport 
group,  of  which,  however,  the  outspread  in 
workable  thickness  in  Armstrong  county  is 
confined  to  the  neighborhood  of  those  furnaces. 
Monticello  furnace  in  its  time , as  already  stated, 
attempted  the  iinportiition  of  the  lake  ore, 
but  without  success. 

Whatever  importations  of  other  ore  may  in 
future  be  made  into  the  county,  to  imj)rove  the 
gnule  of  the  iron,  the  Buhrstone  stratum  will 
always  remain  the  chief  source  of  supply  so  ■ 
long  as  furnaces  are  operated  here.  Its  range 
of  outcrop  extends  over  hundreds  of  miles  in 


nearly  horizontal  rocks ;  its  average  thickness  is 
about  8  inches;  its  character  is  singularly  uni- 
form ;  it  can  be  easily  and  inexpensively  mined  ; 
it  is  always  accompanied  by  the  Ferriferous 
limestone  stratum  which  direi'tly  underlies  it 
and  which  serves  for  flux  in  the  furnace;  it 
works  easily  in  the  stack ;  and  when  proper 
attention  is  paid  to  the  assortment  of  the  ores 
and  their  preparation  for  the  stack,  this  Buhr- 
stone stratum  is  capable  of  producing  a  pig 
metal  containing  about  five-tenths  of  one  per 
cent,  of  phosphorus. 

Mr.  McCreath  analyzed  samples  of  the  ore, 
.selected  from  all  parts  of  the  county.  The 
results  as  a  whole  show  not  only  the  uniformity 
in  the  grade  of  the  ore  above  alluded  to,  but 
they  show  the  ores  also  to  consist  of  three 
varieties,  according  to  the  amount  of  decompo- 
sition that  has  taken  place,  namely,  limestone- 
carbonate  ore,  brown  hematite,  and  an  impure 
variety  of  red  hematite.  The  carbonates  ua- 
roasted  average  from  33  to  38  per  cent,  of  me- 
tallic iron ;  the  brown  and  red  ores  contain  as 
high  as  50  per  cent,  of  iron,  the  average  being 
about  45  per  cent.  All  of  the  ores  are  compar- 
atively low  in  phosphorus — two  tenths  of  one 
per  cent,  being  the  usual  amount,  both  in  the 
ciirbouates  and  hematites.  The  sulphur  is  also 
low,  amounting  in  many  cases  to  scarcely  more 
than  a  trace.  The  hematites  contain  none  of 
the  protoxide  of  iron. 

Any  poor  quality  of  iron  made  from  these 
ores  will  be  due  to  defective  methods  of  manu- 
facture and  not  to  the  impurity  of  the  ores. 

Railroads. — The  county  is  now  supplied  with 
railroads  which  carry  its  products  to  all  the  im- 
portant markets  of  the  world. 

The  Allegheny  Valley  railroad  with  its  con- 
nections opens  up  this  county  to  the  region  of 
(he  lakes  and  Canada.  Southward  it  connects 
with  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  at  Pittsburgh. 
Its  Bennett's  branch  exteusion,  110  miles  long, 
affords  another  outlet  north  and  east,  as  well  as 
also  southward  ;  it  occupies  the  Red  Bank  Val- 


318 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH   OF 


ley,  passing  subsequently  at  easy  grades  across 
the  mountain  region  of  Jefferson  and  Clearfield, 
and  on  thence  to  Driftwood,  where  it  intersects 
with  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  railroad. 

The  Butler  and  Karns  City  narrow-gauge 
railroad  starts  at  Parker  City,  on  the  Allegheny 
river,  and  follows  thence  up  Bear  creek  across 
the  oil  fields  of  northern  Butler. 

The  West  Pennsylvania  railroad  (standard 
gauge)  occupies  the  valley  of  the  Kiskiminetas 
river,  whose  lefl  bank  it  follows  until  it  crosses 
the  Allegheny  river  above  Freeport.  It  belongs 
to  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  system,  and  runs 
from  Blairsville  luterjunction  to  Pittsburgh. 
The  Butler  Branch  of  the  West  Pennsylvania 
railroad  extends  from  Freeport  to  the  county- 
seat  of  Butler. 

The  question  of  slack  water  navigation  ou 
the  Alleglieny  river  has  recently  received  some 
discussion,  as  also  that  of  re-opening  the  old 
line  of  water  communication  between  Pitts- 
burgh and  the  east. 

The  Great  Oiml  War. — Armstrong  county 
•was  prompt  in  her  response  to  Abraham  Lincoln's 
call  for  troops  when  the  Union  flag  went  down 
on  Sumter's  shattered  walls.  On  April  18, 
1861,  Capt.  Sirwell  left  with  a  company  of  one 
hundred  and  fourteen  men  for  tiie  seat  of  war, 
and  four  days  later  another  company  left  which 
was  followed  in  a  short  time  by  a  company  from 
Apollo,  under  Captain  (afterwards  General)  S. 
M.  Jackson.  Camp  Orr  was  soon  established 
ou  the  fair  grounds  above  Kittanning,  where 
the  78th  and  103d  regiments  were  recruited  and 
drilled.  The  78th,  commanded  by  Col.  William 
Sirwell,  left  camp  on  October  14, 1861,  and  the 
103d,  under  Col.  T.  F.  Lehman,  went  to  the 
front  on  February  24, 1862.  Citizens  of  Arm- 
strong county  served  in  considerable  numbers  in 
the  8th,  9th  and  11th  Penn.sylvania  Reserves, 
the  2d  cavalry  and  62d,  78th,  103d,  139th, 
155th,  159th  (14th  cavalry),  aud  204th  (Fifth 
artillery)  regiments,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
The  county  was  also  represented  in  forty-five 


other  Pennsylvania  regiments.  According  to 
an  accurate  calculation  of  Col.  Sirwell,  Arm- 
strong county  furnished  three  thousand  six  hun- 
dred and  fifty-two  men  to  the  Union  armies 
during  the  war.  Over  fifly-seven  thousand 
dollars  were  paid  from  the  county  treasury  for 
relief  of  soldiers'  families,  and  thirty-three  thou- 
sand dollars  were  paid  for  bounties. 

Religious. — In  1802  there  were  two  (Presby- 
terian) churches  on  the  west  side  of  the  Alle- 
gheny river,  and  sixteen  years  later  Sunday- 
schools  were  organized.  By  1850  the  churches 
had  increased  to  sixty-five  in  number.  lu  1876 
there  were  in  the  county  over  one  hundred 
churches,  of  which  twenty-nine  were  Lutheran, 
twenty-four  Presbyterian,  nineteen  Methodist 
Episcopal,  thirteen  United  Presbyterian,  twelve 
Reformed,  ten  Baptist,  some  German  Baptist 
and  several  Catholic.  The  Armstrong  County 
Bible  society  was  formed  September  15,  1828. 

Educational. — Armstrong  had  as  good  sub- 
scription schools  from  1800  to  1838  as  any  of 
the  western  counties  of  Pennsylvania,  and  her 
public  schools  since  1838  have  continually  in- 
creased in  number  and  efficiency,  until  now  they 
will  compare  favorably  with  the  schools  of  any 
county  in  the  State.  Of  the  early  teachers  and 
schools.  Superintendent  A.  D.  Glenn,  in  his  valu- 
able centennial  school  sketch  of  the  couuty, 
states  that  he  could  obtain  but  little  information. 
Teachers'  institutes  were  held  as  early  as  1856, 
and  the  first  county  institute  was  held  in  April, 
1858.  Tlie  Dayton  Soldiers'  Orphan  school 
was  opened  November  1, 1866,  witli  Rev.  T.  M. 
Elder  as  principal.  The  following  academies 
in  the  county  were  opened  at  the  dates :  Kit- 
tanning  academy,  1820  (ceased  1866) ;  Freeport 
academy,  1 836 ;  Glade  Run  academy,  Novem- 
ber 1,  1851  ;  Dayton  LTnion  academy,  April, 
1852  ;  Leechburg  academy,  1855  (burned  down 
1876);  and  Elderton  academy,  1864.  Slate 
Lick  classical  institute  began  its  work  in  1865, 
and  Plum  Creek  Normal  school  ran  from  1874 
to  1877,  while  Doeville  seminary  was  a  useful 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


319 


institution  for  several  years.  Lambeth  college 
was  incorporated  by  the  court  in  December, 
1868,  and  existed  until  1876.  In  May,  1868) 
Columbia  university  (a  continuation  of  Kittan- 
ning  university)  was  opened  at  Kittanning,  but 
in  two  years  was  closed. 

Journalism. — The  first  paper  in  the  county 
was  The  Western  Eagle,  which  was  estab- 
lished at  Kittanning,  by  Capt.  James  Alex- 
ander, on  September  20,  1810.  Twenty-three 
years  later  William  Badger  issued  the  Olive 
Branch,  at  Freeport,  and  November  6,  1835, 
the  first  number  of  the  Laeon  was  issued  at 
Apollo.  The  Leechburg  Enterprise  was  estab- 
lished in  1873  and  the  Dayton  News  made  its 
appearance  on  November  10,  1882.  The 
present  press  of  the  county  comprises  the  follow- 
ing weekly  papers:  Armstrong  Democrat  and 
Sentinel,  Armstrong  Republican,  County  Stand- 
ard, Globe,  Times  and  Union  Free  Pi-ess,  of 
Kittanning;  Herald,  of  Apollo;  News,  of  Day- 
ton ;  Journal,  of  Freeport;  Advance,  of 
Leechburg,  and  Phenix,  of  Parker  City. 

The  Bar. — The  Armstrong  county  bar  com- 
pares favorably  with  the  bars  of  the  other 
counties  of  western  Pennsylvania,  and  will  re- 
ceive more  extended  mention  in  the  history  of 
Kittanning. 

Medical  Profemio)i. — The  medical  profession 
is  well  represented  in  Armstrong  county  and  its 
prominent  members  will  receive  mention  in  the 
borough  and  town  histories. 

Political  History. — In  place  of  township  and 
county  elections,  we  give  the  vote  of  the  county 
cast  at  every  Presidential  election  since  the 
people  have  had  the  right  to  vote  for  president : 

Popular    Vole  of  Armstrong   County  at    Presidential 
Elections  from  1824  to  1888. 

1824.  Republican  .  .  Andrew  Jackson  ....     286 

Coalition  .    .  .  John  Q.  Adama 16 

Republican  .  .  William  H.  Crawford  .    .         6 

Republican  .  .  Henry   Clay 1 

1828.  Democratic  .  .  Andrew  Jackson  ....  1,133 

Nat.  Rep.,    .  .  John  Q.  Adams 169 


1832 

Democratic  . 

.  Andrew    Jackson  .    . 

.    .  1,437 

Anti-Masonic 

.  William   Wirt   .    .    . 

.    .     429 

1836 

Democratic  . 

.  Martin  Van  Buren  . 

.    .  1,528 

Whig.   .    .    . 

.  William  H.  Harrison 

.    .  1,014 

1840 

Democratic  . 

.  Martin   Van  Buren  . 

.    .  1,744 

Whig.   .    .    . 

.  William  H.  Harrison 

.    .  1,260 

Liberty .    .    . 

.  James  G.  Birney  .    . 

1844 

Democratic  . 

.  James  K.  Polk  .   .   . 

.    .  1,983 

Whig.  .   .   . 

.  Henry    Clay   .... 

.    .  1,453 

Liberty  .    .    . 

.  James  G.  Birney  .    . 

.    .       38 

1848 

Democratic  . 

.  Lewis  Ca?s 

.    .  2,120 

Whig.   .   .    . 

.  Zachary  Taylor .    .    . 

.    .  2,030 

Free  Soil  .   . 

.  Martin  Van  Buren  . 

.     141 

1852 

Democratic  . 

.  Franklin  Pierce  .   .    . 

.  2,430 

Whig.  .    .   . 

.  Winfield  Scott  .    .   . 

.  2,093 

Free  Dem.,  . 

.  John  P.  Hale  .... 

.     142 

1866. 

Republican  . 

.  John  C.  Fremont     , 

.  2,963 

Democratic  . 

.  James  Buchanan,  .    . 

.  2,680 

American  .    . 

.  Millard  Fillmore   .    . 

.     188 

1860. 

Republican  . 

.  Abraham  Lincoln  .    . 

.  3,355 

Democratic  . 

.  John  C.  Breckinridge 

.  2,108 

Cons't  Union 

.  John   Bell 

.       50 

Ind.    Dem.   . 

.  Stephen  A.  Douglas  . 

5 

1864. 

Republican  . 

.  Abraham  Lincoln  .   . 

.  3,526 

Democratic  . 

.  George  B.  McClellan 

.  3,331 

1868. 

Republican  . 

.  Ulysses  S.  Grant  .    . 

.  4,082 

Democratic  . 

.  Horatio  Seymour  .    . 

.  3,412 

1872. 

Republican  . 

.  Ulysses  S.  Grant   .    . 

.  4,297 

Dem.  &  Lib. 

.  Horace  Greeley  .    .    . 

.  2,078 

Democratic  . 

.  Charles  O'Connor.   . 

Temperance . 

.  James  Black   .... 

1876. 

Republican  . 

.  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  . 

.  4,613 

Democratic  . 

.  Samuel  J.  Tilden  .    . 

.  3,821 

Prohibition  . 

.  Green  Clay  Smith  .   . 

.       19 

Greenback    . 

.  Peter  Cooper 

1 

1880. 

Republican  . 

.  James  A.  Garfield  .   . 

.  4,721 

Democratic  . 

.  Winfield  S.  Hancock 

.  3,991 

Greenback    . 

.  James  B.  Weaver  .    .    . 

.     375 

Prohibition  . 

.  Neal   Dow 

0 

1884. 

Republican  . 

.  James  G.  Blaine  .    . 

.  4,685 

Democratic  . 

.  Grover  Cleveland  .    .    . 

.  3,591 

Prohibition  . 

John  P.  St.  John  .    .    . 

.     275 

Greenback   . 

Benjamin  F.  Butler  .    . 

.     156 

1888. 

Republican  . 

.  Benjamin  Harrison  .    . 

.  5,030 

Democratic  . 

.  Grover  Cleveland  .    .    . 

.  3,703 

Prohibition  . 

Clinton  B.  Fisk .    .    .    . 

.     193 

Greenback   . 

.  Alson  J.  Streeter  ,   .   . 

14 

Census  Statistics. — Population  of  Armstrong 
county  at  each  census  from  1800  to  1890:  1800, 
2,399;  1810,  6,143;  1820,  10,324;  1830, 
17,701;  1840,    28,365;    1850,   29,560;    1860, 


320 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


35,797;    1870,  43,382;    1880,  47,641;    1890, 


Colored  populatiou  from  1 800  to  1 890 :  1800, 
0;  1810,4;  1820,  42;  1830,  96;  1840,  112; 
1850,  129;  1860,  178;  1870,179;  1880,  278; 
1890, . 

By  the  census  of  1820  there  were  in  Arm- 
strong county:  1,146  spinning-wheels,  244 
looms,  1  fulling-mill,  4  hatterles,  manufac- 
turing 1000  hats;  1  nailery,  making  2,500 
])0unds  of  nails;  16  blacksmith  shops,  doing 
$8,000  worth  of  work;  21  distilleries,  making 
63,000  gallons  of  liquor ;  4  potteries,  29  wheat- 
mills,  grinding  87,000  bushels  of  wheat;  11 
saw-mills,  cutting  550,000  feet  of  lumber. 
There  were  in  the  county  1,821  horses  and 
4,689  neat  cattle. 

By  the  census  reports  of  1880  Armstrong 
county  had  4,026  farms,  containing  378,960 
acres.  In  1879  the  following  amounts  of 
grain  were  raised  from  the  number  of  acres 
given : 

Orain.                  Acres.  Bushels. 

Buckwheat.    .   .    7,713  87,935 

Rye 9,535  79,165 

Oats 31,370  749,437 

Corn 24,684  753,509 

Wheat 27,967  228,743 

There  were  3,463  acres  of  meadow  which 
yielded  27,878  tons  of  hay  and  also  five  acres 
of  tobacco  which  made  a  yield  of  2,730  pounds 
of  that  article.  There  were  in  the  county 
10,342  horses,  14,159  milch  cows,  18,272  other 
cattle,  34,814  sheep  and  30,975  swine.  There 
were  two  hundred  manufacturing  establish- 
ments with  an  invested  capital  of  nearly 
$2,000,000  and  employing  over  1,000  hands. 

Population  of  Minor  Civil  Divisions  of  Arm- 
strong County,  from  1850  to  1880. 

Township  or  Borough  I860.  1860.  18T0.  1880. 

Allegheny 2,506  2,406  2,539          

Apollo 331  449  764  1,156 

Aladiu 49 

Bethel 871 


1     Township  or  Borough 

'  Bogga 

Brady's  Bend 

Burrell 

Cowanshannock... 

Dayton 

East  Franklin 

Elderton 

Freeport 

Gilpin 

Hovey 

Kiskiminetas 

Kittanning  (bor.) 

Kittanning 

Leechburg 

Madison 

Mahoning 

Manor 

Manorville 

North  BuflFalo 

Parker  City 

Parks 

Perry 

Pine 

Plum  Creek 

Queens  town 

Red  Bank 

South  Bend 

South  Buffalo 

Sugar  Creek 

Valley 

Washington 

Wayne 

West  Franklin.... 
Worthington 


2,325 
1,31'8 


I860. 

1,890 

833 

1,964 


3,619 

964 

2,246 


1,073 


196 
1,691 


1,451 

235 

1,640 


2,430 
1,561 
1,175 


1,151 
775 
916 


2,080 
1,696 
1,237 
359 
1,440 
1,446 
1,210 


1,175 


1,728 
1,889 
1,504 

368 
1,621 
1,402 
1,071 

330 
1,057 


799 
3,849 
2,215 


1,980 
1,266 
1,266 

1,688 


1,348 


991 
1,521 
1,817 

119 
1,305 
1,571 
1,571 
1,101 
1,552 

988 
1,576 

213 

213 


3,877 
1,642 
1,738 

201 
1,341 
1,633 
1,633 
1,023 
1,821 
1,180 
2,028 
1,098 

216 


1880. 

1,010 
2,340 
1,047 
2,611 

579 
1,695 

299 
1,614 
1,190 

589 
1,698 
2,624 
1  681 
1,123 
1,950 
1,930 
1,508 

327 
1,216 
1,835 

715 
1,309 

728 
1,996 
217 
1.667 
1,151 
1,715 
1,018 
1,861 
1,489 
1,567 
1,129 
186 


Allegheny  township  and  Aladin  borough  have 
passed  out  of  existence  and  the  census  returns 
of  1890  could  not  be  obtained  at  this  writing. 

Population  of  Early  Townships  from  1810 
to  1840. 


1810. 

Pine 

Kittanning 1,197 

Buffalo 1,150 

Clarion 

Toby 611 

Perry 

Kittanning  (bor.).        309 

Sugar  Creek 1,113 

Red  Bank 943 


1820. 

1830. 

1840. 

1,227 

976 

1,029 

1,323 

1,597 

2,458 

1,820 

2,067 

2,239 

1,156 

1,362 

1,829 

853 

1,112 

318 

526 

702 

1,482 

1,873 

1,852 

2,042 

1,660 

3,078 

ARMSTRONG  COVifTY. 


321 


1810. 

Plum  Creek 

Allegheny 820 

Wayne 

Monroe 

Madison 

Franklin 


1820. 

1,340 
1.413 


1830. 

1,456 

2,%6 

878 


1840. 

2,216 
1,839 
1,875 
1,151 
1,305 
1,713 


Villages  and  Population,  1880. 

Atwood (Cowanshannock)...    149 

Brady's  Bend (Brady's  Bend) 1010 

Buffalo (West  Franklin) 77 

Clayton  or  Girty (South  Bend) 44 

Clinton (South  Buffalo) 127 

Cowansville (East  Franklin) 77 

Craigsville (West  Franklin) 100 

Deauville (Madison) G9 

Duncan  ville ( Madison) 30 

Eddyville (Red  Bank) 52 

Kellersburg (Madison) 58 

Laneville  (South  Buffalo) 206 

Meenanville (South  Buffalo) 52 

Milton (Red  Bank) 100 

Mt.  Tabor (Red  Bank) 23 

Mouth  of  Mahon (Pine) 146 

NewSalem (Red  Bank) 80 

NorthFreedom (Red  Bank) 144 

Rimerton (Madison) 127 

Rural  Valley ...(Cowanshannock) ...  183 

South  Bend (South  Bend) 54 

Stewartaon's  Furnace... .(Pine) 299 

Templeton (Pine) 163 

Watersonville (Washington) 144 

Whitesburg (Plum  Creek) 60 

Oil  exdtememt. — The  northwestern  part  of 
the  couuty  lie.s  in  the  "  Lower  Oil  Field.s  "  aud 
the  belt  of  the  Third  Oil  .sand  crosses  the  Alle- 
gheny river  from  Clarion  county,  above  Parker 
City,  stretching  thence  across  Hovey  township 
into  Butler  county.  The  "  Fourth  sand  "  belt 
trending  nearly  east  and  west  is  at  Brady's 
Bend.  South  from  this  locality  and  across  the 
Brady's  Bend  anticlinal  no  oil  has  yet  been 
discovered,  either  at  the  horizon  of  the  "  Third  " 
or  "  Fourth "  sands,  or  at  any  other  horizon 
within  a  distance  of  two  thou.sand  feet  below 
the  surface.  It  would  therefore  appear  that 
the  oil-producing  area  is  confined  to  the  region 
west  of  the  Brady's  Bend  anticlinal  axis. 


We  quote  concerning  the  first  oil  well  in  the 
county  from  Henry's  "  History  of  Petroleum  "  : 

"  In  the  wiuter  of  1864—65  the  oil  excitements 
of  the  upper  and  lower  Oil  creek  regions  were 
at  their  height,  and  Mr.  William  D.  Robinson 
very  earnestly  conceived  the  idea  that  oil  depos- 
its existed  in  the  region  of  his  third  of  a  cen- 
tury's residence.  He  had  examined  and  care- 
fully noted  the  then  generally  received  opinion 
of  '  surface  indications,'  and  soon  reached  the 
conviction  that  oil  could  be  found  there.  He 
purchased  thirty-six  acres  of  the  old  homestead 
farm,  lying  on  the  Allegheny  river  and  now 
forming  a  portion  of  Parker's  Landing.  This 
thirty-six  acres  of  land  ho  made  the  basis  of  a 
stock  company.  In  the  spring  of  1865  he  com- 
menced his  first  well  under  the  auspices  of  this 
company,  and  this  was  the  first  oil  well  drilled 
at  Parker's  Landing.  The  embarrassment  at- 
tending the  first  eflbrt  to  find  oil  at  Parker's 
Landing  may  be  estimated  by  those  familiar 
with  new  territory.  All  the  machinery  for  the 
new  well  had  to  be  boated  from  Pittsburgh  or 
Oil  City,  and  there  was  neither  derrick  nor  de- 
velopment between  these  two  points,  fifty  and 
sixty  miles  from  a  machine  shop,  if  a  break 
occurred.  Pittsburgh,  Oil  City,  or  Titusville, 
were  the  nearest  points  for  repairs.  It  re<juired 
the  entire  summer  of  1865 — nearly  .six  months 
— to  complete  this  well.  In  October,  1865, 
the  sand  pump  brought  up  the  unmistakable 
evidence  of  a  '  third  '  sand,  or  oil  rock.  The  well 
was  tul)ed  and  started  oif  at  about  ten  barrels 
per  day." 

Progress  and  Development. — In  the  history 
of  the  territory  of  Arm.strong  county,  the  pioneer 
period  of  1781  to  1800  was  a  war  period  full  of 
dangers  from  the  Indians.  From  1800  to  1825 
was  a  period  of  great  improvement.  The  single- 
story  round-log  cabin  of  the  frontier,  standing 
in  a  deadened  clearing,  had  been  succeeded  by 
the  respectable  two-story  hewn-log  house,  sur- 
rounded by  cultivated  fields  and  waving  grain.  • 
The  bridle-path  aud  pack-horse  road  had  been 


322 


OEOLOOICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


transformed  into  the  more  commodious  emi-  j 
grant  road,  which  had  in  turn  given  place  to 
county  and  State  pikes;  while  thfe  hand-mill 
and  tub-mill  were  replaced  with  the  water-power 
grist-mill.  During  the  days  of  the  pack-saddle 
paths  and  early  roads  the  necessaries  of  life 
commanded  high  prices,  a  bushel  of  salt  being  i 
worth  four  dollars,  and  a  pound  of  iron  twelve 
cents.  Luxuries  commanded  extravagant  fig- 
ures ;  a  pound  of  coffee  sold  for  a  dollar,  and  a 
yard  of  calico  for  half  that  amount. 

From  1825  to  1860  was  the  period  of  char- 
coal irou  manufacture,  during  which  time  also 
the  salt  industry  was  developed  and  reached  the 
height  of  its  prosperity.  Substantial  stone  and 
good  brick  dwellings  succeeded  the  hewed  log 
houses,  and  the  A.llegheny  Valley  R.  R.  was  built 
during  the  latter  years  of  this  period.  The  devel- 
opment inaugurated  by  the  building  of  railroads 
and  the  introduction  of  coke  as  a  fuel  in  the 
manufacture  of  irou  was  checked  in  1861  when 
the  late  civil  war  commenced.  During  that 
great  struggle  the  sons  of  Armstrong  county 
won  for  themselves,  under  McClellan,  Sherman, 
Sheridan  and  Grant,  a  highly  honorable  and 
imperishable  war  i-ecord.  About  the  close  of 
the  war  came  the  oil  excitement,  which  was  fol- 
lowed some  ten  years  by  an  era  of  railroad 
building  which  will  not  be  completed  until  the 
great  coal,  iron  ore  and  fire-clay  beds  of  the 
county  are  fully  developtnl. 

The  old  log  subscription  school-house,  which 
also  answered  for  a  preaching-place,  ha.s  long 
since  disappeared,  but,  in  its  stead,  on  every 
hill  and  in  every  valley,  the  spire  and  dome  of 
church  and  school  appear,  indexing  the  upward 
tendencies  and  onward  progress  of  the  age. 

Armstrong  is  one  of  the  richest  minei'al 
counties  in  the  Union,  its  great  coal  beds 
average  four  feet  in  extent  and  underlie  almost 
the  entire  surface  of  the  county,  while  a  very 
rich  deposit  of  canuel  coal  nine  feet  thick  is 
within  its  borders.  Limestone,  building-rock 
and  roofing  slate  wath  traces  of  lead  are  fouud 


in  the  northern  part  where  salt-water,  oil  and 
natural  gas  are  to  be  obtained.  Iron-ore, 
limestone  and  fire-clay  are  abundant  in  almost 
every  section  of  the  county  and  valuable  beds 
of  mineral  paint  are  said  to  exist  in  some  of  the 
townships.  The  county,  while  wonderfully  rich 
in  minerals,  is  not  backwards  in  agriculture,  for 
it  possesses  a  productive  soil  and  ranks  as  one 
of  the  foremost  agricultural  counties  of  the 
State. 

The  growth  of  its  manufacturing  interests 
has  been  commensurate  with  the  development  of 
its  material  I'esources.  The  Kittauuiug  rolling- 
mill,  the  sheet-iron  and  carbonized  steel  mills 
of  P.  Laufmau  &  Co.,  of  Apollo,  and  the 
rolling-mill  at  Leechburg  are  leading  iron  in- 
dusties  of  the  State  as  well  as  of  Armstrong 
county. 

The  Graff  and  the  Rumberger  woolen-mills  on 
Buffalo  creek  will  compare  favorably  with  the 
woolen  manufacturing  establishments  of  any 
section  of  the  State;  while  Reese's  silica  fire- 
brick works  and  the  Wick  China-ware  potteries 
of  Kittanning  are  the  largest  works  of  their 
kind  to  be  found  in  the  United  States.  Rock 
quarries,  cement  beds  and  glass  sand  deposits 
exist  in  many  places  throughout  the  county. 
The  coke  industry  is  in  its  infancy,  but  will 
soon  attain  to  respectable  dimensions  through 
the  labors  of  Capt.  Albert  Hicks  and  other 
public-spirited  and  progressive  citizens.  A 
detailed  account  of  all  these  resources  and  in- 
dustries will  be  found  in  the  township  histories. 

Miscellaneous. — "  Gen.  Armstrong  purchased 
from  the  proprietors  of  the  then  Province  of 
Pennsylvania  556J  acres  with  the  usual  allow- 
ances. The  tract  wa.s  surveyed  to  him  by  virtue 
of  a  proprietary  letter  to  the  secretary,  dated 
May  29,  1771,  on  November  5,  1794.  The 
patent  for  that  tract  bears  date  March  23,  1775. 
It  is  thus  described :  '  A  certain  tract  of  land 
called  Victory,  containing  five  hundred  and 
fifty-six  and  one-half  acres  and  the  usual  allow- 
ances,  including  the   Indian   town   and  settle- 


A  RMSTR  OXG   CO  UNTY. 


323 


ment  called  Kittanniug.'  That  tract  of  laiul, 
with  other  property,  was  devised  by  the  will  of 
Geii.  Armstrong,  proven  July  25,  1797,  to  his 
two  sons,  John  and  James." 

The  Armsti'ong  county  Bible  society  was 
formed  at  the  court-house  on  Monday,  Septem- 
ber 15,  1828,  when  Thomas  Hamilton  was 
chosen  president  and  James  E.  Brown,  secre- 
tary. In  1841  it  made  an  effort  to  distribute 
Bibles  and  Testaments  in  every  township  and 
during  the  Centennial  year  it  sought  to  supply 
every  family  in  the  county  with  a  Bible. 

In  1850  Armstrong  county  had :  grist-mills, 
21;  saw-mills,  1.3;  salt-boiling  establishments, 
12;  carpentering  and  building  establisliment.s, 
5;  maiui factories  of  brick,  9;  manufactories  of 
tin  and  siieet-iron  ware,  3 ;  manufactories  of 
woolen  f:d)rics,  3;  manufactories  of  nails,  1; 
rolling-mills,  2;  furnaces  for  making  iron,  6; 
iron  foundries,  2;  tanneries,  8. 

"  At  a  Court  of  General  Quarter  Sessions  of 
the  Peace,  held  at  Rol)ert  Ilanna's,  Esquire,  for 
the  county  of  Westmoreland,  the  sixth  day  of 
April,  in  the  thirteentii  year  of  the  reign  of  our 
Sovereign  Lord,  George  the  third,  by  tlie  grace 
of  God,  of  Great  Britain,  France  and  Ireland, 
King,  Defender  of  the  Faith,  etc.  And  in  tiie 
year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  seven  iiundred 
and  seventy-three,  before  William  Crawford, 
Esquire,  and  his  associate  ju.stices  of  the  same 
court. 

"  The  court  proceeded  to  divide  the  said  county 
into  the  following  townships  by  the  limits 
and  descriptions  hereinafter  following,  viz.  :• 

"Fairfield  .  .  .  Donegal  .  .  .  Huntingdon  .  .  . 
Mount  Pleasant  .  .  .  Ilempfield  .  .  .  Pitt  .  .  . 
Tyrone  .  .  .  Spring  Hill  .  .  .  Manallan  .  .  .  Ros- 
traver  .  .  .  Armstrong.  Beginning  where  the 
line  of  the  county  crosses  the  Conemach" — 
nearly  midway  between  the  Conemaugh  Fur- 
nace and  Sang  Hollow,  on  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad — "then  running  with  that  river  to  the 
line  of  Fairfield,  along  that  line  to  the  Loyal 
Haunon,  then  down  the  Loyal  Hauuon  and  the 
20 


Kiskiminetas  to  the  Allegheny,  then  up  the  Al- 
legheny to  the  Kittanning,  then  with  a  straight 
line  to  the  head-waters  of  Two  Lick  or  Black 
Lick  creek,  and  thence  with  a  straight  line  to 
the  beginnino;. " 

The  Holland  Laud  company  owned  large 
tracts  of  land  in  Armstrong  county,  as  well  as 
in  Indiana  and  other  counties  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  its  history  will  be  found  on  page  6G  of  this 
work. 

In  1828  Armstrong  county  paid  $3625  for 
the  scal])s  of  wolves  and  panthers  that  were 
killed  within  the  borders  of  the  county. 

Tiie  Pensioners  for  Revolutionary  and  Mili- 
tary services  in  Armstrong  county  in  1840 
were:  Peter  Yungst,  Daniel  Davis,  Addy  An- 
derson, David  Shields,  John  Brown,  Thomas 
Meredith,  Henry  Davis,  Sarah  Smith,  James 
McCaine,  James  Buchanan,  Martha  Stone,  Jo- 
seph Everet,  Gideon  Gibson,  Hugh  Callen,  Sr., 
Samuel  Austin,  John  Wilson,  Sr.,  Mary  Soli- 
day,  Isaac  Steel,  Sr.,  Daniel  Gould,  Ezekiel 
Lewis,  Manassas  McFadden,  Joseph  McDonai<l, 
Henry  Reefer,  William  Hill,  Samuel  Murphy, 
Margaret  Laughrey,  John  Sipe,  Eleanor  Ray- 
burn,  Andrew  Daugherty,  Killian  Briney,  John 
Davis,  Sr.,  Michael  Hartinan,  Sarah  Williard, 
Michael  Truby,  James  Walker,  Thomas  Tay- 
lor, Robert  Patrick,  Sr. 

The  Pennsylvania  canal  entered  Arm- 
strong county  nine  miles  above  Apollo,  and 
crossed  the  Kiskiminetas  to  its  north  bank, 
which  it  followed  to  the  Allegheny,  and  cross- 
ing the  latter  river  by  an  aqueduct,  followed  the 
Allegheny  for  one  and  one-half  miles  below 
Freeport,  where  it  left  the  county.  The  Indi- 
ana and  Kittanning  turnpike  runs  northwest 
through  the  county  to  the  Butler  county  line. 

The  timber  of  the  county  is  black,  red,  white 
and  rock  oak,  chestnut,  hickory,  ash,  walnut, 
sugar  maple,  elm  and  cherry. 

By  Act  of  Assembly,  March  12,  1800,  the 
county-seat  was  to  be  located  not  farther  than 
five  miles  from  "Old  Kittanning  Town,"  and 


324 


OEOLOaiCAL  AND  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


John  Craig,  James  Sloan  and  James  Barr  were 
appointed  trustees  to  receive  the  title  for  the 
land  for  the  public  buildings.  In  1803, 
James  ^Latthews  and  Alexander  Walker  were 
appointed  in  place  of  Craig  and  Barr,  and 
Walker  having  declined  to  act,  it  devolved  upon 
Sloan  and  Matthews  to  locate  the  county-seat 
and  organize  the  county.  They  selected  the 
present  site  of  Kittauning,  and  on  December  17, 
1804,  received  a  deed  for  150  acres  of  Gen. 
Armstrong's  "Victory"  tract  from  his 
sons,  Dr.  James  and  John  Armstrong.  This 
land  was  given  by  the  Armstrongs  in  view  of 
enhancing  the  value  of  the  remainder  of  their 
tract. 

Armstrong  was  attached  to  Westmoreland 
county  for  several  years  after  its  organization. 
It  was  organized  for  judicial  purposes  in  1805, 
and  the  first  court  was  held  in  a  log  house  on 
the  site  of  the  Reynolds  house  in  Kittanning, 
with  Samuel  Roberts  as  president  and  James 
Barr,  Robert  Orr  and  George  Ross  as  associate 
judges. 

The  scenery  of  the  Allegheny  Valley  is  so 
beautiful  and  impressive,  as  to  have  received 
high  praise  at  the  hands  of  Bayard  Taylor, 
Dom  Pedro  and  other  noted  travelers,  who 
have  passed  over  the  Allegheny  Valley  Rail- 
road. 

In  1818  there  were  only  two  post-offices  in 
the  county  and  seventy  years  later  (1888)  the 
following  offices  were  in  the  county  : 

Adams,  Adrian,  Apollo,  Arnold,  Atwood, 
Barnard's,  Belknap,  Blanco,  Blanket  Hill, 
Brady's  Bend,  Brattonville,  Bryan,  Cochran's 
Mills,  Cowansville,  Craigsville,  Dayton,  Dean- 
ville.  Dime,  Echo,  Eddy vi lie,  Elderton,  Foster's 
Mills,    Freeport,  Girty,  Goheenville,  Gosford, 


Greendale,  Kaylor,  Kellersburg,  Kelley's  Sta- 
tion, Kittanning  (c.  h.),  Leechburg,  Logans- 
port,  Long  Run,  McHadden,  McVill,  McWil- 
liams,  Mahoning,  Manorville,  Muff,  North 
Buffalo,  North  Freedom,  Oakland,  Oak  Ridge 
Station,  Olivet,  Parker's  Landing,  Phoenix, 
Pierce,  Putneyville,  Queeustown,  Rimer,  Ross- 
ton,  Rural  Valley,  Schenley  Station,  Shady 
Plain,  Sherrett,  Slate  Lick,  South  Bend,  Spring 
Church,  Sydney,  Templeton,  Top,  Walkchalk, 
West  Valley,  Whitesburg,  Widnoon,  Worthing- 
ton. 

In  1820  there  were  20  stores  in  the  county, 
which  had  increased  to  79  in  number  in  1840. 
In  1876  there  were  358  wholesale  and  retail 
dealers  on  the  mercantile  appraisers'  list. 

The  Armstrong  county  Agricultural  society 
was  organized  in  1855,  and  existed  until  1857, 
when  it  went  out  of  existence  after  it  held  two 
very  successful  fairs. 

By  resolutions  of  Congress  two  surveys  of 
the  Allegheny  river  have  been  made:  one  in 
1829  and  the  other  in  1837. 

In  1863  the  first  telegraph  line  was  erected, 
and  now  telegraph  lines  extend  along  every 
railroad. 

As  Armstrong  county  is  rapidly  nearing  the 
threshold  of  the  second  century  of  her  exist- 
ence as  a  political  division  of  Pennsylvania,  let 
not  her  people  forget  the  obligations  which  rest 
upon  them  as  individuals,  to  do  each  his  part  in 
the  future,  to  secure  the  continued  prosperity  of 
their  county  and  the  happiness  of  their  fellow- 
citizens.  Let  the  people  of  Armstrong  county 
rejoice  in  their  arts  and  industries,  in  their  fields 
and  mines,  in  their  homes,  their  schools,  their 
churches,  and,  above  all,  in  their  Christian 
civilization. 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


KITTANNING. 


Historical  and  Descriptive. — Kittanning  is 
one  of  the  most  important  centres  of  trade  and 
industry  in  the  Alleglieny  Valley,  as  well  as 
being  one  of  the  most  attractive  towns  of  western 
Pennsylvania.  Around  its  site  and  name 
cling  romantic  memories  of  Indian  and  Itevolu- 
lionary  times. 

Kittanning  is  a  word  of  Indian  origin  de- 
rived from  Kithanne,  signifying  the  main 
stream,  and  aa-ording  to  the  Moravian  mission- 
ary Heckewelder,  Kittanning  is  corrupted  from 
Kithanniek,  which  comes  from  Kithanne. 
Kittanning  was  the  metropolis  of  the  Allegheny 
Valley  when  it  was  under  Indian  rule.  When 
the  French  and  Indian  war  broke  out  it  became 
one  of  the  principal  points  from  which  the 
French  and  Indians  sent  out  war  parties  to 
harass  the  white  settlers  of  the  Cumberland  and 
Juniata  valleys. 

Kittanning  was  a  trii)le  town  of  the  Dela- 
wares,  as  their  wigwams  and  cabins  were 
divided  into  the  upper,  lower  and  middle  vil- 
lages. In  1756,  Armstrong  burned  it  and  its 
site  lay  waste  until  a  fort  was  erected  by  the 
whites  for  the  protection  of  the  frontier.  In 
1791,  James  Claypoole  built  a  cabin  at  what  is 
now  the  northwest  corner  of  Arch  and  Water 
streets,  but  becoming  afraid  of  Indians  aban- 
doned his  clearing  and  went  to  Pittsburgh. 
Robert  Brown,  Patrick  Dougherty  and  Andrew 
Hunter  were  the  first  permanent  settlers  of  Kit- 


tanning. The  town  was  laid  out  in  1803,  by 
Judge  George  Ross,  was  incorporated  in  1821. 

In  1804,  Samuel  Massey  located  at  Kittan- 
ning to  practice  law,  and  Joseph  Miller,  James 
McClurg  and  David  Reynolds  had  opened 
stores,  while  David  Crawford  had  a  blacksmith 
shop,  and  Michael  Mechling  and  David  Rey- 
nolds were  conducting  taverns.  The  post-oflice 
was  established  in  1807,  with  Joseph  Miller  as 
postmaster,  and  a  glance  at  the  list  oftaxables 
of  the  town  for  that  year,  which  is  given  in  the 
list  of  early  settlers  of  Armstrong  county  will 
show  thediiferent  kinds  of  business  which  were 
then  carried  on  in  the  town.  In  1820  there 
were  over  fifty  houses,  and  ten  years  later  the 
place  contained  ninety  dwellings  and  ten  stores, 
and  at  the  present  time  has  a  population  of 
over  3,000  inhabitants. 

The  town  of  Kittanning  was  laid  out  and 
surveyed  by  Judge  George  Ross  in  1803  and 
was  dividetl  into  248  in-lots  and  twenty-seven 
out-lots.  Kittanning  was  incorporatetl  as  a 
borough  by  Act  of  Assembly,  April  2,  1821, 
and  its  original  boundaries  were  cvteuded  May 
4,  1844,  March  20,  1849,  April  2,  1850,  and 
March  31,  1860.  The  original  streets  were 
Water,  Jefferson,  McKean  and  Back  (changed 
in  1868  to  Grant),  which  were  intersected  l)y 
High,  Vine,  Arch,  Market,  Jacob,  Mulberry 
and  Walnut  streets. 

On  August  27,  1826,  a  fire  company  was 

325 


326 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


formed  and  a  fire-engine  was  purchased  which 
answered  until  1854,  when  the  burning  of 
Pinney's  carriage  factory  aroused  the  citizens  to 
the  necessity  of  securing  a  larger  engine.  The 
new  engine  cost  $2500,  but  was  not  adequate 
for  the  suppression  of  large  fii-es,  and  in  1 87 1  the 
borough  contracted  with  the  Kittanning  Water- 
works company  to  put  twenty-three  fire-plugs 
down  in  their  water  pipes  in  the  borough  for 
$2800.  This  arrangement  has  enabled  the  citi- 
zens to  cope  successfully  with  tires  ever  since. 

The  Kittanning  Temperance  society  was  or- 
ganized August  18,  1830,  and  existed  until 
1854.  The  Masonic  Lodge,  No.  244,  was  con- 
stituted March  12,  1850;  Odd  Fellows'  Lodge 
340,  March  31,  1849;  and  K.  of  P.  Lodge, 
No.  296,  May  10,  1871.  The  independent 
military  organizations  have  been  the  Armstrong 
Guards,  Independent  Blues,  Washington  Blues, 
Armstrong  Rifles,  German  Yagers  and  Brady 
Alpines. 

Hand-wi'ought  nails  were  made  by  John 
Miller  in  1812  and  the  first  foundry  was  started 
in  1843.  In  1805  Abraham  Parkinson  built 
a  hand-mill,  which  answered  for  grinding  until 
water-power  mills  were  erected.  Arnold's 
steam  grist-mill  was  built' in  1834. 

The  chain  ferry  established  in  1834  was 
succeeded  in  1856  by  a  wooden  bridge,  which 
was  blown  down  on  May  12th  of  the  latter  year,  j 
A  second  wooden  bridge  was  immediately  built 
and  lasted  until  1874,  when  it  was  replaced  by 
the  present  handsome  iron  bridge  which  spans 
the  river  and  cost  $60,000.  The  first  steam- 
boat which  arrived  at  Kittanning  was  the 
"Albion",  commanded  by  Capt.  Pursall.  It  came 
on  April  11,  1827,  and  on  February  20,  1828, 
the  Pittsburgh  and  Wheeling  packet  arrived. 
On  June  18,  1835,  fifty  delegates  from  seven 
counties  of  the  Allegheny  Valley  met  at  Kit- 
tanning its  an  improvement  convention,  but 
failed  in  organizing  a  company  to  improve  the 
Allegheny  river.  The  Allegheny  Valley  rail- 
road was  opened  for  business  to  Kittanning  on 


January  29,  1856.  On  October  10,  1871,  a 
meeting  was  held  to  raise  money  for  the  suffer- 
ers of  the  great  Chicago  fire  and  nearly  $1500 
was  secured  and  forwarded.  In  March,  1837, 
and  in  March,  1875,  terrific  ice  gorges  occurred 
on  the  river  and  for  a  short  time  each  of  them 
threatened  to  sweep  the  town  away.  The 
highest  water  flood  was  on  March  17,  1865. 

Between  eleven  and  twelve  o'clock  Sunday 
night  March  9,  1828,  Kittanning  experienced  a 
lively  earthquake  shock  which  lasted  about  two 
minutes. 

From  1806  to  1822  the  Presbyterian  congre- 
gation was  supplied  by  Rev.  Joseph  Henderson 
and  other  ministers.  August  31,  1822,  the 
Kittanning  Presbyterian  church  was  organized 
with  twenty-one  members.  The  Lutheran 
church  was  organized  in  1820  and  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  church  about  the  same  time.  In 
1824  St.  Paul's  Protestant  Episcopal  church  was 
organized.  The  United  Presbyterian  church  was 
organized  Sept.,  1845;  the  Associate  Reformed 
church,  March  23,  1850;  St  Mary's  Catholic 
church  about  1851-53;  the  First  Christian 
church  (Campbellite)  1853;  and  the  Reformed 
(St.  Luke's)  church,  August  30,  1869. 

Adam  Elliott  in  1805  opened  the  first  school 
ever  taught  in  the  towu.  The  subscription 
schools  were  succeeded  by  the  free  schools  and 
the  borough  to-day  has  a  very  fine  school  build- 
ing and  a  well  graded  public  school.  Its 
academies  and  colleges  have  been  noticed  in  the 
educational  history  of  the  county. 

The  first  court-house  was  built  about  1809 
on  the  southeast  coruer  of  Market  and  Jefferson 
streets  and  was  a  two-story  brick  structure 
which  cost  $7,859.19.  In  1852  its  successor, 
a  two-story  brick  building,  was  erected  at  the 
head  of  the  easterly  extension  of  Market  street, 
and  was  destroyed  by  fire  on  the  10th  of  March, 
1858. 

"The  third  and  present  court-house  was 
erected  by  Hulings  &  Dickey,  on  the  site  of 
the  burned  one,  in  1858-60,  at  a  cost  of  about 


W^A'^^ZIi^^—rr^^ 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


329 


thirty-two  thousand  dollars.  It  is  a  substantial 
building,  partly  of  brick  and  partly  of  stone,  of 
'the  Corinthian  order  of  architecture.  Its  sides 
front  nearly  west  and  east.  There  is  an  elegant 
portico  on  its  west  front,  witii  stone  columns; 
and  capitals,  and  all  parts  of  that  oAler,  the 
whole  resting  on  an  arcade  of  cut  stone.  The 
dimensions  of  this  edifice  are  105  feet  by  65 
feet.  A  beautiful  cupola  or  dome,  highly  or- 
namented, crowns  the  centre,  with  a  large  bell 
therein  suspended.  The  first  story,  which  is 
reached  from  the  western  side  by  a  flight  of 
stone  steps  of  the  same  length  as  the  portico,  is 
divided  into  a  cross  hall,  with  a  floor  laid  with 
English  variegated  tile,  grand-jury  and  witness 
rooms,  the  commissioner's,  prothonotary's,  regis- 
ter and  recorder's,  sheriff's  and  county  treas- 
urer's offices,  three  of  which  offices  are  substan- 
tially fire-proof.  The  court-room  is  in  the 
second  story." 

In  1.S05  a  good  two-story  stone  jail  was  erected 
on  a  lot  near  the  Methotlist  Episcopal  church.  In 
1853  a  new  two-story  stone  jail  was  erected,  to 
which  was  attached  a  two-.«tory  brick  structure 
for  the  jailer's  resilience. 

"  The  jail  and  sheriff's  house  are  built  to- 
gether, the  entire  length  being  one  hundred  and 
fourteen  feet  by  fifty  feet  in  width.  The  jail 
is  two  stories  in  height,  contains  twenty-four 
cells,  each  8x14,  thirteen  feet  in  height,  hall 
18x68.  A  cast-iron  balustrade,  three  feet  in 
width,  projects  from  the  second  tier  of  cells 
and  extends  entirel}'  around  the  hall.  The 
sheriff's  house  contains  nine  roinns,  including 
dining-room  and  kitchen  ;  the  jail  doors  are 
four  inches  thick,  made  of  oak  with  boiler- 
iron  between,  firmly  bolted  together ;  the 
windows  are  protected  by  one  and  one-half 
inches  round  iron.  The  foundations — seven 
feet  in  width — are  sunk  to  the  solid  rock, 
tw«nty-four  feet  below  the  surface.  The  entire 
structure,  including  cornice,  window-caps  and 
tower,  are  of  fine-cut  stone  from  the  Catfish 
quarry,  in  Clarion  county. 


"The  sheriff's  house  is  furnished  with  all 
the  latest  modern  improvements — bath-rooms 
on  both  floors,  gas  and  hot  and  cold  water 
throughout  the  building.  The  cupola  rises 
one  hundred  and  eight  feet  from  the  ground. 
James  McCullough,  Jr.,  of  Kittanning,  was 
the  architect,  and  superintended  the  erection 
of  (he  building.  It  was  erectetl  in  1870-73, 
at  a  cost  of  $268,000.  From  its  cost  and  color 
it  has  been  euphoniously  dubbed  the  '  White 
Elephant.'" 

Tiie  press  of  Kittanning  is  progressive  and 
ever  watchful  of  the  interests  of  the  county. 
Its  pioneer  was  Tlie  Western  E(i(/le,  established 
on  September  20,  1810,  by  Capt.  James  Alex- 
ander. The  next  paper  was  the  Columbian  and 
Advertiser,  which  was  founded  in  1819  by 
Frederick  and  George  llohrer,  and  was  niei'ged 
with  the  Kittanning  Gazette,  a  sheet  that  was 
established  in  1825  by  Josiah  Copley  and  John 
Croli.  The  Gazette  was  successively  known  as 
the  Democratic  Press  (1841)  and  Kittanning 
Free  Press,  and  in  1864  bet^ame  the  present 
Union  Free  Press.  In  1830  Judge  Buffington 
founded  the  Armstronr/  Advertiser  and  Anti- 
Mcmonic  Free  Press,  which  passed  out  of  exist- 
ence three  years  later.  The  Armstrong  Demo- 
crat was  established  June  4,  1834,  and  is  now 
the  Armstrong  Republican.  The  Mentor  was 
founded  in  1862,  and  two  years  later  became 
the  present  Democratic  Sentinel.  The  Centen- 
nial was  started  in  1874,  while  the  Valley  Tiinea 
was  transferred  from  Freeport  to  Kittanning, 
May  6,  1876. 

Some  of  the  citizens  of  Kittanning  .served  in 
the  war  of  1812,  while  many  soldiers  of  the  late 
war  went  from  the  borough.  The  Kittanning 
Insurance  company  was  organized  in  1853,  the 
Kittanning  Gas  company  was  incorporated  in 
1858  and  the  Kittanning  Water  company  was 
chartered  in  1866.  The  Kittanning  Cemetery 
company  was  chartered  February  18, 1853,  and 
in  1858  purchased  the  ground  of  the  present 
Kittanning  cemetery,  which  contains  over  fifteen 


.•530 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


acres  adjoining  the  borough,  and  is  tastefully 
laid  out  into  avenues  and  lots. 

"  The  Kittauning  mineral  spring  is  situated  at 
the  base  of  the  hill,  near  the  court-house.  Issu- 
ing from  the  shales  directly  above  the  Buhrstone 
ore,  the  water  contains  such  ingredients  as  would 
be  liberated  by  chemical  reaction,  either  from 
the  Buhrstone  stratum  or  from  the  ore  masses 
contained  in  the  shale.  Lime  is  its  principal 
ingredient,  both  as  bicarbonate  and  sulphate ; 
and  containing  also  some  magnesia,  the  water  is 
said  to  act  in  medicine  as  an  alterative.  Its  iron 
gives  to  it  a  mild  tonic  effect.  The  physicians 
of  the  town  highly  indorse  the  spring,  and  by 
some  of  the  residents,  who  speak  from  actual 
experience  of  its  properties,  it  is  rated  no  less 
high.  Prof  Genth,  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl" 
vaaia,  analyzed  a  sample  of  the  water  which 
had  been  sent  to  him  for  that  purpose,  by  Mr- 
11.  AV.  Smith,  with  the  following  results :  One 
gallon  of  231  cubic  inches : 

"Sulphate  of  alumina,  1.52753  ;  sulphate  of 
ferrous  oxide,  24.49271  ;  sulphate  of  magnesia, 
26.84937  ;  sulphate  of  lime,  65.12190  ;  sulphate 
of  soda,  8.72585;  sulphate  of  potash,  0.90762 ; 
phosphate  of  lime,  0.11036  ;  bicarbonate  of  lime, 
16.05445  ;  bicarbonate  of  manganese,  0.24629  ; 
chloride  of  sodium,  0.64741  ;  and  silicic  acid, 
1.17201  ;  total,  145.85550." 

Kit  tanning  is  forty-four  miles  from  Pitts- 
burgh, and  its  chief  industry  is  the  iron  trade. 
The  hills  surrounding  are  full  of  coal  and  iron 
ore,  and  its  blast  furnaces  use  for  power  natural 
gas,  which  is  supplied  by  strong  wells.  The 
iron  ore  mines  employ  700  men,  while  it  re- 
quires 300  to  run  the  furnaces.  The  Wick 
China  ware  works  employ  a  strong  force  of 
hands  and  ship  their  ware  to  different  parts  of 
the  United  States.  The  town  besides  these  in- 
dustries has  two  plan ing-m ills,  two-  fire-clay 
works,  two  brick  yards  and  two  flouring-mills. 
It  is  lighted  with  gas,  has  three  banks,  four 
hotels,  an  opera  house  and  a  fine  union  school 
building. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


"riEN.  ROBERT  ORR.  The  late  Judge 
^  Robert  Orr  was  born  in  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania  (probably  in  Hannas- 
town),  upon  March  5,  1786.  His  father,  whose 
name  descended  to  the  subject  of  our  sketch, 
had  been  one  of  the  defenders  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania frontier,  had  enjoyed  .some  official  dis- 
tinction in  Westmoreland  county,  and  was  one 
of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  Armstrong  county 
west  of  the  Allegheny.  His  mother's  maiden- 
name  was  Fannie  Culbertson.  Coming  with 
his  parents  to  what  was  then  almost  the  verge 
of  the  iniiabited  portion  of  the  country  while 
still  a  minor,  Robert  Orr  entered  upon  his  man- 
hood as  a  pioneer,  and  had  considerable  exper- 
ience in  that  rugged  condition  of  life  for  which 
the  strong  alone  were  fitted.  His  boyhood  had 
Ijeen  passed  in  a  region  which  afforded  educa- 
tional and  other  opportunities  scarcely  in 
advance  of  those  he  found  in  sparsely-settled 
Armstrong  county.  The  young  man  resided 
with  his  parents  in  Sugar  Creek  township  for  a 
few  years,  and  in  1805,  when  the  county  was 
organized  for  judicial  purposes,  came  to  Kittau- 
ning to  serve  as  deputy  for  his  brother  John, 
who  was  the  first  sheriff  of  the  county.  Sub- 
sequently he  studied  and  followed  surveying, 
and  in  still  later  years  was  appointed  deputy 
district  surveyor. 

"Gen.  Orr  inherited  from  his  father  the 
strongest  spirit  of  patriotism  and  a  fondness  for 
military  pursuits.  When  the  war  of  1812  broke 
out  he  was  very  naturally  found  among  the 
defenders  of  our  country,  and  renderetl  valuable 
services.  History  states  that  the  second  brigade 
of  the  army  rendezvoused  at  Pittsburgh  on 
October  2,  1812, — where  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  elected  major, — and  left  that  place 
the  same  fall  under  command  of  Gen.  Crooks 
to  join  the  northwestern  army  under  Gen.  Har- 
rison, on  the  Miami  river,  where  Fort  Meigs 


Jldrnt 


tf-r 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


333 


was  afterward  built.  At  Upper  Sandusky  they 
were  joined  by  a  brigade  of  militia  from  Vir- 
ginia. From  that  place  Maj.  Orr,  by  the  di- 
rection of  the  general,  took  charge  of  the 
artillery,  munitions,  stores,  etc.,  and  set  off  with 
about  three  hundred  men  to  headquarters  of 
Gen.  Harrison.  While  on  the  march  he  was 
met  by  an  express  from  Harrison,  Ijringing  in- 
formation of  the  defeat  of  Gen.  Winchester  on 
the  River  Raisin,  and  requesting  him  to  bring 
on  his  force  as  rapidly  as  possible.  After  con- 
solidation with  the  balance  of  the  army  from 
Upper  Sandusky,  they  proceeded  to  the  rapids 
of  the  Miami  (Maumee),  where  they  remained 
until  the  six-months  term  of  duty  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania and  Virginia  militia  had  expiretl. 
Gen.  Harrison  then  appealctl  for  volunteers  to 
remain  fifteen  days  longer,  until  he  should  re- 
ceive reinforcements  from  Kentucky.  Maj. 
Orr  and  about  two  hundred  other  Pennsylvan- 
ians  did  volunteer  and  remained  until  they  were 
discharged,  after  the  battle  of  Fort  Meigs,  upon 
April  19,  1813. 

"  It  was  not  long  after  Gen.  Orr's  return  from 
Fort  Meigs  that  he  received  his  first  honor  in 
civil  life.  He  was  elected  to  the  legislature  in 
1817.  He  .served  two  terms  in  that  body  and 
was  then  (1821)  sent  to  the  State  senate  to  rep- 
resent the  large,  but  comparatively  thinly-set- 
tled, district  composed  of  the  counties  of  Arm- 
strong, Warren,  Indiana,  Jefferson,  Cambria 
and  Venango,  the  latter  county  including  much 
of  the  territory  now  in  Clarion.  After  serving 
one  term  he  was  led  to  enter  the  contest  for 
election  to  Congress,  and  doing  so,  defeated 
Gen.  Abner  Lacock.  He  thus  became  the  rep- 
resentative in  the  nineteenth  and  twentieth  Con- 
gresses of  the  district  composed  of  x4.rm8trong, 
Butler,  Beaver  and  Allegheny  counties.  In  the 
legislature,  in  the  State  .senate  and  in  the  Con- 
gress of  the  United  States  he  served  satisfac- 
torily to  his  people  and  with  unwavering  integ- 
rity of  purpose. 

"Later  in  life  Gen.  Orr  was  appointed  by  the 


governor  associate  judge  of  Armstrong  county 
and  .served  very  acceptably  to  the  people.  He 
retained  his  interest  in  military  affairs  and  was 
active  in  the  militia  organizations  of  western 
Pennsylvania,  thereby  acquiring  the  rank  and 
title  of  general. 

"  After  all,  it  was  not  in  official  life  that  Gen. 
Oi  r  was  greatest  or  that  he  was  most  useful  to 
his  people.  He  was  one  of  those  men  who 
needed  not  the  dignity  of  office  to  give  him  a 
name  among  his  fellow-citizens,  or  to  command 
their  love  or  respect.  Debtor  never  had  better 
creditor  than  Robert  Orr.  When  those  to 
whom  he  sold  were  embarras.sed  and  could  not 
meet  their  obligation.s,  he  extended  their  time 
and  gave  them  easier  terms.  With  many  indi- 
viduals this  was  done  again  and  again,  until  at 
last  they  were  able  to  i)ay.  Gen.  Orr  never 
dispossessed  a  man  of  property  on  which  he  was 
toiling  to  discharge  his  indebtedness.  Of^en 
the  sons  of  the  men  who  contracted  with  him 
for  lands  completed  the  payment  for  them.  He 
was  uno.stentatiously  and  judiciously  charitable 
throughout  his  life.  He  did  much  to  advance 
the  interests  of  the  school  and  church,  and  for 
many  years  prior  to  his  death  was  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church. 

"Gen.  Orr's  whole  life  was  identified  with 
Armstrong  county.  For  about  three  years 
(1848-52)  he  resided  in  Allegheny  city,  and 
for  a  short  time,  about  1845,  he  lived  at  Orrs- 
ville  (mouth  of  Mahoning),  but  the  greater 
number  of  his  years  were  pas.sed  in  Kittanning. 
He  was  interested  in  and  helped  to  advance 
almost  every  local  public  improvement  inaug- 
urated during  his  time.  Laboring  zealously 
for  the  construction  of  the  A.  V.  R.  R.,  he 
lived  to  realize  his  hope  in  that  direction  and  to 
see  the  wealth  of  his  county  practically  in- 
crea.sed  by  its  mineral  and  agricultural  resources 
being  made  more  easily  available  to  the  ase  of 
the  world. 

"In  politics  Gen.  Orr  was  a  democrat.  He 
used  his  influence  and  contributed  liberally  of 


334 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


his  meaus  to  assist  the  organization  of  the  mili- 
tary, and  the  camji  where  the  78th  and  the 
103d  regiments  rendezvoused  was  appropriately 
named  in  his  honor.  His  appearance  upon  the 
ground,  when  tiie  soldiers  were  encampetl  there, 
was  always  the  signal  for  an  ovation,  or  at  least 
hearty  cheers,  and  all  who  knew  him  gathered 
round  him  to  shake  the  hand  of  the  old  soldier 
of  1812. 

"Upon  May  22,  1876,  this  grand,  good  old 
man  passed  away  at  his  residence  in  Kittan- 
ning,  after  a  lingering  but  not  severe  illness, 
'  full  of  riches,  full  of  honors  and  full  of  years.' 

"Gen.  Orr  was  married  in  1836  to  Martha, 
sister  of  the  late  Judge  Robert  C.  Grier,  of  the 
United  States  supreme  court,  who  died  Decem- 
ber 7,  1881.  Two  children  were  the  otfsjjrlng 
of  this  propitious  union — Grier  C.  Orr,  Esq., 
and  Fannie  E.  Orr.  The  last-named,  of  most 
estceme<l  memory,  died  March  14,  1882,  after 
a  brief  illness. " 


UTJON.  JOSEPH  BUFFINGTON,  for 
J-A  many  yeare  judge  of  the  '  old  tenth  ' 
district,  and  whose  life  was  intimately  connected 
with  the  history  of  Armstrong  county,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  West  Chester,  county  of  Chester, 
on  the  27th  of  November,  1803,  and  died  at 
Kittanning  on  the  3d  of  February,  1872.  The 
ancestor's  of  Judge  Buffington  were  Quakers  or 
Friends,  who  left  England  several  years  before 
William  Penn,  and  in  1677,  five  years  before 
the  arrival  of  Penn,  we  find  one  of  them,  Rich- 
ard Buffington,  among  the  list  of  'tydables'  at 
Upland,  which  same  Richard  was  the  father  of 
the  first-born  child  of  English  descent  in  the 
Province  of  Pennsylvania.  From  Hazard's 
'  Annals,'  page  468,  as  well  as  from  the  Punn- 
syhrmia  Gazette  from  June  28th  to  July  5th, 
1 739,  we  learn  that,  '  on  the  30th  of  May  past, 
the  children,  grandchildren  and  great-grand- 
children of  Richard  Buffington,  Sr.,  to  the 
number  of  115,  met  together  at  his  home  in 


Chester  county,  as  also  his  nine  sous  and  daugh- 
ters-in-law and  twelve  great-grandchildren-iu- 
law.  The  old  man  is  from  Great  Marie,  upon  the 
Thames,  in  Buckinghamshire,  in  Old  England, 
aged  about  85,  and  is  still  hardy,  active  and  of 
perfect  memory.  His  eldest  son,  now  in  the 
60th  year  of  his  age,  was  the  first-born  son  of 
English  descent  in  this  Province.' 

"  The  second  son,  Thomas,  was  born  atout 
1680,  and  dietl  in  December,  1739.  He  was 
married  to  Ruth  Cope,  and,  among  other  ciiil- 
dren,  left  a  son,  William,  who  was  first  married 
to  Lena  Ferrce,  as  appears  in  Rupp's  '  History 
of  Lancaster  county,'  page  112,  and  afterwards 
to  a  second  wife,  Alice,  whose  maiden-name  is 
unknown.  By  this  .second  wife  there  was  born, 
in  1736,  a  .son  Jonathan,  who  died  October  IS, 
1801.  This  Jonathan  Buffington  was  the  grand- 
father of  Judge  Buffington.  He  owned  and 
operated  a  grist-mill,  which  is  .still  standing  at 
North  Brook,  near  the  site  of  the  battle  of  the 
Brandywine.  At  the  time  of  that  battle  (Sep- 
tember, 1777),  his  mill  was  taken  jJossession  of 
by  the  British  troops,  and  the  non-combatant 
Friend  compelled  to  furnish  food  for  the 
British. 

"  .Jonathan  Buffington  was  married  to  Ann 
(born  1739,  died  June  16,  1811),  daughter  of 
Edward  and  Ann  Clayton.  Their  third  child, 
Ephraim  Buffington,  was  born  March  23, 
1767,  and  died  December  30,  1832.  Ephraim 
Buffington  was  married  to  Rebecca  Fi-ancis 
March  4,  1790,  at  the  Old  Swedes  church, 
Wilmington,  Delaware.  He  kept  a  hotel  at 
West  Chester,  at  a  tavern  stand  known  as  the 
'  White  Hall,'  a  venerable  hostelry,  and  well 
known  throughout  that  region  for  many  years. 
It  was  here  that  Judge  Buffington  was  born 
and  lived  until  his  tenth  year,  when  his  father, 
in  hopes  of  bettering  his  fortunes  in  the  then 
West,  left  Chester  county,  came  over  the 
mountains  and  settled  at  Pine  creek,  about  five 
miles  above  Pittsburgh,  on  the  Allegheny  river. 
When  about  eighteen  years  of  age  he  entered 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


337 


the  Western  university  at]  Pittsburgh,  then 
umler  the  charge  of  Dr.  Bruce,  at  which  place 
he  also  enjoyed  the  instructions  of  the  venera- 
ble Dr.  Joseph  Stockton.  After  finishing  a 
liberal  course  of  studies,  he  went  to  Butler, 
Pennsylvania,  and  for  sometime  prior  to  study- 
ing law,  edited  a  weekly  newspaper  called  the 
Butler  Eepusitory,  and,  in  company  with  Sam- 
uel A.  Purviance, — afterward  a  well-known 
memlier  of  the  Allegheny  County  bar  and  attor- 
ney-general of  the  Commonwealth — he  engaged 
in  keeping  a  small  grocery-store.  Soon  after- 
ward he  entered,  as  a  student  of  law,  the  office 
of  Gen.  AVilliam  Ayers,  at  that  time  one  of  the 
celebrated  lawyers  of  western  Pennsylvania, 
under  whose  careful  training  he  laid  a  thorough 
foundation  for  his  chosen  life-work.  During 
his  student-life  he  married  Miss  Catherine 
Mechliiig,  a  daughter  of  Hon.  Jacob  Mechling, 
of  Butler  county,  a  prominent  politician  of  that 
region,  and  for  many  years  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Representatives  and  the  Senate  of 
Pennsylvania.  Mrs.  Buffington  survived  her 
husband,  <lyiug  September  11,  1873.  They  left 
no  children,  their  only  child,  Mary,  having  died 
in  infancy. 

"  In  Jidy,  1826,  he  was  admitted  to  practice 
in  Butler  county,  and  in  the  Supreme  Court  ou 
September  10,  1828.  He  remained  at  the  But- 
ler bar  f(jr  about  a  year,  but  finding  that  the 
business  was  largely  absorbed  by  older  and  more 
experienced  practitioners,  he  determined  to  seek 
some  new  field  of  labor,  and  finally  decided 
upon  Armstrong  county,  to  which  he  removed 
and  settled  at  Kittanning,  where  he  continued 
to  reside  until  his  death.  Shortly  after  his 
coming  he  purchased  from  his  preceptor,  Gen- 
eral Ayres,  the  lots  on  Water  street,  which 
afterward  became  his  home,  and  on  which  he 
built  the  old  home.stead. 

"  Though  the  first  years  of  his  professional 
life  were  full  of  hardship  and  narrow  means, 
yet  his  industry,  integrity  and  close  application 
soon  brought  him  to  the  front  of  the  bar.       He 


was  con.stantly  in  attendance  upon  the  courts  of 
Clarion,  Jeifenson,  Armstrong  and  Indiana,  and 
his  services  were  often  in  demand  in  other  coun- 
ties. He  was  connected  with  all  the  important 
land  trials  of  these  regions,  and  his  knowledge 
of  this  intricate  branch  of  the  law  was  thorough 
and  exhaustive. 

"  Upon  coming  to  manhoinl.  Judge  Buffing- 
ton  took  a  strong  interest  in  politics.  At  the 
inception  of  the  anti- masonic  party  in  1831,  or 
thereabouts,  he  became  one  of  its  members,  and 
served  as  a  delegate  to  the  natioual  convention  of 
that  body,  which  met  at  Baltimore  in  1832,  and 
nominated  William  Wirt  for  the  presidency.  In 
1840  he  became  a  whig,  taking  an  active  part  in 
the  election  of  Gen.  Harrison  and  serving  as 
one  of  the  presidential  electors  on  the  whig 
ticket. 

"  In  the  fall  of  1843  he  was  elected  a  member 
c)f  Congress  as  the  whig  candidate  in  the  district 
composed  of  the  counties  of  Armstrong,  Butler, 
Clearfield  and  Indiana,  his  competitor  being  Dr. 

:  Lorain,  of  Clearfield  county.  In  1844  he  was 
again  elected  in  the  same  district,  his  com- 
petitor   being   Judge    McKennan,    of   Indiana 

j  county.  During  his  membership  of  the  house 
he  voted  with  the  whigs  on  all  important  meas- 
ures, among;  others  voting  aiiaiiist  the  admission 
of  Texas  on  the  ground  of  opposition  to  the  ex- 

•  tension  of  slave  territory. 

"  His  feliow-towusman  and  warm  personal 
friend,  Hon.  W.  F.  Johnston,  having  been 
elected  governor,  he  appointed  Mr.  Buffington 
in  1849  to  the  position  of  president-judge  of  the 
eighteenth  judicial  district,  composed  of  Clarion, 
Elk,  Jefferson  and  Venango  counties.  This 
position  he  held  until  1851,  when  he  was  de- 
feated in  the  judicial  election  by  Ilcm  John  C. 
Knox,  the  district  being  largely  democratic. 

"In  1852  he  was  nominated  by  the  whig 
State  convention  forthe  judgesiiip  of  the  supreme 
court.  In  the  general  overthrow  of  the  whig 
party,  which  resulted  in  the  defeat  of  Gen. 
Scott  for  the  presidency.  Judge  Buffington  was 


338 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


defeated,  his  competitor  being  the  late   Chief 
Justice  Woodward,  of  Luzerne  county. 

"  The  same  year  he  was  appointed  by  Pres- 
ident Fillmore  chief-justice  of  Utah  territory, 
then  just  organized,  but  declined  to  accept  the 
proffered  honor. 

"  In  the  year  1855,  on  the  resignation  of 
Hon.  John  Murray  Burrill,  judge  of  the  Tenth 
District,  he  was  appointed  to  that  position  by 
Gov.  Pollock,  with  whom  he  liad  been  a  fel- 
low-member of  Congress,  In  the  fall  of  1856 
he  was  elected  to  fill  the  position  to  which  he 
hud  been  appointed,  for  a  term  of  ten  years. 
In  1871  failing  health  admonished  him  that 
the  judicial  labors,  already  too  great  for  any 
one  man  to  perform,  were  certainly  too  severe 
for  one  who  had  passed  the  meridian  of  life 
and  had  borne  the  burden  and  heat  of  the  day. 
It  was,  indeed,  hard  for  him  to  listen  to  the 
demands  of  a  feeble  frame;  but,  sustained  by 
the  consciousness  of  duty  well  done,  and  cheered 
by  united  voices  from  without,  proclaiming  his 
life  mission  to  the  public  nobly  performed,  he 
left  the  busy  scenes  of  labor  and  retired  to  pri- 
vate life  after  forty-six  years'  connection  with 
the  bench  and  bar  of  the  Commonwealth,  to 
the  thoroughness  and  industry  of  which  the 
State  reports  of  Pennsylvania  bear  silent,  but 
eloquent  testimony.  Surrounded  by  friends 
and  every  comfort  of  life,  the  following  year 
passed  quickly;  but,  as  in  the  case  of  many  an 
overworked  professional  man,  the  final  sum- 
mons came  without  warning.  On  Saturday, 
February  3,  1872,  he  was  in  his  usual  health, 
and,  rising  from  dinner,  he  went  to  an  adjoin- 
ing room,  across  which  he  commenced  walking, 
as  was  his  custom.  His  wife,  coming  in  a  few 
moments  later,  found  him  lying  peacefully  upon 
the  sofa  in  the  sleep  of  death.  He  was  buried 
according  to  the  services  of  the  Episcopal 
church,  of  which  he  had  been  an  attendant, 
ofiScer  and  liberal  supporter  for  many  years. 
He  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Kittanning, 
where  his  resting-place  has  been  marked  by  a 


substantial  granite  monument, — a  fitting  em- 
blem of  the  completeness  of  his  own  life." 


MAJOR-GENERAL  JOHN  ARMSTRONG, 
the  hero  of  Kittanning,  was  one  of  Wash- 
ington's bravest  and  most  successful  generals. 
He  was  born  in  the  north  of  Ireland  in  1725, 
and  some  time  between  1745  and  1748  he  be- 
came a  settler  in  the  Kittatinny  Valley,  west 
of  the  Susquehanna  river,  then  the  frontier  of 
Pennsylvania  and  on  the  confines  of  civiliza- 
tion. He  was  well  educated,  and  followed  his 
profession  of  surveyor  in  his  new-world  home. 
In  1750  he  and  a  Mr.  Lyon  laid  out  Carlisle, 
and  four  years  later  he  was  sent  by  Gov. 
Morris  as  a  commissioner  to  Connecticut  in 
regard  to  a  land  trouble  between  the  Indians 
and  Connecticut  settlers  in  Wyoming  Valley, 
Pa.  In  1765  Mr.  Armstrong  surveyed  and 
opened  a  road  from  Carlisle  to  the  "  Three 
Forks"  of  the  Youghiogheny  river,  over  which 
supplies  were  to  be  carried  to  Braddock's  army. 
After  Braddock's  defeat  he  enlisted  as  a  private 
in  a  frontier  comjiany,  but  in  January,  1756, 
was  elected  captain,  and  on  May  11th  of  the 
same  year  was  commissioned  lieutenant-colonel. 
In  the  summer  of  1756  he  comanded  the 
exjieditiou  against  the  Indian  village  of  Kit- 
tanning, which  has  made  his  name  famous  for 
all  time  to  come  in  American  history,  and 
which  is  given  in  detail  in  the  historical  sketch 
of  the  county.  In  1757  he  served  on  the  fron- 
tier, was  commissioned  colonel  on  May  27, 
1758,  and  commanded  the  advanced  division 
of  the  Pennsylvania  troops  in  Forbes'  expe- 
dition against  Ft.  Duquesne.  He  was  a  tower 
of  strength  on  the  frontier  during  Pontiac's 
war,  and  on  the  30th  of  September,  1763,  led 
a  very  successful  expedition  against  the  Indian 
towns  on  the  west  branch  of  the  Susquehanna. 
He  was  the  first  brigadier-general  commis- 
sioned (March  1,  1776)  by  (he  Continental 
Congress.      He    served    at    Ft.    Moultrie,    in 


AEMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


339 


Charleston  harbor,  and  on  April  5,  1877,  was 
com  missioned  major-general  by  the  Supreme 
Council  of  this  State.  He  commanded  the 
Pennsylvania  Militia  at  the  battles  of  Brandy- 
wine  and  Germautowu.  He  was  sent  to  Con- 
gress in  1778,  and  again  in  1787.  His  public 
career  closed  with  his  last  term  in  Congress, 
and  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  at  Car- 
lisle. 

His  son,  Major-General  John  Armstrong, 
Jr.,  was  born  at  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  No- 
vciiilH'r  25,  1758,  and  died  at  Red  Hook,  New 
York,  April  1,  1843.  He  served  in  (he  Revo- 
lutionary war,  was  the  author  of  the  celebrated 
"  Newburg  Letters,"  and  was  secretary  of  war 
in  1814,  but  was  obliged  to  resign  because  he 
did  not  prevent  the  capture  of  Washington 
City  by  the  Britisli,  in  August  of  that  year 
Another  of  his  .sons,  Col.  Henry  B.  Armstrong, 
fought  gallantly  in  the  war  of  1812. 

Gen.  John  Armstrong  was  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  and  was  largely  instru- 
mental in  establishing  the  first  church  which 
was  organized  at  Carlisle,  in  1757.  On  Marcli 
9,  1795,  the  spirit  of  the  grand  old  hero  left 
its  tenement  of  clay,  and  passed  into  the  great 
beyond.  His  remains  lie  entombed  in  the  old 
cemetery  at  Carlisle  as  yet  without  a  suitable 
monument. 


HARRY  A.  ARNOLD.  One  of  the  most 
active  and  best  business  men  of  Kittanning 
is  Harry  A.  Arnold,  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity  and  a  leading  representative 
of  the  most  reliable  fire  insurance  companies  of 
the  ITnited  States  and  England.  He  is  a  son  of 
Harry  J.  and  Mary  (Mechling)  Arnold,  and 
was  born  on  Jefferson  street,  at  Kittanning, 
Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  November  17, 
1852,  Prominent  among  the  early  business 
men  and  influential  citizens  of  Kittanning 
borough  and  Armstrong  county  was  Major 
Andrew  Arnold,  the  grandfather  of  the  subject 


of  this  sketch.  He  established  an  extensive 
tannery  at  Manorville,  had  large  landed  interests 
in  the  county  and  ranked  as  one  of  the  wealthy 
men  of  his  day.  He  was  a  man  of  talent  and 
ability,  as  well  as  of  business  enterprise,  and 
served  with  distinction  as  associate  judge  of 
Armstrong  county  for  many  years.  An  old- 
line  whig  and  an  ardent  sui)p()rter  of  Henry 
Clay,  he  naturally  was  drawn  into  politics  and 
became  an  able  leader  of  the  Whig  party  in  his 
Congressional  district.  His  wife  was  Isabella 
Parks,  daughter  of  Robert  Parks,  an  early 
settler  and  leading  citizen.  Their  family  con- 
sisted of  two  sons  and  two  daughters.  The 
eldest  son  was  born  at  Kittanning  and  died  there 
in  1862.  Harry  J.  Arnold  succeeded  his  father 
in  charge  of  the  Manorville  tannery  and  the 
management  of  several  productive  farms.  In 
addition  to  these  lines  of  business  he  sought  for 
a  wider  field  of  labor,  and  accordingly  embarked 
in  the  mercantile  business  at  Kittanning  and  be- 
came one  of  the  owners  and  operators  of  Dudley 
furnace,  four  miles  distant  from  Parker.  He 
inherited  his  father's  financial  ability  and  ranked 
high  among  the  able  and  successful  business 
men  of  the  county.  A  democrat  in  politics,  he 
was  elected  treasurer  of  Armstrong  county  and 
served  most  acceptably  until  the  end  of  his  term- 
He  was  a  member  of  high  degree  in  the  Masonic 
fraternity ;  was  very  charitable,  and  was  popu- 
larly known  as  the  poor  man's  friend.  He 
married  Mary  Mechling,  daughter  of  Philip 
Mechling,  a  large  property  holder  of  Kittanning. 
She  died  and  left  two  children,  Harry  A.  and 
Belle.  For  his  second  wife  he  married  Mary 
Crum,  who  bore  him  two  daughters.  Elizabeth, 
the  eldest,  is  the  wife  of  T.  W.  Young,  a  large 
oil  producer,  and  the  younger  daughter  married 
C.  N.  Royce,  superintendent  of  the  Green  Line 
Oil  road. 

Harry  A.  Arnold  received  his  literary  educa- 
tion in  the  public  .schools  of  Kittanning  and 
Princeton  college,  and  to  thoroughly  fit  himself 
for  a  business  career  in  life  he  attended  and  took 


340 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


the  full  commercial  course  of  Duff's  college, 
Pittsburgh,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1870.  His  first  employment  was  as  a  clerk  for 
Campbell,  McConnell  &  Sou,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained for  three  years.  He  then  went  to  Parker^ 
Pa.,  where  he  had  an  interest  in  several  oil  wells, 
and  was  a  successful  oil  producer  for  six  years- 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  came  to  Kittanning, 
where  he  was  in  the  employ  of  J.  A.  Gault  in 
tlie  mercantile  business  for  two  years.  He  then 
(spring  of  1880)  embarked  in  his  present  life 
and  fire  insurance  business.  He  is  agent  for  the 
Equitable  Life  Insurance  company,  but  makes  a 
specialty  of  fire  insurance  and  represents  many 
of  the  old  line  and  standard  companies  of  both  the 
(lid  and  the  new  world  in  this  important  branch 
of  insurance  wliich  renders  its  patrons  safe  from 
less  by  fire.  Mr.  Arnold  is  a  republican  in 
politics,  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  of  Greensburg,  Westmoreland  county 
Pa.,  and  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason  in  Masonry 
He  is  secretary  of  his  chapter,  is  well  up  in  the 
work  of  the  lodge  and  chapter  and  has  fre. 
cpiently  been  deputized  to  give  instructions  in 
the  beautiful,  beneficent  and  moral  teachings  of 
Masonry  in  lodges  and  chapters  of  the  order. 
He  is  conducting  bis  present  business  with  skill, 
honesty  and  success,  and  large  nu  tubers  of  the 
prudent  householders  of  the  county  are  his 
patrons. 

Harry  A.  Arnold  on  April  19,  1882,  united 
in  marriage  with  Ida  B.  Luker,  daugliter  of 
Benjamin  Luker,  of  Kittanning,  and  a  former 
mei'cantile  partner  of  J.  A.  Gault.  To  their 
union  has  been  born  one  child,  a  son  named  Ben- 
jamin Luker  Arnold,  born  in  1888. 


county,  Pennsylvania,  January  7,  1848,  and  is 
a  son  of  George  and  Barbara  (Shaffer)  Aye. 
His  pai'ents  were  natives  of  the  Kingdom  of 
Bavaria,  now  a  part  of  the  great  German  em- 
pire, and  were  life-long  members  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  churcli,  in  whose  faith  they 
had  been  reared.  They  came  to  the  United 
States  about  1830,  and  located  in  Allegheny 
city.  The  father,  George  Aye,  followed  team- 
ing for  ten  years  and  then  came  to  Manor 
township  where  he  followed  farming  until  his 
death,  in  1870,  at  sixty-two  years  of  age.  The 
mother,  Barbara  Aye,  who  was  a  consistent 
Christian,  died  in  March,  1890,  when  she  had 
attained  to  her  three-score  and  ten  years.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Aye  were  the  parents  of  eleven  chil- 
dren. 


FREDERICK  AYE.  Among  the  success- 
ful grocery  firms  of  Kittanning  is  the  firm 
of  Fred.  Aye  &  Co.  The  senior  member  of  the 
firm,  Frederick  Aye,  is  one  of  the  successful 
young  business  men  of  his  town.  He  was  born 
in  the  Third  ward  of  Allegheny  city,  Allegheny 


WC.  BAILEY,  a  member  of  the  present 
•  efficient  and  courteous  board  of  commis- 
sioners of  Armstrong  county,  and  a  substantial 
and  influential  farmer  of  Manor  township,  is 
a  son  of  Jackson  and  Jane(Cunningham)  Bailey, 
and  was  born  on  the  old  Bailey  homestead,  in 
Manor  township,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, October  22,  1849.  The  Bailey  family 
of  Armstrong  county  traces  its  ancestry  back  to 
the  Bailey  family  of  Centre  county,  of  which  it 
is  a  branch. 

Richard  Bailey,  the  paternal  grandfather  of  W. 
C.  Bailey,  was  born  and  reared  in  Centre  coun- 
ty.    Late  in  life  he  came  to  Armstrong  county, 
where  he  purchased  a  tract  of  four  hundred 
acres  of  land  on   the  Allegheny  river,  three 
miles   below    Kittanning.      He   spent   the   re- 
mainder of  his  days  in  clearing  and   improving 
his   land.      He   married    a   Miss   Johnson,  of 
Centre  county,  who   bore  him   seven  children, 
all   of  whom    grew   up   to   years  of   maturity. 
One  of  the  sons  was  Jackson  Bailey  (father), 
who  was  born  in  Centre  county,  and  came  with 
his  father  to   this  county  when   a  young    man. 
He  followed  farming   and   stock-rais?ng,    was 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


341 


one  of  the  thrifty  and  substantial  farmers  of 
his  community,  and  possessed  many  of  those 
qualities  of  character  which  contribute  to  his 
success.  He  was  a  republican  in  politics  and  a 
presbyterian  in  religious  faith,  and  died  after  a 
life  of  activity  and  usefulness.  The  record  of 
his  life  is  uneventful  indeed  so  far  as  stirring 
incident  or  public  position  is  concerned,  but  is 
still  distinguished  by  the  most  substantial  (juali- 
ties  of  character,  and  exhibits  a  long  and  honest 
career  of  private  industry  pursued  with  mod- 
eration and  crowned  with  success.  He  was 
popular  in  his  neighborhood  for  his  many  good 
qualities  of  head  and  heart.  He  married  Jane 
Cunningham,  a  daughter  of  William  Cunning- 
ham, a  well-to-do  farmer.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bai- 
ley were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom 
nine  are  living. 

W.  C.  Bailey  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm, 
where  he  was  trained  to  habits  of  industry  and 
economy.  He  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  township,  and 
was  successfully  engaged  in  farming  until  1885. 
In  that  year  he  was  nominated  for  county  com- 
missioner by  the  republicans,  and  was  elected 
by  a  very  respectable  majority.  At  the  end  of 
his  term  of  office,  in  1887,  his  course  of  action 
in  taking  care  of  the  county's  financial  interests 
had  been  so  commendable  to  his  own  party,  and 
so  satisfactory  to  the  public,  that  he  received  a 
re-nomination  from  the  hands  of  the  former 
and  an  increased  majority  over  the  previous 
election  from  the  vote  of  the  latter.  He  is  now 
serving  on  his  second  term  with  every  manifes- 
tation of  continued  popularity  with  the  public. 

In  1881  he  united  in  marriage  with  Mary 
Speer,  daughter  of  Alexander  Speer,  a  druggist 
of  Sharpsburg,  Allegheny  comity.  Their  union 
has  been  blessed  with  one  son  and  three  daugh- 
ters: Ida,  Florence,  Laura  and  Richard. 

In  politics  Mr.  Bailey  has  always  been  a 
republican.  In  religious  belief  he  is  a  presby- 
terian, and  is  a  member  and  trustee  of  his 
church  of  that  denomination,  in   Manor  town- 


ship. He  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  the  Junior  Order 
of  United  American  Mechanics.  Active  indus- 
try has  been  and  continues  to  be  with  W.  C. 
Bailey  the  habit  of  his  life.  His  time  is  well 
occupied  and  equally  well-ordered,  and  his 
work  is  done  with  due  moderation,  l)ut  also 
with  every  preparation  for  success. 


JOSEPH  &  ORR  BUFFINGTON.  Josepii 
^  Buffiiigton,  the  senior  member  of  the  law 
firm  of  BufEngton  &  Butfington,  of  the  Kit- 
tanning  Bar,  is  a  son  of  Ephraini  and  Margaret 
C.  (Orr)  Buffington  and  was  born  at  Kittanning, 
Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  September  5, 
185.5.  The  Buffington  family  is  one  of  the  old 
families  of  Pennsylvania  which  traces  its  an- 
cestry into  the  early  days  of  Pennsylvania's 
colonial  history.  In  1677,  Richard  Buffington, 
who  was  a  Quaker,  and  born  at  Great  Marie,  up- 
on the  Thauies,  in  Buckinghamshire,  England, 
about  1654,  was  resident  at  Upland,  near  the 
Delaware  river.  He  was  the  father  of  the  first- 
born child  of  English  descent  in  the  province 
of  Pennsylvania.  His  second  son,  Thomas 
(born  1680,  died  1739),  was  the  father  of  Jona- 
than Buffington,  who  was  born  in  1736,  mar- 
ried Ann  Clayton,  and  died  in  1801.  Their 
third  child,  Ephraim,  was  born  in  1767  and 
died  in  1832.  He  married  Rebecca  Francis 
and  kept  the  noted  "  White  Hall  Tavern  "  at 
We.st  Chester.  About  1813  he  left  Chester 
county  and  came  west,  settling  at  Pine  creek, 
on  the  Allegheny  river  about  five  miles  above 
Pittsburgh.  One  of  his  sons  was  Judge  Joseph 
Buffington,  and  another  was  John  Buffington 
(grandfather),  who  was  born  about  1799,  and 
died  March  31,  1832.  He  married  Hannah 
Allison.  His  son,  Ephraim  Buffington  (father) 
was  born  at  Pine  creek,  near  Pittsburgh, 
August  8,  1821.  He  received  his  education  in 
Allegheny  college,  at  Meadville,  Pa.,  and  Jef- 
ferson college,  at  Cannonsburg,  read  law  with 


342 


BIOOBAPHTES  OF 


his  uncle,  Judge  Buffiugtou,  was  admitted  to 
the  Armstrong  county  bar,  and  practiced  his 
profession  for  sevei-al  years.  He  then  retired 
from  active  practice  in  order  to  devote  his  time  j 
to  laud  interests  which  demanded  his  attention, 
and  gave  his  attention  to  the  coal  and  oil  busi-  j 
uess,  in  which  he  was  interested  During  the 
late  war  he  served  as  a  provost-mai'shal,  and 
afterwards  was  connected  for  several  years  with 
the  internal  revenue  service  in  which  he  was 
deputy  collector  for  Armstrong  county.  He 
has  always  been  a  strong  republican.  He  is  an 
attendant  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church. 
He  married  Margaret  C.  Orr,  daughter  of  ex- 
Sheriif  Chambers  Orr,  of  South  Bend,  on  the 
21st  of  January,  1845.  They  have  six  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  living. 

Joseph  Buffington  attended  the  Lambeth  and 
other  schools  of  Kittanning,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1871  entered  Trinity  college,  from  which  insti- 
tution of  learning  he  was  graduated  July  1875. 
He  read  law  with  Judge  James  B.  Neale,  of  Kit- 
tanning,  and  Judge  Logan,  of  Greensbnrg,  was 
admitted  to  Armstrong  county  bar,  September 
5,  1878,  and  formed  a  law  partnership  with 
Judge  Neale,  which  lasted  until  the  latter  took 
his  seat  upon  the  bench  in  1879.  In  1881  he 
and  his  brother,  Orr  Buffington,  formed  their 
present  law  partnership  under  the  firm- name  of 
Buffington  &  Buffington.  This  firm  is  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  foremost  in  practice  in  Arm- 
strong county.  On  January  29th,  1885,  Mr. 
Buffington  married  Mary  Alice  Simonton,  a 
daughter  of  Rev.  Dr.  Simonton,  of  Emmitts- 
burg,  Maryland.  As  a  lawyer,  he  has  e.stab- 
lished  a  reputation  for  ability  and  success.  His 
political  connections  have  been  with  the  repub- 
lican party,  and  he  has  taken  an  active  part  in 
advocating  the  measures  and  men  of  that  organ- 
ization. 

Orr  Buffington,  the  junior  member  of  the 
firm,  and  a  promising  young  member  of  the 
Armstrong  county  bar,  was  born  at  Kittanning, 
April  29th,  1858.     He  received  his  academic 


education  in  private  schools  of  his  native  town, 
and  entered  Trinity  college,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  June,  1879.  He  read  law  with  his 
brother,  Joseph  Buffington,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1881  and  immediately  entered  into  part- 
nership with  him  in  the  practice  of  law,  to 
which  he  devotes  his  time  and  close  attention. 
He  married,  in  1882,  Charlotte  M.  Hyde,  a 
daughter  of  S.  T.  Hydo,  a  prominent  lawyer  of 
the  New  York  city  bar.  They  have  three 
children  :  Morgan,  Margaret  and  Sydney. 


AUSTIN  CLARK,  of  Kittanning,  is  one  who 
stands  in  the  front  rank  of  the  many  able 
and  prominent  lawyers  of  Armstrong  county 
and  western  Pennsylvania.  He  is  a  son  of  Jo- 
seph and  Pauline  (Kelley)  Clark,  and  was  born 
in  the  then  sherift's  residence  at  Kittanning, 
Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  July  20, 
1854.  The  founder  of  the  Clark  family  of 
western  Pennsylvania,  of  which  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  is  a  member,  was  Capt.  James  Clark, 
a  brave  Revolutionary  officer.  After  participat- 
ing in  the  battles  of  the  great  struggle  which 
won  the  independence  of  the  thirteen  colonies 
or  "  seashore  republics,"  he  came  to  Westmore- 
land couuty  about  the  time  of  the  burning  of 
Hannastown  (1782)  and  helped  to  win  the  soil 
of  western  Pennsylvania  from  the  power  of  the 
merciless  Indian.  He  reared  a  family  of  chil- 
dren, among  whose  descendants  are  many  honor- 
able and  distinguished  citizens  of  the  great  com- 
monwealth of  Pennsylvania.  One  of  his  sons 
was  William  Clark  (grandfather),  who  lived 
uear  South  Bend,  in  Armstrong  county,  where 
Clark's  block-house  or  station  once  stood  in  In- 
dian times  and  was  so  named  in  honor  of  his 
father.  William  Clark  was  born  in  1778  and 
died  in  1823.  He  married  Sarah  Woodward, 
who  was  born  in  1786  and  died  in  1821.  One 
of  their  sons  was  James,  the  father  of  Judge  Silas 
M.  Clark,  a  justice  of  the]Supreme  Bench  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  another  was  Joseph   Clark 


ARMSTRONQ  COUNTY. 


343 


(father),  who  was  born  at  South  Bend,  this 
county,  March  3, 1813.  He  resided  for  a  short 
time  at  Slielocta,  where  he  built  a  hotel.  In 
1842  he  removed  to  Kittanning,  kept  the  Prit- 
ner  liotel  and  Nulton  liouse  and  in  1850  went 
to  Freeport  as  supervisor  of  the  Pennsylvania 
canal.  In  1852  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Arm- 
strong county,  in  wliich  office  he  served  for 
three  years  and  then,  iu  recognition  of  his  abil- 
ity, firmness,  honesty,  high  standing  with  the 
people  and  useful  services  for  his  party,  he  was 
appointed  by  Gov.  Packer  in  1857  as  revenue 
inspector  of  the  port  of  Philadelphia.  The  ap- 
pointment gave  general  satisfaction  and  he  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  the  office  in  a  very  com- 
mendable and  praiseworthy  manner.  In  1865 
he  returned  to  Kittanning,  where  he  resided  till 
his  death,  which  occurred  October  26,  1885.  He 
was  prominent  in  political  life,  was  a  life-long 
democrat,  served  as  delegate  to  several  State 
conventions  of  his  party  and  possessed  in  a 
large  degree  the  elements  of  political  leadership. 
His  name  was  above  the  breath  of  suspicion 
and  never  was  coupled  with  bribery  or  corrup- 
tion. He  was  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church 
and  the  Ma.sonic  fraternity.  He  married  Pau- 
line Kelley,  who  was  born  March,  1819,  and 
died  July  18,  1881.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Hon.  Meek  Kelley,  who  served  as  State  sena- 
tor, afterwards  was  associate  judge  of  Indiana 
county  and  married  Jane  Moorhead,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Absalom  Moorhead.  Hon.  Meek  Kelley 
was  an  excellent  surveyor  and  ran  the  boundary 
lines  and  laid  outPotter  and  McKean  counties, 
this  State,  into  townships.  Two  of  his  sons, 
James  and  Pliny,  were  iu  the  Mexican  war 
and  the  latter  served  as  captain  of  a  California 
company  under  Sheridan  in  the  late  war.  Jo- 
seph and  Pauline  (Kelley)  Clark  were  the  par- 
ents of  four  sous  and  two  daughters:  Meek, 
Emma,  who  died  in  infancy;  Sai-ah,  died  at 
seventeen  years  of  age;  Joseph,  of  Pittsl^urgh, 
who  was  the  youngest  enlisted  soldier  of  the 
late   war,  being   but   twelve   years   and   three 


months  old  when  he  was  sworn  into  service ; 
Ney  and  Austin. 

Austin  Clark  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Kittanning,  Blairsville  acad- 
emy and  the  State  Normal  school  at  Indiana, 
Pa.  He  taught  school  for  several  terms,  served 
as  assistant  principal  of  Blairsville  academy  and 
left  the  profession  of  teaching  to  engage  in  the 
study  of  law.  He  passed  the  preliminary 
examination  and  registered  iu  1878  as  a  law 
student  with  his  cousin,  Silas  M.  Clark,  of  In- 
diana, Pa.,  who  became,  in  1882,  a  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Pennsylvania.  In  1879  he 
came  to  Kittanning,  where  he  completed  his 
legal  studies  with  Judge  James  B.  Neale  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Armstrong  county, 
on  September  20,  1880.  Immediately  after  ad- 
mission he  entered  upon  the  active  practice  of 
his  profession,  which  he  continued  successfully 
until  the  present  time,  when  he  has  a  well  estab- 
lished and  extensive  patronage. 

In  politics  he  follows  in  the  footsteps  of  his 
honored  and  respected  father,  and  has  always 
been  an  active  advocate  of  the  princi[)les  of  the 
Democratic  party.  He  possesses  judgment,  de- 
cision and  energy,  the  all-powerful  qualities  of 
political  leadership  and  success.  In  1888  he 
was  a  delegate  to  the  National  Democratic  Con- 
vention of  St.  Louis  that  nominated  Cleveland 
for  prasident.  Austin  Clark  has  rapidly  won 
his  way  to  a  prominent  position  in  his  profes- 
sion. He  is  a  fluent  and  polished  speaker,  who 
wins  attention  by  his  well-chosen  words,  a  log- 
ical and  earnest  reasoner  who  disarms  prejudice 
by  the  fairness  of  his  propositions  and  a  deter- 
mined and  persistent  worker  who  wins  success 
by  his  fertility  of  invention  as  well  as  the  mas- 
terful array  of  his  facts. 


HON.  SAMUEL  B.  COCHRANE,  prom- 
inent iu  civil  and  educational  affiiirs  of 
Armstrong  county,  a  member  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  of  Pennsylvania  and  one  of  the 


344 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


founders  of  the  teachers'  Review  and  Training 
school  of  Kittauuing,  was  boru  ou  his  father's 
farm  in  Pine  now  Boggs  (township,  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania,  January  17,  1860,  and  is 
a  son  of  William  and  Mary  S.  (Quigley)  Coch- 
rane. Samuel  B.  Cochrane  is  a  lineal  descend- 
ant of  one  of  England's  titled  houses,  through 
his  paternal  great-grandfather,  William  Coch- 
rane, who  was  the  son  of  Sir  John  Cochrane.  Wil- 
liam Cochrane  was  born  in  an  eastern  Penns}^- 
vania  count}'  and  settled  shortly  after  the  Revo- 
lutionary war  in  wliat  is  now  Armstrong  coun- 
ty, where  his  son,  James  Cochrane  (grandfather), 
was  born.  He  owned  a  considerable  l)ody  of 
land  and  was  an  iron  manufacturer.  He  was 
the  leading  member  of  the  company  who  pro- 
jected Ore  Hill  Furnace,  in  1845,  and  gave  a 
fifty  acre  tract  of  land,  upon  which  the  above- 
named  furnace  was  erected.  He  was  a  strong 
presbyteriau,  a  prominent  man  in  his  day  and 
married  Esther  Gibson,  a  member  of  the  large 
connection  of  Gibsons  living  in  Armstrong  and 
Indiana  counties.  One  of  their  sons  was  Wil- 
liam Cochrane  (father),  who  was  born  in  Pine 
township,  December  10,  1813,  and  died  Febru- 
ary 6,  1876.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation 
and  timght  school  for  fifteen  winters.  He  was 
a  member  and  elder  of  Mt.  Zion  Presbyterian 
chui'ch,  from  the  time  when  it  was  founded 
under  the  name  of  Lower  Pine  church.  .  He 
was  a  democrat  until  Lincoln's  election,  when 
he  became  a  republican  and  strong  anti-slavery 
man.  He  served  nearly  continuously  as  school 
director  from  the  establishment  of  the  Free 
School  system  until  his  death.  He  was  a  suc- 
cessfid  business  man  and  commanded  the  re- 
spect and  esteem  of  the  community  in  which  he 
resided.  He  married  Mary  S.  Quigley,  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  Quigley.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coch- 
rane were  the  parents  of  si.v  sons  and  five 
daughters,  of  whom  eight  are  living:  James 
L.,  an  extensive  silver  miner,  in  Montana;  John 
Q.,  a  member  of  the  Armstrong  county  bar 
and  justice   of  the   peace    at    Apollo;    C.    C, 


formerly  a  teacher,  but  now  with  the  Standard 
Oil  company;  H.  K.,  in  the  U.  S.  railway  mail 
service  between  Pittsburgh  and  New  York; 
Jennie,  wife  of  S.  W.  Hamilton,  of  Apollo ; 
Hon.  Samuel  B.,  and  Nannie,  a 

teacher  in  the  Parker  City  schools. 

Samuel  B.  Cochrane  was  reared  on  a  farm. 
He  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools,  Dayton  academy,  P^dinboro'  Normal 
school,  and  Central  college,  Indiana,  Pa.,  from 
which  latter  educational  institution  he  was  grad- 
uated in  the  scientific  department  in  1883. 
From  1877  to  1883  he  taught  in  the  common 
schools  to  obtain  the  means  to  educate  himself. 
After  graduating  he  became  principal  of  the 
Cumberland  schools  of  Indianapolis,  Indiana, 
and  in  the  year  1885  was  elected  principal  of 
Ihe  Freeport  public  schools  of  this  county, 
which  position  he  held  for  three  years.  In 
1888  he  helped  found  the  teachers'  Review,  and 
Training  school  of  Kittanning,  which  opened 
its  career  of  usefulness  in  1889  with  an  attend- 
ance of  two  hundred  and  fifty  students. 

He  was  elected  as  a  member  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania legislature  and  served  in  that  body  on  the 
important  and  hard-working  committees  on  edu- 
cation, railroads  and  manufactures.  His  course 
as  a  legislator  was  so  satisfactory  to  his  party 
that  he  was  re-norainated  as  the  republican 
candidate  in  1890.  He  resides  with  his 
mother,  who  lives  one  mile  from  Kittanning. 
Hon.  Sanmel  B.  Cochrane  is  a  member  of  the 
Jr.  O.  U.  A.  M.,  the  I.  O.  H.  and  Master  of 
Lodge  No.  239,  F.  and  A.  M.  He  is  an  earnest 
republican  and  an  active  school  man.  He  has 
made  his  own  way  in  the  world  and  has 
achieval  honorable  success  and  his  present  high 
standing  by  his  own  efforts. 


GEORGE  T.  CRAWFORD,  a  prominent 
and  influential  business  man  of  Kittan- 
ning, and  one  of  the  successful  oil  producers  of 
western  Pennsylvania,  is  a  descendent   of  the 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


34-5 


old  and  well-known  Crawford  family,  which  was 
one  of  the  substantial  and  conspicuous  Scotch- 
Irish  families  of  Westmoreland  county.  He  was 
born  in  Allegheny  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  July  28,  1822,  and  is  a  sou  of 
Major  George  Thompson  and  Elizabeth  (Parks)  J 
Crawford.  The  Crawfords  are  descended  from 
George  Crawford  (grandfather),  who  came  to 
Allegheny  county,  Pa.,  and  purchased  a  fine 
body  of  farming  land,  which  was  iieavily  un- 
derlaid with  coal,  along  the  Monongahela  river, 
below  McKeesport.  He  afterwards  removed  to 
Westmoreland  county,  where  he  bought  the 
Pine  Grove  lands  in  Allegheny  township,  and 
erected  a  grist  and  saw-mill.  He  was  a  demo- 
crat, served  as  justice  of  the  peace,  and  married 
Jane  Beatty,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons  and  five 
daugliters.  John,  the  eldest  son,  iidierited  the 
Allegheny  county  estate,  and  Major  George  T. 
became  heir  to  the  Westmoreland  county  lands 
and  mills.  Major  George  T.  Crawford  was 
born  January  17, 1799,  and  died  September  13, 
1839,  when  in  the  very  prime  of  life,  with 
every  indication  of  a  long  career  of  usefulness 
and  lionor  befi)re  him.  In  addition  to  his  farm 
and  mills  he  operated  a  carding-machine  and 
conducted  a  store.  He  was  a  Jacksonian  demo- 
crat, served  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  held  a 
commission  as  major  in  a  militia  regiment.  He 
was  elected  as  a  delegate  from  Westmoreland 
county  to  the  constitutional  convention  which 
gave  Pennsylvania  the  Con.stitution  of  1838. 
In  religious  belief  Major  Crawford  was  a  prcs- 
byterian,  and  a  member  and  trustee  of  old 
Warren  church  of  that  denomination.  He  was 
a  tall  and  shapely  man  of  commanding  appear- 
ance. His  first  wife  was  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  Robert  Parks,  by  whom  he  had  six  children  : 
George  T.,  Robert  P.,  near  Parnassus,  Pa. ; 
Samuel,  of  Kittanning ;  Sarah  J.  (deceased), 
wife  of  Hon.  John  V.  Painter;  John  T.  and 
James  B.  (dead).  Mrs.  Crawford  died  in  1833, 
and  he  afterwards  married  Louisa  Cochran, 
daughter  of  Samuel  Cochran,  of  Allegheny 
21 


Co.,  by  whom  he  had  one  child,  which  died  in 
infancy.  Major  Crawford  was  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent,  and  possessed  all  the  praiseworthy 
characteristics  of  that  iron  and  self-willed  race. 

George  D.  <Jrawford  was  educated  in  the  old 
subscription  schools,  Dr.  Kilpatrick's  select 
school,  and  Jefferson  college,  at  Cannonsburg, 
Washington  Co.,  Pa.  Leaving  college,  he 
taught  school  for  one  year  and  then  engagetl  in 
farming,  which  he  followed  for  several  years. 
He  then,  while  retaining  the  general  manage- 
ment of  his  farms  and  milling  interests,  em- 
barked in  the  mercantile  business  in  Clarion 
county.  Pa.  Removing  from  Clarion  county  in 
1852,  he  became  a  partner  with  A.  &  H.  J. 
Arnold  in  merchandising  at  Kittanning.  He 
successfully  pursued  these  ditferent  lines  of 
business  until  1865,  when  the  ever-flowing 
fountains  of  petroleum  in  Venango  and  Butler 
counties,  of  this  State,  began  to  attract  the  at- 
tention of  capital  and  enterprise.  He  visited 
the  last-named  county,  which  is  the  greatest 
coal-oil  region  of  the  world,  and  being  favor- 
ably impressed  with  its  then  newly-developed 
petroleum  territory,  he  made  investments  and 
became  one  of  its  successful  oil  producei's.  He 
is  superintendent  of  the  Branch  Creek  Oil  com- 
2>any,  has  an  interest  in  the  Bear  Creek  Refin- 
ing company,  and  owns  considerable  stock  in 
other  fields.  In  1852  he  removed  to  Kittan- 
ning, where  he  has  resided  ever  .since,  and  taken 
a  deep  interest  in  its  welfare  and  prosperity. 
He  is  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Kittanning 
Gas  company,  and  treasurer  and  superintendent 
of  the  Kittanning  Cemetery  association.  His 
time  is  principally  devoted  to  the  management 
and  supervision  of  his  various  and  extensive 
business  enterprisa",  from  his  farming  interests 
in  Westmoreland  to  his  oil  investments  in  But- 
ler county,  this  State. 

On  Octol)er  5,  1859,  he  married  Mary  Eliza 
Portsmouth,  daughter  of  John  and  Eliza  Ports- 
mouth, who  arc  now  residents  of  Kansas.  Mr. 
and  Mi-s.   Crawford   have  three  children,  two 


346 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


sons  and  one  daughter  :  James  B.,  who  is  with 
the  Oil  Well  Supply  company  of  Pittsburgh, 
Pa. ;  John  Portsmouth,  who  is  engaged  in 
farming  in  North  Dakota ;  and  Elizabeth 
Agnes. 

In  politics  Mr.  Crawford  is  a  republican,  and 
very  seldom  fails  to  vote  for  all  the  nominees  of 
his  party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Frater- 
nity, and  is  a  Royal  Arch  and  Knigiit  Templar 
Mason.  He  is  a  member  and  trustee  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  church  of  Kittanning,  and 
served  as  a  member  of  the  building  committee 
which  erected  the  present  splendid  church  edi- 
fice, which  is  fully  in  accord  with  "the  festhetic 
taste  of  this  age  of  progress  and  improvement." 
It  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  finest  church  struc- 
tures in  Pennsylvania,  and  reflects  great  ci-edit 
on  the  fine  taste  and  good  judgment  of  its 
building  committee.  For  over  thirty-eight 
years  Mr.  Crawford  has  been  a  resident  and 
respected  citizen  of  Kittanning,  with  whose 
business  interests  he  has  been  identified  for 
many  years. 


GEORGE  B.  DAUGHERTY.  One  of  the 
most  important  branches  of  industry  at  the 
present  day  is  tliat  of  the  manufacture  of  fire- 
brick, and  a  deservedly  popular  as  well  as  a 
leading  plant  in  that  line  of  business  is  the  Av- 
enue brick-works  of  Kittanning.  Its  energetic 
proprietor,  George  B.  Daughcrty,  is  a  man  of 
excellent  business  qualifications.  He  is  a  son 
of  James  and  IMary  (Elienger)  Daugherty  and 
and  was  born  at  Kittanning,  Armstrong  county, 
Pennsylvania,  September  3,  1835.  His  pater- 
nal grandfatiier,  Patrick  Daugherty,  came  during 
the  last  years  of  the  eighteenth  century  from  Ire- 
land to  the  site  of  Kittanning.  He  was  a  flirmer 
and  a  catholic  and  traded  considerably  with 
the  Indians.  During  the  war  of  1812  he  en- 
listed in  the  American  army,  was  stationed  at 
Black  Rock,  N.  Y.,  and  witli  four  other 
soldiers  crossed  the  lake,  where  he  was  shot  and 


killed  by  the  Indians.  His  remains  were 
brought  home  and  interred  at  Kittanning.  He 
was  the  first  soldier  ever  buried  there  with  the 

1  honors  of  war.     His   nicely-made  and  finely- 
engraved  steel-box,  in  which  he  carried  flint 

1  and  punk  for  kindling  fires,  is  now  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.     He  had  four 

1  daughters,  whose  combined  ages  were  nearly  four 
hundred  years.     James  Daugherty  (father)  was 

,  born  on  the  site  of  Kittanning  about  1800  and 
died  March,  1855.  He  was  a  brick-layer  by  oc- 
cupation, but  was  largely  engaged  in  brick-mak- 
ing and  manufactured  most  of  the  brick  used  for 
building  purposes  at  Kittanning  for  many  years. 
He  married  Mary  Ehenger,  a  native  of  Lancaster 
county,  and  reared  a  family  of  several  sons  and 
daughters.  Mrs.  Daugherty  was  a  member  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  and  died  in 
1880,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety -two  years. 
George  B.  Daugherty  was  reared  at  Kittan- 
ning where  he  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools.  Leaving  school  he  assisted  his 
father  in  the  brick  business  until  the  death  of 
the  latter  in  1855.  In  1860  Mr.  Daugherty 
established  his  presefnt  Avenue  brick-works  and 
has  been  successfully  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  brick  ever  since. 

In  1868  he  married  Agnes  Hilberry,  a 
native  of  Indiana  county.  They  have  eight 
children,  four  sons  and  four  daughters  :  Wil- 
iam  B.,  Alexander  R.,  George  H.,  John,  Dora 
B.,  Lettie,  Emma  and  Dellie. 

In  politics  Mr.  Daugherty  is  a  republican 
and  besides  serving  several  terms  as  a  member 
of  the  town  council  has  been  overseer  of  the 
poor  at  Kittanning  for  the  last  thirty  years. 
He  is  a  member  of  Lodge  No.  244,  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons.  He  was  instrumental  in 
building  the  first  county  home  tor  the  poor  in 
Armstrong  county  and  in  various  ways  has  con- 
tributed to  the  improvement  of  Kittanning. 
The  Avenue  brick-works  cover  quite  an  area 
and  are  equipped  with  first-class  machinery. 
Mr.    Daugherty   employs  a  constant  force   of 


ARMSTR  ONG   CO  UNTY. 


347 


twenty  men  and  manufactures  red-pressed  and 
fire-brick,  lime,  cement,  tile  and  chimney  tops. 
He  is  always  crowded  with  orders  as  his  brick 
are  a  superior  article  and  have  in  the  market  a 
high  reputation  for  durability  and  excellence  of 
manufacture.  lu  addition  to  brick  juanufac- 
turing  he  has  been  largely  engaged  in  contract- 
ing and  building.  He  built  the  brick  work  of 
the  Arm.strong  and  Clarion  county  jails,  the 
Indiana  couuty  court-house  and  has  built  most 
of  the  large  brick  buildings  of  Kittaning 
which  have  been  erected  during  the  last  twenty- 
five  years.  Besides  his  property  at  Kittanniug,  \ 
he  owns  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-nine 
acres  of  well  improved  land  in  Valley  town- 
ship. He  has  always  made  the  most  of  his  op- 
portunities, has  achieved  success  in  his  different 
enterprises  and  has  been  closely  and  promi- 
nently identified  for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century 
with  the  business  interests  of  Kittanning. 


GEORGE  W.  DOVERSPIKE,  a  respected 
and  substantial  citizen,  a  careful  and  re- 
liable business  man  and  the  capable  and  effi- 
cient cashier  of  the  Farmers'  National  bank  of 
Kittanning,  is  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Margaret 
(Beck)  Doverspike,  and  was  born  on  his  father's 
farm,  on  Mahoning  creek,  in  Mahoning  town- 
ship, Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  March 
1,  1844.  His  paternal  grandfather,  John 
Doverspike,  was  a  native  of  Germany,  where  he 
was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Lutheran  church, 
of  which  he  was  a  strict  member.  In  early 
life  he  came  to  this  couuty,  where  he  purchased 
a  tract  of  land  near  Putneyville  and  followed 
farming.  His  wife  was  Catherine  Knight,  of 
Clarion  county.  Pa.,  who  bore  him  four  sons 
and  one  daughter.  He  assisted  each  of  his  sons 
to  secure  a  good  farm.  The  eldest  son  was 
Daniel  Doverspike  (father),  who  was  born 
within  one  mile  of  Putneyville,  January  9, 
1818,  and   is  one  of  the   prosperous  farmers  of 


that  .section.  He  is  a  member  and  officer  of 
the  Lutheran  church  and  a  democrat,  but 
takes  no  active  part  in  politics.  He  married 
Margaret  Beck,  daughter  of  Daniel  Beck,  of 
this  county.  They  have  had  five  sons  and  four 
daughters,  of  whom  eight  are  living. 

George  W.  Doverspike  was  reared  near  Put- 
neyville. He  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  Glade  Run  academy. 
Leaving  school,  he  was  engaged  in  farming  for 
several  years,  during  which  time  he  taught  four 
terms  in  the  common  schools. 

In  18(38  he  came  to  Kittanning  and  was  em- 
ployed by  James  E.  Brown,  and  for  several 
months  was  engaged  in  superintending  wharf- 
ing,  assisting  in  surveying  of  lands,  and  then 
served  eighteen  months  as  a  clerk  in  the  store 
known  as  the  old  iron  store  on  Water  street, 
run  then  in  connection  with  the  Kittanning 
Woolen-mills,  and  sleeping,  while  thus  engaged, 
at  night  in  "  The  First  National  bank  building." 
From  night  watchman  he  was  successively  pro- 
moted to  clerk,  book-keeper  and  assistant  cashier 
in  that  bank.  Upon  the  organization  of  the 
Farmers'  Bank,  in  1884,  he  was  elected  as  its 
cashier  and  has  .served  creditably  in  that  im- 
portant position  ever  since.  He  has  well  im- 
proved his  excellent  opportunities  for  studying 
the  science  of  bauking  and  is  considered  as  a 
safe  and  conservative  financier. 

On  June  4,  1873,  he  married  Margaret  B. 
Hastings.  They  have  one  child,  a  daughter, 
named  Anna  B.  Doverspike.  Mrs.  Margaret 
Doverspike  is  a  daughter  of  William  W.  Hast- 
ings, who  was  born  near  Bellefonte,  Pa.,  in 
1804,  removed  to  Kittanning  in  1824,  and  died 
Sept.  12,  1874.  He  was  a  tailor  by  trade,  but 
was  principally  engaged  during  his  life-time  in 
the  dry  goods  business.  He  was  a  republican 
and  a  presbyterian  and  served  for  two  terms  as 
county  commissioner,  including  the  time  of  the 
building  of  the  present  court-house.  His  wife 
was  Margaret,  daughter  of  David  R.  Johnston, 
an  early   settler  at   Kittanning  and  bore  him 


348 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


eight   children,    of    whom    three    are    living: 
Susanna,  Margaret  and  William  B. 

In  politics  George  W.  Doverspike  is  a  repub- 
lican. He  is  a  member  and  elder  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  church  of  Kittanuing,  of  whose 
Sunday-school  he  is  the  efficient  superintendent. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  committee  which 
selected  the  present  site  of  the  church  and,  on 
account  of  his  special  fitness  for  the  position, 
was  placed  on  the  finance  committee,  which 
secured  the  necessary  means  for  the  erection  of 
the  beautiful  church  structure  in  which  the 
congregation  now  worships. 


WILLIAM  W.  FISCUS,  the  present  popu- 
lar sherift'  of  Armstrong  county,  a 
wounded  veteran  soldier  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  and  a  well-qualified  man  for  the  duties 
of  public  life,  is  a  son  of  Abraham  and  Eliza- 
beth (Martin)  Fiscus,  and  was  born  on  the 
Fiscus  homestead,  two  miles  north  of  Kittan" 
ning,  in  Valley  township,  Armstrong  county 
Pennsylvania,  May  30,  1844.  The  Fiscus 
family  is  of  French  origin  and  traces  its  ances- 
try back  to  France,  from  which  country  the 
paternal  great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  emigrated  to  the  United  States  during 
the  latter  half  of  the  eighteenth  century.  The 
paternal  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
Abi'aham  Fiscus,  followed  farming  in  West- 
moreland and  Armstrong  counties  of  this  State. 
He  owned  a  large  farm  in  what  is  now  known 
as  Ligonier  Valley,  Westmoreland  county.  He 
afterwards  removed  to  Armstrong  county,  was 
a  stirring  and  active  farmer  and  married  Miss 
Aukaman,  by  whom  he  had  several  children. 
His  son,  Abraham  Fiscus,  was  born  in  Burrill 
township,  this  county,  in  1791  and  died  August, 
1858,  when  in  the  sixty-seventh  year  of  his 
age.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occujjation,  took  great 
pride  in  keeping  his  farm  neat  and  clean  and 
was  a  popular  man  in  the  community  in  which 
he  resided.     He  was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 


church,  a  republican  in  politics  and  served  as 
one  of  the  first  officers  of  Valley  township  when 
it  was  organized  in  1 855.  He  served  as  a  soldier 
j  in  the  war  of  1812  and  was  on  the  northwestern 
'  frontier  under  the  command  of  Gen.  William 
!  Henry  Harrison.  His  first  wife  was  a  Miss 
Ourie,  of  Armstrong  county,  who  bore  him 
seven  children,  of  whom  six  are  living.  After 
her  death  he  married  Elizabeth  Martin,  who  was 
a  daughter  of  John  Martin,  a  well-to-do  farmer 
of  what  was  then  Allegheny  township,  this 
county,  and  died  in  1859,  aged  about  sixty -eight 
years.  By  his  second  marriage  he  had  eight 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is 
the  fifth  in  order  of  age. 

William  W.  Fiscus  was  reared  in  his  native 
township  and  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  a  select  school  near  Leechburg, 
which  he  attended  for  one  year.  In  1862,  at 
the  age  of  eighteen  years,  he  enlisted  in  Co. 
\  C,  139tli  regiment,  Pennsylvania  Vols.,  was 
I  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg  and 
after  being  in  the  hospital  for  some  time  was 
discharged.  In  the  early  part  of  the  autumn  of 
1864  he  enlisted  in  Co.  H,  204th  regiment  of 
Pa.  Vols.,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
when  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  United  States 
service  on  June  18,  1865.  He  participated  in 
I  all  the  skirmishes  and  engagements  in  which  his 
regiment  was  engoged  and  always  discharged  in 
a  satisfactory  manner  all  duty  which  fell  to  a 
.  soldier's  lot  in  a  camp,  during  the  march  or  on 
i  a  battle-field.  After  the  war  he  was  engaged  for 
about  nine  years  in  mining  and  then  entered  the 
rolling-mill  at  Leechburg,  where  he  was  a  heater 
for  eight  years.  In  1884  he  was  a  republican 
candidate  for  treasurer  of  Armstrong  county 
and  was  elected  by  a  handsome  majority.  He 
filled  that  office  with  satisfaction  during  his 
term.  In  1888  he  was  nominated  for  sheriff, 
ran  away  ahead  of  his  ticket  and  was  elected  by 
a  majority  of  nine  hundred  and  forty-five  to  suc- 
ceed a  democratic  incumbent  of  that  office.  As 
sheriff  he  has  conscientiously  endeavored  to  serve 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


349 


the  best  interest  of  the  county  and  its  citizens, 
and  according  to  public  opinion  has  made  a  very 
good  record.  All  public  moneys  ever  entrusted 
in  his  hands  have  always  been  faithfully  and 
accurately  accounted  for  by  him.  A  man  of 
good  judgment  and  recognized  business  ability, 
he  is  active  and  clear-headed  in  whatever  he 
undertakes,  and  has  made  a  conscientious  and 
successful  public  official.  He  is  a  member  of  j 
Apollo  Lodge,  No.  437,  A.  Y.  M.,  of  Mineral 
Point  Lodge,  No.  615, 1. 0. 0.  F.,  J.  A.  Hunter 
Post,  No.  126,  G.  A.  R.,  Encampment  No.  62, 
U.  V.  L.,  and  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church.  He  is  a  strong  republican  and  an  , 
active  worker  for  his  party.  He  has  the  inter-  i 
ests  of  labor  at  heart,  and  always  worked  for 
the  true  rights  of  the  laboring  class,  was  for 
many  years  a  member  of  the  Amalgamated  Iron 
and  Steel  association,  and  was  elected  a  delegate 
to  national  conventions  of  that  body  held  in 
Cleveland,  1881,  Chicago,  1882,  and  Philadel- 
phia, 1883.  I 

On  the  26th  day  of  December,  1865,  he  united 
in  marriage  with  Mary  E.  Ross,  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  E.  and  Elizabeth  (Beck)  Ross,  of  Arm-  ! 
strong  county.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fiscus  have 
been  born  ten  children,  of  whom  eight  are  living : 
Barbara  B.,  a  graduate  of  Indiana  Normal 
school,  an  artist  of  considerable  ability  and  now 
a  student  of  medicine;  Mary  E.,  a  student  in 
the  New  England  Conservatory  of  Music,  Boston, 
Mass.;  William  W.,  Jr.,  assisting  his  father; 
Calvin  C,  Carl  P.,  Ross  E.and  Moss  P.  (twins)  ! 
and  Narka  E. 

William  W.  Fiscus  has  been  the  architect  of 
his  own  fortune,  and  by  honorable  means  has 
ac(juired  a  competency  of  this  world's  goods  and 
a  prominent  place  in  the  confidence  and  esteem 
of  his  fellow-citizens. 


GEORGE  M.  FOX,  proprietor  of  the  oldest 
undertaking    and     embalming    establish- 
ment at  Kittanning,  is  one  of  the  undertakers, 


who  nobly  went  to  the  aid  of  the  Johnstown 
sufferers  in  1889,  and  without  pay  helped  pre- 
pare the  dead  for  burial.  He  is  a  son  of  George 
and  Alice  (Hildebrand)  Fox,  and  was  born  at 
Leechburg,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania, 
October  2,  1836.  Of  the  different  Fox  families 
scattered  throughout  western  Pennsylvania,  and 
that  were  resident  west  of  the  Allegheny  moun- 
tains prior  to  the  present  century,  was  the  one 
from  which  George  M.  Fox  is  descended.  His 
grandfather,  John  Fox,  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, and  came  to  this  county,  where  he  fol- 
lowed blacksmithing  until  his  death  in  1820. 
George  Fox  (father)  was  born  in  Armstrong 
county  in  1800  and  died  at  Clinton  in  1869. 
He  was  a  boatman  on  the  Pennsylvania  canal 
from  Pittsburgh  to  Philadelphia  and  when  the 
oil  excitement  came  he  engaged  in  boating  oil 
down  the  Allegheny  river.  After  some  years 
he  left  the  oil  region  and  then  spent  a  portion  of 
his  time  in  fishing  in  the  Allegheny  and  Kiski- 
minetas  rivers.  He  was  an  old-line  whig  until 
the  organization  of  the  Know-Nothing  party 
when  he  became  a  democrat.  He  was  an 
attendant  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  mar- 
ried Alice  Hildebrand,  who  was  born  at  the 
arsenal  in  Pittsburgh,  in  1808,  and  died  in  War- 
ren county,  June  14,  1888.  They  had  thirteen 
children  :  George  ]SL,  William,  May  lona, 
George  W^.,  John,  Annie,  Harriet,  Angeline, 
Maggie,  Susan,  David,  Alice  and  one  which 
died  young.  Mrs.  Fox's  father,  Comey  Hilde- 
brand, was  a  native  of  England,  came  early 
in  life  to  Pittsburgh,  where  he  was  in  the  garri- 
son for  a  while  and  then  settled  at  Freeport,  at 
which  place  he  died  in  1845.  He  spent  much 
of  his  time  on  the  Allegheny  river,  learned 
several  of  the  Indian  languages  and  served  as 
an  interpreter  for  some  of  the  Indian  tribes. 
He  was  a  great  favorite  with  the  Indians  and 
could  have  been  a  very  large  land-holder. 

George  M.  Fox  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
received  his  education  in  the  early  common 
schools  of  Pennsylvania.      Leaving  school,  he 


350 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


HLEE  GOERMAN.  The  press  has  been 
riglitly  called  a  projjhet  of  free  and  beau- 
tiful tlioiight,  and  it  has  been  appropriately  said 
of  it  that  it  turns  its  volumes  and  papers  into 
influences  of  diffused  and  illimitable  power.  Of 
the  live  and  progressive  democratic  papers  of 
Western  Pennsylvania  is  The  Kittanning  Globe, 
edited  by  H.  Lee  Goerman,  who  is  a  sou  of 
Leonard  and  Leah  (King)  Goerman.  He  was 
born  in  what  is  now  Gilpin  township,  Arm- 
strong county,  Pa.,  February  15,   1864.     His 


learned  plastering,  to  which  he  served  an 
appi'enticeship  of  two  years.  He  then  went  to 
Memphis,  Tenn.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  ice 
business  for  two  years,  but  the  commencement 
of  the  late  war  caused  him  to  return  to  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  followed  boating  oil  on  tlie 
Allegheny  river  until  1866.  Two  years  later 
he  came  to  Kittanning,  where,  in  1870,  he 
embarked  in  the  undertaking  business  which  he 
pursued  successfully  until  the  present  time. 
In  addition  to  his  large  and  well-stocked  under- 
taking establishment,  he  has  attached  an 
embalming  department.  He  does  all  kinds  of 
embalming  and  has  a  j)atronage  that  extends 
over  a  wide  area  of  surrounding  country. 

George  M.  Fox,  on  May  5,  1864,  married 
Kate  H.  Lloyd,  daughter  of  Ebeuezer  Lloyd, 
who  had  been  his  i>redecessor  in  the  undertaking 
business  at  Kittanning. 

George  M.  Fox  is  a  member  of  Ariel  Lodge, 
No.  688,1.  O.  O.  F.,  Lodge  No.  493,  E.  A.  U., 
and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Kittan- 
ning. He  is  a  republican  in  politics  and  has 
served  as  a  member  of  the  town  council.  Mr. 
Fox  owns  houses  in  this  borough,  besides  some 
other  property.  When  the  news  of  the  Johns- 
town flood  came  to  Kittanning,  he  and  his 
nephew,  Lloyd  Green,  repaired  to  the  scene  of 
the  great  disaster  and  gave  together  five  weeks 
of  their  time,  gratuitous,  in  preparing  the  dead 
bodies  for  burial. 


grandfathers,  Leonard  Goerman,  Sr.,  and  Simon 
King,  were  soldiers  in  one  of  the  continental 
European  wars,  and  both  fought  under  the  im- 
perial eagles  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  the  "  man 
of  destiny,"  the  latter  (King)  being  a  survivor 
of  the  historical  freeze-out  at  Moscow.  Leonard 
Goerman,  Sr.,  came  to  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  first  settled  at  Delmont,  in  Westmoreland 
county,  but  subsequently  removed  to  Allegheny 
township  and  purchased  a  farm  on  which  he 
spent  his  remaining  years  of  life.  His  son,  Leon- 
ard Goerman  (father),  was  born  in  Darmstadt, 
Germany,  in  1826,  and  at  five  years  of  age  was 
brought  by  his  parents  to  the  United  States.  His 
first  employment  was  farming,  which  he  always 
followed  excepting  four  years  that  were  spent 
in  the  general  mercantile  business  at  Kelley 
station.  He  is  a  successful  farmer,  an  earnest 
democrat  and  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church, 
in  which  he  has  served  in  all  of  its  various 
local  offices.  He  is  an  ardent  supporter  of 
popular  education,  has  been  school  director  for 
several  terms  and  always  labored  zealously  for 
the  advancement  of  his  township's  public  schools. 
He  is  au  active  member  of  the  grange,  in 
whose  councils  his  opinion  is  often  sought.  He 
married  Leah  King,  who  was  born  in  Butler 
county,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Simon  King,  a 
native  of  Germany,  and  one  of  Napoleon's  vet- 
erans, who  came  to  Western  Pennsylvania.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Georman  are  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren, of  whom  six  are  living  :  John  N.,  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business  at  Kelley  sta- 
tion ;  Simon  L.  (see  sketch),  H.  Lee,  Sadie  E., 
William  G.,  engaged  in  farming,  and  Melissa. 
H.  Ijce  Goerman  received  his  education  in 
the  common  and  select  schools  of  the  commun- 
ity in  which  he  was  reared.  He  early  displayed 
a  taste  for  the  "art  preservative  of  all  arts," 
and  at  fifteen  years  of  age  purchased  a  hand- 
press  and  opened  a  small  job  office.  He  next 
started  the  Centre  valley  Enterprise,  but  soon 
merged  that  sheet  into  the  Leechburg  Neivs  and 
shortly    formed    a    partnership    with    J.    M. 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


351 


Schwalm  for  the  publication  of  the  Leechburg 
Albatross  (now  Advurwe).  He  sold  out  his 
interest  in  the  Albatross,  in  October,  1886,  and 
in  April,  1888,  leased  The  KManniny  Globe, 
which  he  and  his  brother  purchased  in  Novem- 
ber following,  and  have  successfully  editetl  and 
published  ever  since.  The  CUobe  was  founded 
by  R.  A.  McCullough  in  1884. 

H.  Lee  Goerman,  on  April  3,  1889,  united 
in  marriage  with  Amanda  Schwalm,  a  daughter 
of  John  Schwalm,  Sr.,  of  Leechburg.  Their 
union  has  been  ble.ssed  with  one  child,  a  daugh- 
ter, named  Vera  A. 

In  politics  he  is  an  aggressive  democrat,  fully 
believing  in  the  principles  of  his  party,  and 
considering  no  half-way  course  in  their  presen- 
tation. He  is  a  member  and  deacon  of  St.  John's 
Lutheran  church. 

The  Globe  is  a  quarto  sheet,  30  by  44  inches. 
It  bears  the  headline  of  being  the  leading  dem- 
ocratic paper  in  Armstrong  county,  while  its  edi- 
torials are  strong  enough  to  please  the  most  rad- 
ical democrat.  With  six  columns  to  the  page, 
it  gives  interesting  general  news,  selected  miscel- 
lany and  crisp  items  of  local  interest,  gleaned 
by  its  special  reporters  and  numerous  corre- 
spondents. Mr.  Goerman  has  aimed  to  make 
the  Globe  a  faithful  exponent  of  democratic 
principles  as  well  as  a  newsy  local  paper,  and 
has  succeeded  admirably  in  his  attempt. 


SL.  GOERMAN.  The  press  to-day  has  a 
•  wonderful  influence  over  the  people,  whose 
character  it  moulds  to  a  large  extent  and  who.se 
policy  it  controls  to  a  great  degree.  The  news- 
papers of  Kittanuing  are  among  the  important 
educational  influences  of  Armstrong  county 
and  prominent  among  them  is  the  Globe.  S. 
L.  Goerman,  one  of  the  proprietors  and  the 
active  business  manager  of  this  paper,  is  tlie 
second  son  of  Leonard  and  Leah  (King)  Ghoer- 
man,  and  was  born  on  the  old  Goerman  Home- 


stead in  Allegheny  (now  Gilpin)  township, 
Armstrong  county,  Penn.sylvania,  January  23, 
1862.  The  Goerman  family  made  its  appear- 
ance in  this  country  al)out  the  close  of  the 
Napoleonic  wars  in  Europe,  when  Leonard 
Goerman,  Sr.  (grandfather),  came  to  Westmore- 
land county,  Pa.  He  aftt^rwards  became  a  res- 
ident of  Allegheny  township,  where  he  reared  a 
family  of  children,  one  of  whom  was  Leonard 
Goerman  (father).  He  was  an  influential  citi- 
zen, a  consistent  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church  and  a  successful  farmer.  (For  a  more 
detailed  family  history  see  sketch  of  H.  Lee 
Goerman.) 

On  the  farm  where  he  was  reared,  S.  L. 
Goerman  was  traineil  to  agricultural  pursuit.?, 
and  during  that  period  of  time  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  the  neigh- 

I 

borhood.  At  twenty-two  years  of  age  (1884) 
he  became  a  clerk  for  his  father  and  elder 
brother  in  their  store  at  Kelley's  station,  where, 
I  on  New  Year's  Day,  1885,  he  was  commissioned 
po.stmaster,  a  position  which  he  still  holds,  not- 
withstanding his  pronounced  democracy.  One 
year  later  he  was  appointed  ticket  and  freight 
agent  by  the  A.  V.  R.  R.,  but  only  served  until 
the  fall  of  1887,  when  he  resigned  in  order  to 
remove  to  Butler,  Pa.,  where  ho  purchased  a  lot 
and  erected  a  house  which  he  occupied  for  one 
year.  He  then  bought  a  half-interest  in  the 
Globe,  of  which  he  became  and  has  remained 
business  manager  up  to  the  present  time.  He 
is  a  member  of  White  Rock  Lodge,  No.  979, 
I.  O.  0.  F.,  and  St.  John's  Evangelical  church, 
of  which  his  wife  is  also  a  member. 

April  19,  1885,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Anne  Haney,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Haney,  of 
Pittsburgh,  Pa.  They  have  two  children: 
Amy  and  May.  Mrs.  Goerman  is  a  graduate 
of  the  Pittsburgh  Central  High  .school  and 
taught  for  two  years  in  the  jiublic  schools  of  her 
native  city.  She  is  an  accomplished  alto  singer 
and  is  a  member  of  the  choir  of  St.  John's 
church.     At  fourteen  years  of  age  she  sang  in 


352 


BIOOBAPHIES  OF 


the  Biugliam  street  M.  E.  church  of  Pitts- 
biirgli,  where  she  led  tlie  alto  part  of  the  music, 
lu  politics  S.  L.  Goeriuan  is  au  uuswerving 
democrat.  He  rauks  high  as  cue  of  the  youug 
progressive  business  men  of  Kittauning.  Since 
becominor  business  manager  of  the  Globe  he  has 
given  his  time  and  energy  to  the  improvement 
and  upbuilding  of  his  paper,  whose  wide  circu- 
lation to-day  is  the  record  of  its  influence  and 
the  result  of  his  successful  efforts. 


HJ.  HAYS.  One  wiio  stands  well  with  his 
•  own  political  party  and  so  high  with  the 
citizens  of  this  county  as  to  be  thrice-honored 
with  a  nomination  for  and  an  election  as  register 
and  recorder  of  Armstrong  county,  is  II.  J. 
Hays,  a  prominent  and  leading  citizen  of  Kit-  i 
tanning.  He  was  born  in  Pittsburgh,  Pennsyl- 
vania, May  5,  1846,  and  is  a  son  of  J.  P. 
and  Caroline  (Weigand)  Hays.  J.  P.  Hays 
was  born  April  9,  1825,  in  the  kingdom  of, 
Bavai-ia,  which  is  now  a  part  of  the  German  i 
empire,  and  in  1832  accompanied  his  father,  i 
Adam  Hays  (grandfather),  to  Pennsylvania  ' 
where  the  latter  located  near  Allentown  and 
engaged  for  some  time  in  the  lumber  business, 
after  which  he  removed  to  Punxsutawney  and 
then  to  Pittsburgh.  J.  P.  Hays  (father)  was  a 
man  of  far  more  than  ordinary  business  ability  ' 
and  was  soon  engaged  in  several  lines  of  trade 
in  Pittsburgh,  among  which  were  merchandis- 
ing, lumbering  and  the  tobacconist  business. 
He  was  a  republican  from  principle,  who  took  a 
prominent  part  in  political  matters,  yet  never 
sought  any  office  within  the  gift  of  his  fellow- 
citizens.  He  was  a  plain  and  unassuming  man 
who  gave  his  time  chiefly  to  his  different  busi- 
ness interests.  He  was  a  member  of  the  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men,  Knights 
of  Pythias  and  the  Lutheran  church.  He 
moved  to  Kittanning  in  1852,  and  in  1870  was 
elected  coroner  for  a  terra  of  three  years.  He 
died  August  10,   1887,  aged  sixty-two  years. 


He  married  Catharine  Weigand,  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  Weigand,  of  Pittsburgh,  and  re- 
sides now  at  Kittanning.  To  their  union  were 
born  six  children  :  H.  J.,  P.  W.,  a  physician  of 
Humboldt,  Nebraska ;  Caroline,  Anna,  who 
died  at  nine  years  of  age  ;  W.  B.,  a  jeweler  and 
watch-maker,  and  F.  E.,  a  clerk  for  his  brother 
in  the  recorder's  office. 

H.  J.  Hays  was  reared  principally  at  Kit- 
tanning and  received  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  that  place.  In  1866  he  registered  as 
a  law  student  with  Jackson  Boggs,  and  after 
having  completed  the  required  course  of  read- 
ing he  was  admitted  in  1869  to  the  bar  of 
Armstrong  county.  From  1869  to  1872  he 
was  a  clerk  in  Alderman  Strain's  oflice  of 
Pittsburgh.  He  then  returned  to  Kittanning, 
where  he  was  elected  a  justice  of  the  peace,  an 
office  which  he  held  continuously  by  election 
and  appointment  for  over  ten  years.  In  1881 
Mr.  Hays  was  elected  recorder  of  records  of 
Armstrong  county.  His  legal  knowletlge  and 
nearly  fifteen  years  of  practical  experience  as  an 
alderman's  clerk  and  as  a  justice  of  the  peace, 
peculiarly  fitted  him  for  the  office  of  register 
and  recorder.  He  transacted  the  business  of 
his  office  in  such  an  acceptable  manner  as  to  be 
re-elected  in  1884,  and  losing  none  of  his  popu- 
larity during  his  second  term  he  was  nominated 
in  1887  and  elected  for  a  third  term,  which  will 
expire  during  the  present  year  (1890).  He  was 
elected  chairman  of  the  republican  county  com- 
mittee. He  is  a  member  of  Kittanning  Lodge, 
No.  344,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Kittanning  Lodge,  No. 
168,  I.  O.  H.,  and  Washington  Grange,  of  the 
Patrons  of  Husbandry,  Order  of  Solon,  Kit- 
tunning,  and  Jr.  O.  U.  A.  M. 

May  2,  1883,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Isabella  Hague,  a  daughter  of  Frederick  Hague 
of  Kittanning. 

H.  J.  Hays  has  served  for  an  exceptionally 
long  period  as  prothouotary  and  in  that  time 
has  conducted  the  business  of  his  office  very 
correctly  and  with  satisfaction  to  the  people  of 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


353 


the  county.  But  perhaps  the  best  test  of  the 
public  appreciation  of  Mr.  Hays'  ability  as  a 
public  official  and  his  high  standing  in  the 
county  is  to  be  found  in  the  simple  fact  that  after 
serving  one  term  as  register  and  recorder  the 
peojjle  elected  him  for  a  second  and  after  that 
for  a  third  term.  He  has  filied  his  office  hon- 
orai)ly,  is  one  of  the  prominent  men  of  the 
county  and  has  a  wide  circle  of  friends. 


HEILMAN  BROS.  James  M.,  William 
M.  and  John  F.  Heilman,  tlie  members 
of  the  well-known  and  prominent  planing-raill 
and  general  contracting  firm  of  Heilman  Bros., 
of  Kittanning,  are  sous  of  Peter  and  Elizabeth 
(Rcmaley)  Heilman  and  were  born  on  their 
father's  farm  in  Kittanning  township,  Arm- 
strong county,  Pennsylvania.  Their  patei'nal 
grandfather,  Frederick  Heilman,  was  born  and 
reared  in  Pauphin  county,  this  State,  and  upon 
attaining  his  majority  came  to  Kittanning  town- 
shij),  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  until 
las  death,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years.  He 
was  a  whig  in  politics,  a  lutheran  in  religious 
belief,  and  married  Margaret  Elinger,  a  native 
of  Armstrong  county,  by  whom  he  had  several 
children.  His  eldest  son,  Peter  Heilman 
(father),  was  born  in  July,  1819,  on  the  home 
farm,  on  which  he  died  February  25,  1878. 
He  was  a  highly  successful  farmer,  operated  a 
large  brick-yard  on  his  laml  and  was  a  stirring 
business  man.  He  was  elected  county  commis- 
sioner in  1871,  and  was  a  member  of  the  board 
which  erectetl  the  present  handsome  and  durable 
jail,  of  which  Armstrong  county  is  justly  jiroud. 
It  is  50x114  feet  in  dimensions,  constructetl  of 
stone,  brick  and  iron,  and  was  completed  in  1873 
at  a  total  cost  of  $252,000.  Its  foundation  is 
24  feet  deep,  down  from  the  surface  and  seven 
feet  wide  at  the  buttom.  Those  who  are  com- 
petent to  judge  have  pronouucetl  it  one  of  the 
finest  and  strongest  jails  in  the  United  States. 
At  the  expiration  of  his  term  as  county  commis- 


,  sioner  Peter  Heilman  returned  to  his  farm  and 
resumed  his  agricultural  pursuits,  which  he  fol- 
lowed until  his  death.    He  was  a  republican,  and 
served  as   an  enrolling  officer    during  the  late 
war.     He  also  served   as    school    director    and 
I  was   an    officer   for  many    years  in    Emanuel 
Lutheran  church,    of  which   he  was  a    highly 
esteemed  and  very  liberal   member.       His  first 
:  wife  was  a   Miss  Hellfrick,  by    whom   he    had 
!  two  children.     For  his  .second   wife  he  married 
I  Elizabeth   Renialey,  who  is  a  daughter  of  An- 
I  thony  Remaley,of  Kiskirainetas  township.  They 
reared  a  family  of  ten  children.      Of  the.se  chil- 
dren are   James    M.,  William    M.,  Reuben,  a 
hardware  merchant;  Eliza,  Edward,  in  thehard- 
warebusiness ;  John  F.  and  Frank  and  Curt  in 
A.,  furniture  dealers  of  Greensburg,  Pa. 

James  M.  Heilman  was  born  September  26, 
1848.  He  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools,  and  became  a  contractor,  in  which  busi- 
ness he  was  soon  joined  by  his  brother  William 
F.  In  1878  they  admitted  their  brother,  John 
F.,  and  formed  the  well-known  firm  of  Heil- 
man Bros.  In  connection  with  their  extensive 
contracting  they  erected  a  large  planing-mill, 
whose  various  machinery  is  driven  by  a  fifty- 
horse-power  engine  They  build  a  first-class 
grade  of  houses  and  do  over  $100,000  worth  of 
business  yearly  in  Armstrong,  Allegheny,  But- 
ler, Venango  and  Westmoreland  counties. 
James  M.  Heilman  is  a  republican  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  the  I.  O.  O. 
F.  He  married,  on  February  22,  1872,  Eliza, 
daughter  of  Sharon  tiuigley,  of  Boggs  township, 
and  has  two  children  :  Sharon  P.,  amediad  stu- 
dent, and  Arthur  M. 

William  M.  Heilman  was  born  .\pril  7, 1850, 
and  is  the  second  partner  in  the  firm.  He  mar- 
•  ried  Emma,  daughter  of  Robert  Anderson,  and 
has  five  children  living  :  Harry,  Frank,  Maude, 
Walter  and  Blanche.  He  is  a  republican  and  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellows  fra- 
ternities. 

John  F.  Heilman,  the  junior  partner  of  the 


354 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


JOSEPH  R.  HENDERSON,  a  prominent 
"  and  well-known  lawyer  of  the  Kittanning 
bar,  and  a  siiecessfnl  and  popular  republican 
leader  of  Armstrong  county,  enjoys  the  proud 
distinction  of  having  been  one  of  the  youngest 
boys  who  servefl  in  the  Union  armies  durins 
the  late  civil  war.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Fleming)  Henderson  and  was  born 
near  Dayton,  in  Wayne  township,  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania,  October  8,  1848.  He 
traces  his  ancestiy  back  to  the  Hendersons  of 
the  north  of  Ireland,  who  were  a  brave,  daring 
and  hardy  race  of  people  and  whose  descend- 
ants have  been  more  or  less  prominent  in  civil 
and  military  affairs  wherever  they  have  settled. 
Thomas  Henderson  (paternal  grandfather)  left 
\^  Ireland  on  account  of  the  part  he  took  against 
'the  English  government  in  his  native  country. 
One  of  his  friends,  an  ardent  advocate  of  Irish 
independence,  was  hanged  one  day  in  his  pres- 
ence, and  he  immediately  came  to  America  to 
•  avoid  the  certainty  of  imprisonment  and  a 
probability  of  execution.  He  was  married  in 
Ireland  and  his  wife  was  drowned  some  years 
after  their  arrival  in  this  country  in  the  Loyal- 
hanna  creek,  near  Saltsburg.  He  was  an  old 
time  presbyterian,  who  was  devoted  to  the  re- 
ligious faith  of  his  forefathers.     He  reared  a 


firm,  was  born  March  26,  1854.  After  attend- 
ing the  common  schools  he  entered  Duff's  Busi- 
ness college,  and  was  graduated  from  that 
institution  in  1878.  He  then  joined  his 
brothers  in  the  firm  of  which  he  has  been  a 
member  ever  since.  He  married,  on  December 
2.3,  1880,  Christina  Granninger,  of  Kittanning, 
and  has  three  children  :  Mary  E.,  Herbert  G. 
and  Ruth  A.  He  is  a  republican  in  politics  j 
and  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church  of  Kit- 
tanning and  the  Masonic  fraternity.  He  is  a 
man  of  recognized  business  ability  and  possesses 
energy  and  push,  the  same  as  his  brothers, 
James  M.  and  William  M. 


family  of  three  sons  and  several  daughters.  One 
of  his  sons  is  Joseph  Henderson,  of  Blairsville, 
Indiana  county.  Pa.,  while  another  was  John 
Henderson  (father),  who  was  born  on  Conneaut 
Lake,  in  Crawford  county.  Pa.  In  1807  he  moved 
with  his  father  to  Westmoreland  county,  where 
they  settled  near  New  Alexandria  and  where  the 
latter  died.  Alwut  1 830  John  Henderson  remov- 
ed to  near  the  site  of  Dayton,  this  county,  when 
that  section  of  country  was  a  perfect  wilderness, 
with  but  here  and  there  a  solitary  clearing  and 
a  lone  settler's  cabin.  By  hard  labor  he  cleared 
out  a  fine  farm,  on  which  he  resided  till  his 
death.  He  was  a  republican  and  had  been  an 
elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church  for  over  forty 
years.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth  Fleming,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Fleming,  who  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  old  and  respected  Fleming  family  of 
Indiana  county.  They  had  five  children,  three 
sons  and  two  daughters :  Joseph  R.,  Isabella, 
wife  of  William  Lamb,  of  Peabody,  Marion 
county,  Kansas  ;  and  Sophia  M.,  a  teacher  in 
the  public  schools  of  Kittanning,  and  two  who 
are  dead. 

Joseph  R.  Henderson  was  reared  on  his  fath- 
er's farm.  He  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  and  Dayton  academy.  At  thir- 
teen years  of  age  he  ran  away  from  home  and 
went  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  enlisted,  Febru- 
ary 23,  1864,  in  Co.  K,  14th  Pa.  Cavalry,  but 
his  parents  demanded  and  secured  his  release. 
He  afterwards  enlisted  (1864)  in  Co.  I,  112th 
regiment.  Pa.  Vols.,  but  was  transferred  to  the 
19th  New  York  Independent  Battery,  and  on 
account  of  not  being  able  to  engage  in  the 
marches  was  made  powder  monkey.  He  served 
creditably  for  eighteen  days  in  the  Wilderness 
fights  and  in  all  the  battles  from  Spottsylvania 
to  Lee's  surrender  at  "  Appomattox  Court- 
House."  He  was  discharged  January  20,  1866, 
aud  was  one  of  the  youngest  boys  who  served  in 
the  late  war.  He  returned  home,  attended 
Dayton  academy,  taught  several  terms  and 
spent  one  year  (1870)  at  West  Point  Military 


ABMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


355 


academy.  But  having  a  decided  taste  for  legal 
pursuits,  he  abandoned  the  profession  of  arras 
and  in  1873  entered  the  law  office  of  Hon.  Ed- 
ward S.  Golden.  At  June  term,  1875,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  Armstrong  county  bar  and 
since  then  has  been  one  of  the  well-established 
and  successful  lawyers  of  Kittanning.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  an  ardent  republican,  served  as  chair- 
man of  the  republican  county  committee  of 
Armstrong  county,  and  was  a  delegate  to  the 
Stale  convention  at  Harrisburg,  in  June,  1890. 
In  187(5  he  was  elected  district  attorney,  which 
office  he  filled  efficiently.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  Ijodge 
No.  244,  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  the  First  Presby- 
terian church  of  Kittanning. 

He  was  married  on  April  IS,  1888,  to  Sallie 
E.  Barnaby,  daughter  of  A.  M.  Baruaby,  of 
Brady's  Bend,  this  couuty.  They  have  one 
child,  a  son,  who  is  named  Marcus  Hender- 
son. 

Joseph  R.  Henderson  is  very  fond  of  music 
and  art  and  is  able  to  appreciate  the  finished 
prodnctions  of  the  one  and  the  masterpieces  of 
the  other.  Through  life  he  has  met  with  good 
success.  As  a  lawyer  he  ranks  high  at  the  Kit- 
tanning bar.  As  a  public  speaker  he  is  pleas- 
ant, entertaining  and  eloijiient.  He  is  a  logical 
and  forcible  reasoner,  and  before  a  jury  always 
makes  a  strong  impression.  He  is  clever  and 
generous,  is  public-spirited  and  progressive,  and 
while  not  seeking  every  opportunity  to  push 
himself  forward,  yet  is  popular  throughout  his 
county  and  wherever  he  is  known. 


i  LRERT  G.  HENRY.  Laurentius  pro- 
-tl  duccd  the  germ  and  started  the  growth 
of  the  art  of  printing,  Guttenberg  cultivated  it 
and  Schaeffer  beheld  it  blossom  in  his  hands. 
From  that  day  on  its  growth  has  been  rapid 
and  wonderful.  Of  the  press  of  this  county  a 
paper  that  deserves  especial  mention  is  the 
Armstrong  Republican,  whose  editor,  Albert  G. 


Henry,  has  been  engaged  in  journalism  for  over 
a  third  of  a  century.  He  was  born  at  Beaver, 
Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  a  son  of 
Hon.  Thomas  and  Sarah  Henry.  Hon.  Thom- 
as  Henry  was   born  in  Ireland,  in   1780,  and 

I  was  brought  by  his  parents,  in  1783,  to  Beaver, 
Pa.,  where  he  resided  until  his  death,  in  1849. 
In  the  war  of  1812  he  raised  a  corapauy  of 
which  he  was  elected  captain,  and  which  he 
took  as  far  as   Erie,  where  he  was  taken  very 

'  ill,  and  was  brought  down  the  Allegheny  river 
in  a  skiff  to  Pittsburgh.  After  a  long  spell  of 
sickness  he  recovered,  and  in  1818  established 
the  Beaver  Argtia,  which  he  afterwards  dis- 
posed of  to  his  son  William,  who  published  it 
for  twenty-five  years.  He  was  a  prominent 
citizen  and  a  man  of  influence  in  Beaver  county, 
in  which  he  served,  at  different  periods,  as  reg- 
ister and  recorder,  prothonotary,  treasurer  and 

\  sheriff.  He  represented  his  county  for  two  years 
in  the  Pennsylvania  legislature,  was  elected  to 
Cimgress  in  1836,  1838  and  1840;  and  at  the 
expiration  of  his  last  term  of  service  he  declined 
are-nomination  on  account  of  ill  health.  While 

■  in  Congress  he  served  on  several  important 
committees,  was  a  personal  and  intimate  friend 
of  Joshua  R.  Giddings,  and  pursued  a  course 
that  was  highly  satisfactory  to  his  party.  He 
was  an  old-line  vvhig,  who  advocated  a  strong 
tariff,  and  was  prominent  in  the  councils  of  the 
whigs  of  his  county.  He  was  engaged  for 
some  time  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Beaver, 
where  he  served  for  twenty-five  years  as  an 
elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church.  The  family 
consisted  often  children. 

Albert  G.  Henry  received  his  education  at 
Beaver  academy  and  then  learned  the  printing 
business  with  his  brother  William,  who  was 
then  editing  the  Beaver  Argus.  He  purchased 
a  half-interest  in  the  paper,  and  in  connection 
with  Michael  Weyand,  who  bought  the  other 
half,  edited  it  until  1855,  when  he  sold  his 
interest.  He  then  went  to  Pittsburgh,  and 
afler  two  years  spent  in  the  mercantile  business. 


356 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


he  removed  to  Davenport,  Iowa.  In  1858  he 
returned  to  Beaver,  which  he  left  eight  years 
later  to  take  charge  of  the  Armstrong  Deiiwcrat. 
He  changed  the  name  to  that  of  Armstrong 
Republican  and  has  continued  to  publish  it  until 
the  present  time.  It  is  one  of  the  two  repulili- 
can  papers  of  the  county,  and  while  fully  alive 
to  all  the  leading  political  issues  of  the  day  yet 
its  columns  are  filled  with  the  latest  town  and 
county  news.  It  also  contains  carefully  se- 
lected reading  matter  for  the  fireside  and  the 
farm. 

On  Sept.  2.3,  18.52,  he  married  Nancy  M., 
daughter  of  William  Miles,  of  Blair  county, 
and  a  granddaughter  of  Gen.  John  Mitchell,  | 
once  prominent  in  Pennsylvania  politics.  Of 
the  five  children  born  unto  them  three  are  liv- 
ing :  Frank  Dalzel,  associated  with  liis  father 
in  the  newspaper  business;  William,  part  owner 
of  the  Rejniblican  and  chief  of  the  Indian  divi- 
sion of  the  treasury  department  in  Washington 
City ;  and  Annie  M.,  widow  of  P.  R.  Mere- 
dith. 

A.  G.  Henry  was  a  whig,  and  cast  his  first 
vote  for  Zuchary  Taylor.  He  is  a  republican 
and  attends  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  de- 
votes his  time  principally  to  the  editing  and 
management  of  his  paper. 


pHARLES  NEWTON  HENRY,  ex-county 
^     auditor  and  ex-deputy  sheriff  of  Armstrong 
county,  and   one  of  the   reliable  and  energetic 
business  men  of  Kittauning,  was   born  in  that 
part  of  Armstrong  which  is  now  included  in  i 
Clarion  county,  Pennsylvania,  August  28,  1830, 
and  is  a  son  of  Robert   and   Elizabeth   (Kirk- 
patrick)  Henry.     Among  the  natives  of  Scot-  ', 
land  who  wei-e  pioneer  settlers  of  Derry  town- 
ship,  Westmoreland    county,    was    Ca])t.   John  [ 
Henry  (grandfather),  who  commanded  a  com-  ! 
pany  during  the  Revolutionary  war.     In  1849 
he  moved  to  what  is  now  Clarion  county,  where 
he  died.     He  married  a  Miss  McConnell,  of 


near  Shippensburg,  in  the  Cumberland  Valley, 
this  State,  and  left  a  family  of  eight  children. 
One  of  his  sons,  Charles  Henry,  served  in  the 
war  of  1812.  Another  son  (the  eldest),  Robert 
Henry  (father),  was  born  in  1785,  on  his  father's 
Derry  township  farm,  and  came  in  1804  to  Red 
Bank  township  (now  Monroe  township,  Clarion 
county)  township,  where  he  followed  farming 
until  his  death,  in  1858.  He  was  six  feet  two 
inches  in  height,  ,owned  over  seven  hundred 
acres  of  land  and  raised  large  cpiantities  of  grain. 
He  was  a  Jacksonian  democrat,  a  prominent 
elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church  and  an  upright 
man  who  strictly  observed  the  old-time  Sab- 
bath. He  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife 
was  Elizabeth  Kirkpatrick,  by  whom  he  had 
eleven  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  the  tenth.  She  came  with  her  father, 
Moses  Kirkpatrick  (maternal  graudflitlier),  from 
Ireland  to  Westmoreland  county.  After  her 
death  JMr.  Henry  married  Nancy  McElhany, 
who  bore  him  three  children. 

Charles  N.  Henry  was  reared  in  Clarion 
county,  where  he  worked  on  the  farm  and  at- 
tended the  common  schools  until  he  was  seven- 
teen years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  learn  the 
trade  of  tanner.  At  the  end  of  a  two  years'  ap- 
prenticeship he  engaged  in  tanning  and  farming, 
which  he  followed  for  several  years.  In  1870 
he  came  to  Kittauning,  where  he  engaged  in  his 
present  livery  business.  In  politics  Mr.  Henry 
has  always  been  a  democrat,  and  cast  his  first 
presidential  ballot  for  James  Buchanan.  He 
acted  as  deputy  sheriff  under  Sheriffs  Alex- 
ander Montgomery,  Sr.,  and  John  B.  Boyd, 
and  in  188(3  was  elected  as  one  of  the  audit- 
ors of  Armstrong  county.  He  discharged  well 
the  duties  of  that  office.  He  was  a  candidate 
on  the  democratic  ticket  once  for  sheriff,  and 
was  so  popular  as  to  be  defeated  by  only 
seventy-two  votes  in  a  county  whose  republi- 
can majority  is  seldom  less  than  fifleen  hun- 
dred. He  has  held  several  important  mail 
contracts  in  the  county.      He  is  a  member  of 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


357 


the  Royal  Arcanum  and  the  Knights  of 
Honor. 

January  2,  1855,  he  married  Susan  Turney, 
daughter  of  Daniel  Turney  and  cousin  to  Hon. 
Jacob  Turney,  of  Greensburg,  and  a  granddaugh- 
ter of  Rev.  Michael  Steck,  who  was  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  lutheranism  west  of  the  Alle- 
ghenies.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren :  Clara,  wife  of  Irvin  Blaney  ;  John  Tur- 
ney, in  the  livery  business  at  Craigsville;  and 
Louisa  Caroline. 

In  the  livery  business  Mr.  Henry  has  made 
it  an  object  to  please  his  patrons  by  the  best  of 
attention,  as  well  as  by  furnishing  them  with 
first-class  conveyances  and  fine  driving  and  rid- 
ing horses.  All  business  enterprises  of  which 
he  has  had  the  management  have  been  conducted 
according  to  correct  business  principles,  and 
with  satisfaction  to  all  who  were  interested. 


BOYD  S.  HENRY,  the  present  popular  and 
successful  prothonotary  of  Armstrong 
county,  is  the  youngest  man  who  has  ever  been 
honored  with  an  election  to  that  important  office 
in  the  county.  He  was  born  six  miles  west  of 
Kittanning,  at  the  village  of  Worthington,  Arm- 
strong county,  Pa.,  February  14,  1858,  and  is  the 
youngest  son  of  David  and  Mary  (Scott)  Henry. 
His  paternal  grand  father,  James  Henry,  was  born 
and  reared  to  manhood  in  the  historic  north  of 
Ireland,  where  he  married  Sarah  Richmond, 
and,  two  years  afterward,  came  to  western  Penn- 
sylvania. He  was  a  stonemason  by  trade,  a 
United  Presbyterian  in  religious  belief,  and  a 
republican  in  political  sentiment.  He  died  in 
1882  at  an  advanced  age,  having  survived  his 
wife  four  years.  He  had  nine  children,  of 
whom  two  sous,  David  and  James,  enlisted  as 
soldiers  in  the  late  war.  David  Henry  (father) 
was  born  in  Ireland,  August  4,  1824,  shortly 
before  his  parents  came  to  this  country.  He 
was  engaged  in  farming  till  1861,  when  he  was 
one  of  the  first  to  enlist  from   this  county  in 


response  to  President  Lincoln's  call  for  troops. 
He  became  a  member  of  Company  D,  100th 
regiraeiit,  Pa.  Vols.,  better  known  as  the 
"  Roundhead  "  regiment,  which  was  so  famous 
in  the  war  annals  of  the  Great  Rebellion.  He 
served  with  his  regiment  in  all  of  its  numerous 
skirmishes  and  many  battles,  until  it  had 
passetl  through  the  fiery  ordeal  of  the  W'ilder- 
derness  fights,  and  was  drawn  up  before  Cold 
Harbor.  In  the  magnificent  and  terrific  Union 
charge  ujwn  the  fortified  works  at  that  place 
he  was  among  the  foremost  of  his  regiment  to 
scale  the  Confederate  breastworks,  on  which  he 
was  cut  down  by  a  sabre-stroke  in  a  hand-to- 
hand  encounter.  He  was  a  model  soldier  in 
every  respect,  and  ranked  as  one  of  the  bravest 
men  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  fell 
nobly  in  the  defence  of  his  coimtry's  liberties, 
and  his  memory  will  ever  be  res|)ected  and 
honored  in  his  adopted  county,  while  his  name 
is  inscribed  on  the  roll  of  fallen  heroes  whom 
the  Republic  will  honor  for  all  time  to  come. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
a  man  of  high  standing  in  his  community,  and 
one  of  the  early  agitators  of  tli«  slavery  ques- 
tion in  Armstrong  county.  On  June  19,  1845, 
he  married  Mary  Scott,  who  was  born  April 
10,  1825,  and  passed  away  in  1861,  when  in 
the  thirty-sixth  year  of  her  age.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  Scott,  who  was  a  native 
of  Scotland,  served  in  the  war  of  1812,  and 
died  in  Butler  county  on  March  4,  1866, 
His  wife  was  Elizabeth  Boyd,  who  was  born 
January  4,  1801,  and  died  November  9,  1834. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  were  born  seven 
children,  of  whom  five  are  living :  James 
H.,  a  farmer  of  Republic  county,  Kau.sas; 
Elizabeth,  who  resides  at  Poland,  Ohio  ;  Mary, 
wife  of  George  Kirk,  a  machinist,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, Pa. ;  Sarah,  married  to  John  White, 
likewise  a  machinist  of  the  "  Iron  City,"  and 
Boyd  S. 

Boyd  S.  Henry  was  educated   in   the  Union 
school  at  Worthington  and   the  public  schools 


358 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


at  Kittanuing.  He  afterwards  attended  the 
Iron  City  college  of  Pittsburg,  and  was  grad- 
uated from  that  noted  commercial  institution, 
whose  alumni  include  thousands  of  our  wealth- 
iest and  most  prominent  business  men.  His 
first  employment  in  a  public  character  was  in 
the  prothonotary's  office,  where  he  served  as  a 
deputy  for  four  years.  He  was  then  (1880) 
appointed  deputy  sheriff,  in  which  capacity  he 
acted  efficiently  for  seven  years.  His  energy 
and  faithfulness  while  serving  in  those  two 
offices  constantly  gained  him  friends  and  influ- 
ence, and  in  1887  he  was  nominated  for  pro- 
thonotary  by  the  Republican  party  and  elected 
by  a  majority  of  nearly  sixteen  hundred.  He 
assumed  charge  of  that  office  in  1888,  and  his 
discharge  of  its  duties  has  been  so  satisfactory 
to  bis  own  party  and  the  public  that  he  has 
been  re-nominated  (1890)  without  opposition  in 
the  Republican  party,  while  present  indications 
warrant  him  a  generous  support  at  the  polls, 
independent  of  political  consideration.  On 
December  15,  1887,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Elizabeth  Campbell,  daughter  of  S.  K.  Camp- 
bell, of  Kittanning. 

Of  the  eighteen  persons  who  have  served  as 
prothonotaries  of  Armstrong  county  since  its 
organization,  from  March  12,  1800,  to  Decem- 
ber, 1890,  Mr.  Henry  is  the  last  and  was 
elected  at  an  earlier  age  than  any  of  his  prede- 
cessors. Attentive,  obliging  and  active,  he  has 
fairly  won  the  success  which  has  crowned  the 
early  efforts  of  his  life. 


FRANK  W.  HILL,  prominent  in  the  insur- 
ance and  real  estate  business  at  Kittan- 
ning and  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  oldest 
families  of  Pennsylvania,  which  was  planted  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  State  two  hundred  and 
twelve  years  ago,  is  a  son  of  John  W.  and  Jane 
B.  (Parks)  Hill,  and  was  born  in  Allegheny 
township,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania, 
June  14, 1863.     The  Hills  trace  their  ancestry 


back  to  a  Hill  who  settled  in  eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania four  years  prior  to  William  Penn's  settle- 
ment on  the  site  of  Philadeljjhia  in  1682.  One 
of  his  descendants  was  John  Hill  (great-grand- 
father), who  was  born  in  Lancaster  and  re- 
moved to  Westmoreland  county,  this  State, 
where  his  son,  Hon.  Jacob  Hill  (grandfather), 
was  born.  He  was  a  prominent  and  u.seful 
man,  was  a  contractor  on  tlie  old  Pennsylvania 
canal,  then  kept  a  store  and  hotel  at  Leech  burg, 
and  about  1845  purchased  a  farm  of  five  hun- 
dred acres,  in  what  is  now  Parks  township, 
upon  which  he  resided  until  his  death  in  1876. 
He  served  as  a  member  of  the  General  As- 
sembly of  Pennsylvania  for  two  terms — from 
1842  to  1846.  He  was  well  informed,  gave 
general  satisfaction  as  a  legislator  and  was  a 
man  of  ability  and  influence.  He  was  over  six 
feet  in  height  and  of  good  personal  appearance 
and  agreeable  manners.  He  was  a  strict  luth- 
eran,  a  Jacksonian  democrat  and  married  Han- 
nah Eulem,  by  whom  he  had  four  sons  and  five 
daughters.  One  of  these  sous  was  John  W. 
Hill  (father),  who  was  born  in  Allegheny  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  county,  Peimsylvania,  May 
22,  1828.  In  early  life  became  to  Armstrong 
county  and  was  engaged  in  farmiug  until  1884, 
when  he  moved  to  near  Greenville,  Mercer 
county.  Pa.,  where  he  purchased  and  still  owns 
a  well-improved  farm.  He  is  a  democrat  from 
principle,  has  held  various  township  offices  and 
belongs  to  the  Lutheran  church,  in  which  he  has 
served  as  an  officer  at  different  times.  He  mar- 
ried Jane  Parks,  daughter  of  John  Parks,  of 
Parks  township.  To  their  union  have  been 
born  six  children,  of  whom  five  are  living, 

Frank  W.IIill  was  reared  near  Leechburg,  and 
I'eceived  his  education  in  the  common  schools 
and  the  public  .schools  of  the  above-mentioned 
place.  His  attendance  at  school  was  inter- 
rupted for  one  year,  which  he  spent  as  a  clerk 
in  a  store.  Leaving  school,  he  became  a  sales- 
man in  a  Bradford  (Pa.)  carpet  house,  which 
13ositiou  be  held  for  two  years  and  then  (1884) 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


359 


resigned  to  engage  in  the  insurance  business. 
One  year  later  he  removed  toKitlauniug,  where 
he  purchased  the  insurance  office  of  Josepli 
Painter  and  since  that  time  has  been  engage<l 
in  building  up  the  extensive  and  prosperous 
business  which  he  now  enjoys.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber and  vestryman  of  St.  Paul's  Protestant 
Episcopal  church.  Politically  he  is  a  democrat 
and  was  a  delegate  to  the  State  democratic  con- 
vention of  1887.  He  is  a  prompt,  energetic 
and  successful  business  man. 

January  2,  1889,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Ethel  T.  Pinney,  a  daughter  of  L.  C.  Pinney, 
of  Kittanuing. 

In  real  estate  matters  Mr.  Hill  does  a  good 
business.  He  is  well  informed  in  regard  to 
properties,  both  residence  and  agricultural.  In 
the  insurance  line  of  his  business  he  represents 
the  following  five  old,  large  and  responsible 
companies:  Royal,  London  Assurance  Corpo- 
ration, Hartford  Fire,  American  Fire  and 
Travelers'  Life  and  Accident. 


HON.  WILLIAM  FREAME  JOHNSTON, 
governor  of  Pennsylvania  from  July  26, 
1848,  to  January  20,  1852,  was  born  at  Greens- 
burg,  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
November  29,  1808,  and  was  a  son  of  Alex- 
ander and  Elizabeth  (Freame)  Johnston.  Alex- 
ander Johnston  was  of  Scotch  extraction.  He 
was  born  in  county  Tyrone,  Ireland,  July  10, 
1773,  and  died  near  Youiigstown,  Westmore- 
land county,  July  16,  1872.  He  came  to 
America  in  1797  and  soon  tiiereafter  settled  at 
Greensburg,  Pa.,  where  he  married  Elizabeth, 
second  daughter  of  William  Freame,  who  was  a 
native  of  Belfast,  Ireland,  and  fought  under 
Wolfe  at  Quebec.  Mr.  and  Mi-s.  Johnston 
reared  a  family  of  eight  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters. Alexander  Johnston  held  several  import- 
ant county  offices  and  was  the  oldest  Mason  in 
the  United  States  at  the  time  of  his  death. 


William   Freame  Johnston   read    law   with 
Maj.  John  B.   Alexander,  was  admitted  to  the 
Westmoreland  county  bar  in   May,  1829,  and 
soon  thereafter  came  to  Kittanning,   where  he 
,  soon  rose  to  a  position  of  commanding  influence. 
I  He  was  appointed  district  attorney,  represented 
I  the  county  in  the  Assembly  of  Pennsylvania  iu 
j  1836,  1838  and  1841,  and  in  1847  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  State  Senate.     He  was  an  ac- 
knowledged political  leader  and  his  bill  author- 
izing the  State  to  issue  relief  notes  in  allevia- 
tion   of  the   panic   of   1837    made    him    very 
popular   throughout    Pennsylvania.     Iu    1847 
he  was  elected  president  of  the  Senate,  and  as 
such  served  as  acting  governor  from  the  resig- 
nation of  Governor  Shunk    in    1848  until   he 
(Mr.   Johnston)    was    elected    governor   in  the 
same  year. 

As  Governor  he  tot>k  a  great  interest  in 
the  mining  and  manufacturing  interests  of 
the  State,  and  it  is  due  to  his  unceasing 
efforts  that  we  have  to-day  the  "Colonial 
Records"  and  "Pennsylvania  Archives."  He 
was  nominated  for  re-election  by  the  Whig 
party,  but  was  defeated.  During  the  late  war 
he  rendered  valuable  service  in  organizing 
troops  for  the  Union  army,  in  fortifying  Pitts- 
burgh and  aidingWest  Virginia  with  ammunition 
in  a  ci  itical  hour.  President  Johnson  appointed 
him  collector  of  the  port  of  Philadelphia,  and, 
although  he  served  efficiently  for  several 
months  and  made  a  splendid  record  as  a  col- 
lector, yet  he  was  rejected  by  the  Senate  on  ac- 
count of  its  hostility  to  the  president. 

On  April  12,  1832,  Governor  Johnston  mar- 
ried Mary  Monteith.  To  their  union  were 
born  five  sons  and  two  daughters. 

Governor  Johnston  through  life  was  a  man  of 
uncommon  physical  powers,  iron  will  and  un- 
tiring energy.  Amid  all  his  cares  of  business 
and  responsibilities  of  office  he  preserved  his 
reputation  for  honesty,  integrity  and  morality. 
His  life  of  usefulness  closed  on  October  25, 
1872,  when  he  passed  to  the  unseen  world. 


360 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


REV.  FRANK  X.  KETTL,  a  scholarly, 
able,  earnest  and  faithful  young  pastor  of 
the  Catholic  church  and  now  in  charge  of  St. 
Mary's  Catholic  church,  at  Kittauning,  was  born 
at  Hollidaysburg,  Blair  county,  Pennsylvania, 
January  22,  1865,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Mary  (Lelmar)  Kettl.  John  Kettl  was  born  iu 
the  southern  part  of  the  kingdom  of  Bavaria,  on 
December  9,  1819,  and  died  at  Hollidaysburg, 
Pa.,  August  6,  1876.  He  emigrated  from 
Bavaria  to  Hollidaysburg  about  1850,  and  be- 
came a  foreman  for  the  Blair  &  Cambria  Iron 
company.  He  often  served  in  the  same  capacity 
for  contractors  ou  stone,  wood  and  iron  work. 
He  was  very  popular  as  a  foreman  with  jjoth 
his  employers  and  the  men  who  worked  under 
him,  on  account  of  his  honesty,  fairness  and 
kind  disposition.  He  was  a  democrat  in  politics 
and  a  strict  member  of  the  Catholic  church.  He 
was  married  in  Bavaria  to  Mary  Lelmar.  They 
had  nine  sons  and  one  daughter,  of  whom  all 
are  living  except  Louis,  who  was  killed  by  a 
train  iu  the  yards  of  the  P.  R.  R.  Co.,  at 
Altoona. 

Frank  X.  Kettl  was  reared  at  Hollidaysburg 
and  received  his  education  in  Fon  du  Lac  col- 
lege, Wisconsin,  and  St.  Vincent's  abbey  and 
college,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.  Having  his 
mind  directed  to  the  ministry,  he  fitted  for  the 
priesthood  at  St.  Viuceut's  abbey,  which  was 
founded  in  1846  by  the  saintly  Rt.  Rev.  Boni- 
face Wimmer,  who  revived  iu  America  the  grand 
institutions  of  the  Benedictine  abbeys  of  the 
middle  ages,  from  which  many  nations  of  Europe 
first  received  the  glad  tidings  of  Christianity. 
Rev.  Kettl's  first  appointment  after  being 
ordained  to  the  priesthood  was  as  assistant  to 
Rev.  John  Shell,  with  whom  he  remained  about 
fourteen  months.  He  was  then  stationed  at 
Huntiugdou,  but  in  a  short  time  was  appointed 
pastor  of  St.  Mary's  church,  at  Kittanning,  of 
which  he  assumed  charge  on  December  16, 1888. 
In  addition  to  the  membership  of  one  hundred 
and  ten  families   at  Kittanning,  he  has  charge 


of  the  Ford  City  congregation  and  the  care  of 
twenty  families  at  Nicholson's  ruu.  St.  Mary's 
church  was  organized  about  1851.  The  first 
services  were  held  at  the  house  of  William  Sir- 
well,  and  subsequently  at  private  houses,  the 
academy  and  court-house  until  1853,  when  the 
present  brick  church  was  built  on  the  corner  of 
High  and  Water  streets.  Tiie  ministers  of  this 
church  have  been  Revs.  Mitchell,  Gray,  Scanlan, 
Phelan,  O'Rourke,  Lambing,  Dignam,  and 
Frank  X.  Kettl,  the  present  pastor.  Rev. 
Kettl  has  always  sustained  pleasant  relations 
with  his  people  in  the  different  charges  M'hich 
he  has  filleil,  and  his  present  pastorate  has  been 
characterized  by  a  high  degree  of  harmony.  He 
is  a  finely  educated  and  courteous  gentleman, 
an  earnest  and  successful  laborer  in  his  sacred 
calling  and  is  well  respected  by  all  who  know 
him. 


DR.  MARTIN  LUTHER  KLINE.  Among 
Kittanning's  leading  and  successful  dentists 
is  Dr.  Martin  Luther  Kline,  who  has  been  in 
the  active  and  continuous  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession for  over  twenty  years  at  Armstrong's 
counfy-seat.  He  was  born  in  Clearfield  county, 
Pa.,  June  8,  1847,  and  is  a  .son  of  Martin 
and  Rachel  (Owens)  Kline.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, Solomon  Kline,  wa.s  a  representative 
farmer  of  the  day  in  which  he  lived.  He  re- 
moved some  years  after  his  marriage  from  Indi- 
ana to  Clearfield  county,  M'here  he  purchased  a 
farm  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days  in  its 
cultivation  and  improvement.  His  son,  Martin 
Kline  (father),  was  born  in  Indiana  couuty,  but 
was  reared  in  Clearfield  county,  where,  in  addi- 
tion to  fanning,  he  was  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business.  He  was  a  democrat  from  principle,  a 
Methodist  in  religious  belief  and  church-mem- 
bership and  a  useful  citizen  of  the  community 
in  which  he  resided  until  his  death,  in  1874,  at 
56  years  of  age.  His  wife  was  Rachel  Owens, 
a  daughter  of  John  Owens,  of  Clearfield  county. 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


361 


They  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  of 
whoiu  nine  are  living.  Mrs.  Rachel  Kline  was 
born  and  reared  in  Clearfield  county. 

M.  L.  Kline  was  reared  on  a  farm.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
Clearfield  county  and  commenced  life  for  him- 
self by  engaging  in  the  lumber  business  on  the 
Susquehanna  river  which  he  followed  for  seven 
years.  He  then  studied  dentistry  with  his 
uncle,  Dr.  Owens,  of  Kittanniug,  and  in  1870 
formed  a  partnership  with  his  preceptor  which 
lasted  for  three  years.  At  the  end  of  this  time 
he  purchased  his  uncle's  interest  and  practiced 
until  1888,  when  lie  admitted  Dr.  E.  H.  Wright 
into  partnership  with  him.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Royal  Arcanum,  Knights  of  Honor  and  Sr. 

0.  U.  A.  M.  He  is  a  democrat,  but  takes  no 
leading  part  in  politics  and  devotes  his  time 
principally  to  his  large  and  rapidly  increasing 
practice.  He  is  a  fine  workman  and  has  a 
well-fitted  up  and  completely  furnished  office. 

Marcli  14th,  1872,  he  married  Martha  E. 
Hamlin,  daughter  of  John  Hamlin.  To  their 
union  have  been  born  three  children  :  George 
K.,  Lulela  H.  and  Beula  Blanche,  aged  respec- 
tively seventeen,  twelve  and  seven  years. 

Dr.  E.  H.  Wright,  the  junior  member,  was 
born  near  Kelley's  station,  April  21,  18G3,  and 
is  a  son  of  J.  H.  Wright,  who  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1837,  at  Mifflintown,  Juniata  county. 
Pa.,  attended  Washington  and  Jefferson  college 
and  Gettysburg  seminary,  and  removed  to  Arm- 
strong county  about  1840.  E.  H.  Wright  was 
educated  at  the  Elderton  select  school,  studied 
dentistry,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Oiiio 
Dental  college,  March  4,  1884.  He  practiced 
at  Elderton  until  1887,  when  he  removed  to 
Kittanniug  and  became  a  partner  with  Dr. 
Kline. 

He  married,  December  20th,  1887,  Jose- 
phine, daughter  of  Thomas  Morgan,  of  Fox- 
burg,  Pa.     He  is  a  republican  and  a  member  of 

1.  O.  O.  F.,  Royal  Arcanum  and  Jr.  O.  U.  A. 
M.     He  is  a  first-class  dental  surgeon,  and  the 

22 


firm  is  well-known  as  one  of  the  leading  dental 
firms  of  the  county.  . 


MERION  F.  LEASON  is  accorded  a  place 
in  the  front  rank  of  the  membera  of  the 
Armstrong  county  bar,  and  is  recognized  as 
one  of  the  leading  lawyers  of  the  Twenty-fifth 
Congressional  District,  which  has  many  public 
men  who  are  prominent  and  distinguished  in 
the  legal  profession.  He  is  a  son  of  Rev. 
Thomas  Shark  and  Mary  Moore  (Laird)  Lea- 
son,  and  was  born  at  Leechburg,  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1854.  Rev.  Thomas 
Shark  Leason  was  born  in  Venango  township, 
Butler  county,  Pennsylvania,  April  29,  1817. 
After  completing  his  academic  studies,  lie  en- 
tered, in  June,  1844,  tlie  sophomore  class  of 
Washington  college,  from  which  celebrated  in- 
stitution  of  learning  he  was  graduated.  He 
then  commenced  his  theological  studies  at  the 
Western  Theological  seminary,  and  was  grad- 
uated from  that  well-known  religious  institu- 
tion. He  was  ordained  as  a  minister  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  and  his  first  charge  was 
Marietta,  Ohio,  where  he  resided  but  two  years 
on  account  of  his  health.  He  then  removed 
to  Leechburg,  where  he  remained  in  charge 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  that  place  for 
ten  years.  He  resigned  at  Leechburg  in  order 
to  accept  a  call  as  pastor  of  the  Mt.  Tabor 
congregation  of  Jefferson  county.  Pa.,  where 
he  has  served  acceptably  ever  since.  He 
was  a  representative  of  the  Christian  commis- 
sion during  the  late  war,  and  was  stationed 
with  the  western  army.  Of  fine  education  and 
sound  theological  views,  he  is  a  forcible  and 
impressive  speaker  and  an  earnest  and  success- 
ful worker  in  the  vineyard  of  his  Divine 
Master.  He  honors  his  sacred  calling  by  a 
consistent  Christian  life,  whicii  has  won  for 
him  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  wlio  know 
him.  He  married  Mrs.  Mary  Moore  Stewart, 
widow  of  William  B.  Stewart,  of  Pittsburgh, 


362 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


and  youngest  daughter  of  Rev.  Francis  Laird, 
D.D.,  of  Westmoreland  county.  Tliey  have 
four  children,  of  whom  three  are  living:  Mer- 
ion  F.,  Melissa  and  Elsie.  Mrs.  Mary  Moore 
(Laird)  Leason  was  born  at  Locust  Dale, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  in  1816.  Her 
father,  Rev.  Francis  Laird,  was  of  that  grand 
old  Scotch-Irish  race  that  has  made  its  impress 
on  the  civil  and  religious  institutions  of  this 
country  for  all  time  to  come.  He  was  a  man 
of  unusual  ability,  a  fine  classical  scholar  aud 
a  highly-esteemed  minister.  He  was  a  gradu- 
ate of  Dickinson  college,  and  was  a  power  in 
maintaining  and  spreading  presbyteriauism  in 
western  Pennsylvania.  He  was  the  youngest 
son  of  William  Laird,  of  Adams  county,  Pa., 
who  married  Jane  McClure,  and  whose  father, 
William  Laird,  Sr.,  was  the  son  of  John  aud 
Martha  (Russel)  Laird,  respectively  of  Scoteh- 
Irish  and  English  lineage,  and  who  emigrated 
from  England  to  Adams  county,  this  State, 
about  1760.  Rev.  Francis  Laird  married  Mary 
Moore,  daughter  of  Hon.  John  Moore,  a  son 
of  William  and  Jennett  (Wilson)  Moore,  of 
Lancaster  county, "Pa.,  and  who  was  the  first 
president-judge  of  Westmoreland  county,  Pa., 
and  also  was  a  member  of  the  first  Constitu- 
tional Convention  of  Pennsylvania  aud  a  State 
Senator  prior  to  1790.  Judge  Moore's  wife 
was  a  Miss  Parr,  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Parr,  of 
New  Jersey,  a  woman  of  intelligence,  vivacity 
and  fine  personal  appearance. 

Merion  F.  Leason  was  reared  in  his  native 
county,  where  he  has  always  resided.  He  at- 
tended the  common  schools,  completed  the 
course  of  Tuscarora  academy,  and  in  Septem- 
ber, 1872,  entered  Princeton  college,  from 
which  famous  institution  of  learning  he  was 
graduated  in  1876.  After  graduation  he  passed 
the  preliminary  law  examination,  read  law  with 
W.  L.  Stewart,  of  Brook ville,  and  was  admit- 
ted to  the  county  bar  in  February,  1877.  In 
the  fall  of  that  year  he  removed  to  Kittanning, 
where  he  has  been  engaged  ever  since  in  the 


successful  practice  of  his  profession.  In  1879 
he  was  elected  district  attorney,  and  satisfacto- 
rily discharged  the  duties  of  tliat  office.  In 
1889  he  was  the  republican  candidate  for  judge 
of  the  Thirty-third  judicial  district  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, composed  of  the  county  of  Armstrong, 
but  was  defeated  on  account  of  dissensions 
within  his  own  party. 

June  30,  1880,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Hannah  Reynolds,  a  daughter  of  Jefferson 
Reynolds,  of  this  county.  They  have  three 
children ;  Mary  Laird,  Jeiferson  Reynolds  and 
Helen  Maude,  aged,  respectively,  nine,  seven, 
and  one  and  one-half  years. 

M.  F.  Leason  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  a  Royal  Arch  Mason.  He  prac- 
tices in  the  courts  of  Armstrong  and  adjoining 
counties,  and  before  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Pennsylvania,  to  which  he  was  admitted  Octo- 
ber 25,  1880,  on  motion  of  John  Gilpin. 


CHARLES  LENZ,  a  successful  merchant 
and  enterprising  citizen  of  Kittanning,  was 
born  in  the  Province  of  Nassau,  Prussia,  March 
17,  1838,  aud  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth 
(Miller)  Lenz,  both  natives  of  Germany.  Jacob 
Lenz  (father)  was  a  miner  in  his  native  country, 
where  he  resided  until  his  death,  in  1850,  when 
fifty  years  of  age.  He  v^as  a  member  of  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  church.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Miller,  and  they  were  the  parents  of 
six  children.  Mrs.  Lenz  died  at  her  home  in 
Germany  in  1872,  when  in  the  sixty-fourth 
year  of  her  age. 

Charles  Lenz  was  reared  in  the  kingdom  of 
Prussia,  and  received  his  education  in  the  ex- 
cellent public  schools  of  his  native  country. 
Leaving  school,  he  engaged  in  the  mining  busi- 
ness until  1871,  when  he  came  to  the  United 
States.  He  first  located  in  McKeesport,  this 
State,  where  he  remained  one  year,  and  then 
came  to  Kittanning,  where  he  has  resided  ever 
since.     In  1875  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


363 


business,  in  which  lie  has  coutiuued  successfully 
up  to  the  present  time.  He  is  also  a  stockholder 
in  the  natural  gas  company  at  Kittanning. 

On  April  23, 1865,  Mr.  Lenz  married  Caro- 
line Heidersdorf,  daughter  of  Philip  Heiders- 
dorf,  a  native  of  Germany.  Two  children  have 
blessed  this  union :  Henrietta  and  Lizzie,  who 
are  both  at  home. 

Charles  Lenz  is  a  republican  in  political 
matters,  and  is  always  prompt,  energetic  and 
successful  in  any  enterprise  in  which  he  engages. 
His  mercantile  establishment  is  on  Jefferson 
street,  at  Kittanning.  He  carries  a  well-assorted 
and  heavy  stock  of  groceries,  and  has  a  good 
trade.  By  natural  business  ability,  good  judg- 
ment and  courteous  treatment  of  his  patrons,  he 
has  been  very  successful  in  business.  He  is  a 
memlier  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church, 
in  which  he  is  also  an  elder.  He  is  a  member 
of  Kittanning  Lodge,  No.  1511,  Knights  of 
Honor.  Mr.  Lenz  owns  considerable  real  estate 
within  the  borough  limits  of  Kittanning,  where 
he  is  known  as  a  man  of  energy  and  reliability. 


REV.  HENRY  L.  MAYERS.  One  who 
has  gi'own  in  favor  and  confidence  with 
his  people  by  his  earnestness  of  purpose  and  the 
integrity  of  his  character  is  Rev.  Henry  L. 
Mayers,  the  present  pastor  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian church  of  Kittanning.  He  was  born  at 
Millersburgh,  Ohio,  December  29,  1847,  and  is 
a  son  of  Lewis  and  Sarah  Wheaton  Mayers. 
Lewis  Mayers  was  born  in  Wurmz,  Germany, 
October,  1811,  and  died  at  Millersburgh,  Ohio, 
August  1,  1883,  age<l  72  years.  He  was  a 
worthy  representative  of  the  industrious  and 
progressive  German  race  which  has  become  so 
powerful  in  the  world  during  the  last  two  cen- 
turies. He  settled  in  1837  at  Millersburgh, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  dry-goods  business 
until  1873,  when  he  organized  "The  Exchange 
bank,"  of  which  he  was  a  large  stock-holder. 
H^  was  elected  annually  as  president  of  that 


bank,  from  its  organization  until  his  death,  in 
1 883.  He  was  a  remarkably  successful  business 
man,  a  public-spirited  citizen  in  every  way  and 
an  influential  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  to  which  he  was  always  a  liberal  con- 
tributor. He  married  Sarah  Wlieaton,  who  is 
a  daughter  of  Anson  Melvin  Wheaton,  a  teacher 
and  noted  surveyor  of  Ohio.  They  reared  and 
educated  a  family  of  seven  sons  and  fom-  daugh- 
ters, all  of  whom  are  living  and  in  good  circum- 
stances. Six  of  these  sons  are  successful  busi- 
ness men. 

Henry  L.  Mayers  received  his  elementary 
education  in  private  schools  at  Millersburgh 
and  spent  four  years  at  Vermillion  Institute, 
Haysville,  Ohio,  where  he  prepared  for  college. 
In  18jS8  he  entered  the  sophomore  class  of 
Princeton  college,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  tiie  class  of  1871.  He  took  high  rank  as  a 
speaker  and  literary  man,  being  a  junior  orator 
prize-man,  and  carrying  off  a  Whig  Hall  medal. 
He  prepared  for  the  ministry  at  Princeton 
Theological  seminary,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated in  April,  1874.  He  was  licensed  by  the 
presbytery  of  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey, 
April,  1874.  His  first  charge  was  at  Millville, 
N.  J.,  where  he  remained  for  five  years.  His 
health  then  becoming  impaired,  he  resigned  his 
charge,  and  was  not  in  regular  pastoral  work 
for  two  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  having 
recovered  his  health  in  a  large  measure,  he  ac- 
cepted a  call,  in  March,  1881,  from  the  First 
Presbyterian  church  of  Kittamiing,  and  has 
served  as  its  pastor  ever  since. 

On  July  22,  1874,  he  married  Margaret 
Phillips,  a  daughter  of  Lewis  and  Eliza  Pliillips, 
of  Lawrenceville,  New  Jersey.  Rev.  and  Mrs. 
Mayers  were  the  parents  of  three  children : 
Eliza  Phillips,  Lewis  Deare  and  John  Mickle. 
Mrs.  Mayers  was  greatly  beloved  by  their  con- 
gregation, was  an  intelligent  and  amiable 
woman,  but  her  stay  on  earth  was  limited  to  a 
few  brief  years,  and  she  passed  to  her  eternal 
home  on  March  10,  1887. 


364 


BIOOBAPHIES  OF 


Rev.  Heury  L.  Mayers  is  an  able  and  elo- 
quent advocate  of  the  doctrines  and  tlie  teach- 
ings of  the  time-honored  old  Presbyterian 
church,  in  which  he  is  an  efficient  and  success- 
ful worker.  He  is  worthily  treading  in  the 
footsteps  of  those  grand  old  ministers  who 
helped  establish  presbyterianism  in  western 
Pennsylvania.  His  congregation  is  one  of  the 
largest  in  the  community,  and  they  worship  in 
one  of  the  finest  church  buildings  in  the  State. 


TAMES  H.  McCAIN  is  one  of  the  many 
^  members  of  the  Kittanning  bar  who  is  held 
in  high  esteem  for  integrity,  good  judgment  and 
professional  ability.  He  is  a  son  of  William 
and  Elizabeth  (Galbraith)  McCain,  and  was 
born  near  Slate  Lick,  South  Buffalo  township, 
Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  June  17, 
1844.  The  McCain  family  is  one  of  the  old 
families  of  the  county  Tyrone,  Ireland,  and  one 
member  of  it  in  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century  was  George  McCain  (grandfather),  who 
married  Mary  Ralston.  They  came  in  1822  to 
South  Buffalo  township,  where  he  purchased  a 
farm  and  distillery.  He  was  a  Cumberland 
presbyterian,  and  had  two  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters. One  of  these  sons  was  William  McCain, 
who  was  born  in  Ireland.  He  followed  farming 
for  some  time,  then  was  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness at  Freeport,  and  in  the  winter  of  1853  re- 
moved to  California,  where  he  was  elected  judge 
of  Nevada  county.  In  1857  he  returned  to 
Freeport,  and  three  years  later  engaged  in  the 
oil  business,  which  he  followed  until  his  death, 
in  1864.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth  Galbraith, 
who  was  a  daughter  of  Robert  Galbraith,  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  Butler  county.  She  died 
December  19,  1888,  aged  eighty-five  years. 
Judge  McCain  was  a  member  and  one  of  the 
first  trustees  of  Slate  Lick  United  Presbyterian 
church,  and  was  a  very  strong  man  physically. 
He  was  a  life-long  democrat,  an  influential  citi- 


zen and  a  man  of  positive  views,  but  very  con- 
siderate of  the  feelings  of  those  who  differed 
from  him.  In  all  the  duties  and  relations  of  a 
citizen  he  bore  an  honorable  part, 

James  H.  McCain  is  the  eighth  of  a  family  of 
ten  children,  of  whom  five  are  living.  He  re- 
ceived his  literary  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  Freeport  acadeny^.  Having  a  taste 
and  inclination  for  the  legal  profession,  he  read 
law  for  one  year  in  the  office  of  J.  G.  D.  Finly, 
of  Freeport,  then  (1872)  attended  the  law  de- 
partment of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  for 
one  year  and  completed  his  studies  with  Hon.  E. 
S.  Golden,  of  Kittanning.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  Armstrong  county  bar  in  September,  1873, 
and  has  been  in  active  practice  ever  since.  In 
1880  he  formed  a  partnership  with  John  Gil- 
pin, one  of  the  leading  lawyers  of  Kittanning. 
Mr.  Gilpin  died  in  November,  1883,  and  during 
the  following  year  he  formed  his  present  part- 
nership with  M.  F.  Leason,  Esq.  (see  his  sketch). 
This  firm  has  a  large  practice  and  is  widely 
known  for  its  ability  and  prominence  at  the 
Kittanning  bar. 

He  was  married  October  30,  1879,  to  Char- 
lotte E.  Turner,  daughter  of  John  Turner,  of 
Freeport.  To  their  union  have  been  born  four 
children,  of  whom  three  are  living;  Bessie 
Knox,  born  July  22,  1883  ;  Gilpin  Monteith, 
born  September  23,  1885;  and  James  Harvey, 
born  April  1,  1889.  Mrs.  McCain's  father^ 
John  Turner,  is  a  cabinet-maker  by  trade,  and 
has  been  successfully  engaged  for  the  last  twenty- 
five  years  in  the  oil  business.  He  married 
Nancy  Ford,  who  bore  him  two  sons  and  two 
daughters,  and  whose  father,  Peter  Ford,  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  King,  a  daughter  of  Capt.  Robert 
King,  of  Revolutionary  war  fame. 

J.  H.  McCain  is  a  republican,  but  has  never 
asked  for  an  office,  although  he  has  served  two 
terms  as  burgess  of  Kittanning.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Kittanning  Lodge,  No.  244,  F,  and  A. 
Masons,  and  the  Second  Presbyterian  church 
of  Kittanning,  in  which  he  is  an  elder.     As  a 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


365 


lawyer,  as  a  citizen  and  as  a  man  he  stands  well 
at  the  bar,  in  his  community  and  with  the  public. 


RA.  McCULLOUGH,  an  active  and 
•  promising  young  member  of  the  Kittan- 
ning  bar,  was  born  at  Eddyville,  jNIahoning 
township,  Armstrong  county,  I'c'iiiiMlvaiiia, 
July  7,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  David  and  I*" ran- 
ees (Hoffman)  McCullough.  David  McCul- 
lough  comes  of  a  hardy  and  industrious  race. 
He  is  a  son  of  David  McCullough,  who  came 
to  near  Salem,  in  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
from  Lancaster,  Pa. 

David  McCullough  was  born  in  1820,  and 
about  1845  removed  to  Mahoning  township, 
this  county,  where  he  followed  his  trade  of 
millwright  in  connection  with  farming.  In 
1878  he  went  to  Cedar  county,  Nebraska, 
where  he  has  been  engaged  in  farming  exclu- 
sively ever  since.  He  is  a  veteran  soldier  of 
the  late  war.  In  1861  he  enlisted  in  Co.  G, 
6 1st  regiment,  Pa.  Vols.,  and  when  his  term  of 
three  years'  service  had  expired  he  re-enlisted 
and  served  till  the  close  of  the  war.  He  en- 
listed as  a  private,  but  was  promoted  to  captain. 
He  served  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  parti- 
cipated in  many  of  its  battles  and  escaped  with 
being  but  slightly  disabled.  He  was  a  demo- 
crat till  near  the  close  of  the  late  war,  and  had 
served  as  justice  of  the  peace,  but  he  then  be- 
came a  republican.  He  was  reared  in  the  faith 
of  the  Reformed  church,  in  whose  teachings  he 
believes.  He  married  Frances  Hoffman,  a 
daughter  of  George  Hoffman,  who  came  from 
eastern  Pennsylvania  and  settled  near  Harrison 
City,  in  Westmoreland  county.  Her  grand- 
father was  a  commissioned  officer  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCullough 
reared  a  family  of  twelve  children,  of  whom 
nine  are  living.  Mrs.  McCullough  died  in  1867, 
aged  forty-six  years,  and  Mr.  McCullough 
afterwards  married  a  Mrs.  Conger,  of  Clarion 
county,  Pa. 


R.  A.  McCullough  was  reared  in  his  native 
township  and  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  Oakland  academy,  from 
which  institution  of  learning  he  was  graduated 
in  1881.  He  taught  six  terms  of  school  and 
was  assistant  principal  of  Kitt^uming  schools 
for  one  term.  Having  made  choice  of  the  pro- 
fession 'if  law,  he  successfully  passed  the  required 
pieliininary  examination  in  all  the  branches  of 
a  thorough  English  education  and  the  ele- 
ments of  the  Latin  language,  and  was  registered 
in  1884  as  a  student-at-law  with  Hon.  Edward 
S.  Golden,  of  Kittanning.  In  1884  Mr.  Mc- 
Cullough founded  The  Kittanning  Globe,  a 
weekly  newspaper,  published  at  Kittanning, 
and  one  of  the  most  prosperous  papers  in  this 
county.  He  acted  in  the  capacity  of  editor  for 
three  years,  when  he  entered  upon  the  practice 
of  the  law.  In  1887  he  passed  his  final  exam- 
ination for  admission  as  an  attorney  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  Armstrong  county. 
Since  then  he  has  been  activ^ely  engaged  in 
building  up  a  practice.  In  politics  he  has 
always  been  a  .stanch  and  uncompromising 
democrat,  although  his  father  and  his  five  bro- 
thers are  all  republicans.  In  1890  he  was 
elected  chairman  of  the  democratic  county  com- 
mittee of  Armstrong  county,  which  position  he 
still  holds.  In  religious  opinion  he  is  a  be- 
liever in  the  doctrines  and  a  member  of  the 
Reformed  church. 

September  25,  1889,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Susanna  E.  Heeter,  a  daughter  of  George 
Heeter,  of  Clarion  county,  Pa.  For  a  young 
man  Mr.  McCullough  enjoys  a  very  good  prac- 
tice, and  has  acquired  considerable  business  in- 
terests, and  by  his  present  activity  and  earnest 
labor  bids  fair  to  command  an  extended  pat- 
ronage before  many  years. 


GEORGE  W,  McNEES,  the  present  (1890) 
active  and  reliable  treasurer  of  Armstrong 
county,  is  a  man  of  fine  business  tact  and  exec- 


3GG 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


iitive  ability  and  has  won  marked  success 
in  all  of  his  undertakings.  He  was  born  at 
Slippery  Rock,  Butler  county,  Pennsylvania, 
August  15,  1854,  and  is  the  only  son  of 
James  and  Sarah  (Armstrong)  McNees.  The 
McNees  family  is  one  of  many  substantial  and 
reliable  families  of  Western  Pennsylvania  which 
were  founded  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eigh- 
teenth century.  James  McNees,  the  grand- 
father of  George  W.  McNees,  was  born  in 
"Westmoreland  county,  this  State.  He  was 
a  farmer  by  occupation,  a  presbyterian  in  relig- 
ious belief  and  was  a  member  of  the  famous 
Poke  Run  church  of  that  denomination.  He 
married  Miss  Taylor,  by  whom  he  had  two 
st)ns  and  six  daughters.  One  of  these  sons 
was  James  McNees,  who  was  born  in  Butler 
county.  Pa.,  May  27,  1812.  In  early  life  he 
engaged  in  the  pottery  business,  which  he  still 
follows.  He  was  one  of  the  first  men  in 
Butler  county  to  take  a  pronounced  position 
on  the  slave  question,  and  was  an  able  de- 
bater and  active  agitator  in  favor  of  the  aboli- 
tion of  chattel  slavery.  He  was  an  old- 
line  whig  until  that  party  was  swept  out  of 
existence  and  then  joined  the  Republican  party, 
in  which  he  has  remained  ever  since.  Al- 
though active  in  jrolitics  and  well  informed 
on  all  the  great  issues  of  American  political 
history,  yet  he  never  sought  for  any  office. 
He  was  originally  a  presbyterian,  but  being 
more  liberal  in  his  views  on  Calviuistic  doc- 
trines than  was  allowable  by  the  discipline 
of  that  church,  he  withdrew  his  name  from 
the  roll  of  members  and  united  with  the  Cum- 
berland Presbyterian  church,  in  which  he  has 
served  for  several  years  as  an  elder.  He  is  a 
m.in  of  positive  views  on  all  subjects.  His  first 
wife  was  Elizabeth  Anderson,  who  bore  him 
seven  children.  After  her  death  he  married 
Sarah  Armstrong,  by  whom  he  had  one  sou,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  Mrs.  Sarah  McNees  was 
a  daughter  of  George  Armstrong,  who  with  his 
l»rents  moved  from  Path  Valley  to  Westmore- 


land county,  this  State,  and  thence  to  Slippery 
Rock,  Butler  county,  and  cleared  up  a  home  in 
what  was  then  a  wilderness.  Mrs.  McNees,  on 
her  grandmother's  side,  was  descended  from  the 
Harris  family,  which,  so  far  as  we  have  been 
able  to  learn,  are  the  same  family  after  whom 
the  city  of  Harrisburg  is  named.  Mrs.  Mc- 
Nees died  at  Girty,  in  Armstrong  county,  Jan. 
8,  1881. 

George  W.  McNees  acquired  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  Mercer  county,  Elder- 
ton  and  Livermore  academies  and  the  State 
Normal  school  at  Indiana.  In  early  manhood 
he  took  on  himself  the  responsibility  of  teacher, 
which  he  bore  very  creditably.  He  taught  four 
terms  in  Armstrong  and  two  in  Indiana  county, 
this  State,  besides  one  term  in  Kansas.  The 
outlook  in  teaching  was  not  wide  enough  for  the 
exercise  of  the  energies  of  Mr.  McNees,  who 
embarked  in  business  life  by  engaging  in  the 
pottery  business  at  Girty,  Pennsylvania.  His 
line  of  manufacture  is  first-class  stone-ware. 
In  1887  he  was  nominated  by  the  Repub- 
lican party  of  Armstrong  county  for  treasurer 
and  at  the  ensuing  election  in  November  was 
elected  by  the  handsome  majority  of  1,598 
votes.  He  entered  upon  his  office  on  January 
1,  1888,  and  ever  since  has  merited  and  receiv- 
ed the  approbation  of  his  fellow-citizens  for 
his  able  management  of  the  county  treasury. 
George  W.  McNees  has  a  cordial  sympathy 
for  his  friends,  which  gives  him  a  warm  place  in 
their  affections.  He  is  an  active  republican,  a 
true  friend  and  a  thorough-going  man,  who 
will  undoubtedly  accomplish  many  more  sub- 
stantial results  than  have  already  attended  his 
efforts. 

G.  W.  McNees  was  married  ou  the  25th  day 
of  December,  1883,  to  Anna  R.  George,  the 
accomplished  daughter  of  Johnston  and  Marga- 
ret (Shoemaker)  George,  of  Girty,  Armstrong 
Co.,  Pa.  As  a  result  of  this  union  three  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  them  :  Wendell  George, 
Sterling  Glenn  and  Clifford  Bowman. 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


367 


FRANK  B.  McVAY,  a  prominent  contrac- 
tor and  a  leading  politician  of  Kittanning, 
is  one  of  that  class  of  business  men  so  essential 
to  the  material  prosperity  of  any  county  and  so 
useful  in  its  commercial  development.  He  was 
born  on  the  corner  of  Thirty-second  street  and 
Broadway,  New  York  city,  September  8,  1X51, 
and  is  a  gon  of  David  and  Elizabeth  (Fulton) 
McVay,  who  were  both  natives  "f  Irchtnd. 
His  grandfather,  William  McVay,  was  a  civil 
engineer  and  a  political  writer  of  great  force. 
For  his  writings  against  the  English  government 
he  was  compelled  to  flee  to  France,  where  he 
died.  David  McYay  (father)  was  born  in 
county  Antrim,  Ireland,  March  4,  1806,  came 
to  New  York  city  at  eighteen  years  of  age  and 
for  thirty  years  was  engaged  as  a  partner  of 
Gen.  Moore  in  the  building  rock  business.  In 
politics  he  became  and  ever  remained  an  un- 
compromising democrat.  In  1X58  he  removed 
to  Kittanning,  where  he  was  engaged  extensively 
in  contracting'  on  railroad  work.  He  went  to 
Central  America  in  1851  and  was  engaged  in 
the  building  of  the  first  railroad  across  the 
isthmus  of  Panama — then  Darien.  He  had  a  large 
force  of  men,  of  whom  he  lost  all  but  one  on  account 
of  tlieir  contracting  miasmatic  fever,  whicii 
was  prevalent  everywhere.  In  the  war  with 
Mexico  he  served  as  a  soldier  under  Gen.  Phil. 
Kearney,  and  when  the  late  war  broke  out  he  j 
enlisted  in  the  three  months'  service  and  at  the  , 
end  of  his  term  of  enlistment  he  volunteered 
for  three  and  served  nearly  four  years  as  a  ser- 
geant in  Co.  G,  78th  regiment.  Pa.  Vols.  He 
served  with  credit  and  distinction  in  a  regiment 
whose  record  at  Stone  river  and  in  the  cam- 
paigns of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  has  re- 
flected undying  glory  upon  itself  and  the  State 
from  which  it  went.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  a  well-read  man,  a  good 
conversationalist  and  died  November  13,  1878. 
He  was  generous  and  warm-hearted  and  ha<l  a 
wide  circle  of  friends.  He  was  twice  married. 
His  first  wife  bore  him  one  son,  William,  who 


was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Antietam.  He  mar- 
ried for  his  second  wife,  Elizabeth  Fulton,  who 
is  a  daughter  of  Alexander  Fulton,  of  Ireland, 
and  resides  now  in  Minnesota.  By  his  second 
marriage  he  had  six  sons  and  six  daughters. 
Alexander  Fulton  came  to  the  United  States 
and  accompanied  his  son-in-law  to  the  isthmus 
of  Panama,  where  he  died. 

Frank  B.  McVay  was  reared  and  has  always 
resided  at  Kittanning,  where  he  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  that  place. 
He  learned  the  contracting  business  with  his 
father  and  has  steadily  pursued  the  same  ever 
since.  In  his  line  of  business  he  has  always 
been  signally  successful,  as  well  as  being  now 
one  of  the  leading  bridge  contractors  of  the 
western  part  of  Pennsylvania.  He  has  erected 
nearly  all  of  the  stone  work  of  the  present 
bridges  on  the  Allegheny  Valhiy  railroad,  be- 
sides the  stone  work  of  all  but  three  of  the 
bridges  which  span  the  Allegheny  river.  He 
was  contractor  for  the  stone  work  of  the  In- 
diana county  jail,  the  bridges  on  Stony  creek 
and  Conemaugh  river  near  Johnstown  and 
numerous  bridges  in  adjoining  counties.  His 
field  of  operations  has  not  been  limited  to  this 
State,  but  embraces  several  of  the  eastern  and 
southern  States,  in  which  his  work  on  large  rail- 
road bridges  and  important  public  buildings 
has  received  very  flattering  I)ut  well-deserved 
mention.  In  politics  he  treads  in  the  footsteps 
of  his  highly  resjjected  father  and  is  an  ardent 
democrat.  In  season  and  out  of  .season  he  is 
active  in  the  cause  and  for  the  success  of  the 
party  of  Jeffei'son,  Jackson  and  Cleveland.  He  is 
now  (1890)  the  nominee  of  the  Democratic  party 
of  Armstrong  county  for  Assembly  and  po.ssesses 
many  qualifications  of  a  good  repre,sentative. 
His  good  judgment,  quick  perception  and  firm 
determination,  together  with  his  wide  observa- 
tion and  extended  experience  would  admirably 
fit  him  to  guard  and  protect  the  welfare  of  his 
fell()w-citizens  and  tlie  best  interests  of  his 
county.     In  every  business  position  in  which  he 


368 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


lias  been  placed,  of  trust  or  responsibility,  he 
has  never  been  found  wanting,  but  always  suc- 
cessful in  the  discharge  of  whatever  duties  he 
had  assumed. 

June  20,  1877,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Elizabeth  Hague,  a  daughter  of  Frederick 
Hague,  of  Kittauuing.  To  their  union  have 
been  born  six  children,  of  whom  but  one  is  liv- 
ing— a  daughter,  named  Margaret  Rebecca, 
who  was  born  May  18,  1884.  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
(Hague)  McVay  was  born  in  Valley  township, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church. 


HON.  WILLIAM  B.  MEREDITH.  One 
of  the  leading  and  influential  citizens  of 
the  county  is  Ex-State  Senator  William  B. 
Meredith,  of  Kittanniug.  He  is  a  sou  of  Hon. 
Jonathan  and  Caroline  (McKee)  Meredith,  and 
was  born  at  Kittauuing,  Armstrong  county, 
Pennsylvania,  September  17,  1839.  His  great- 
grandfather, Thomas  Meredith,  was  a  resident 
of  Centre  county,  where  his  son,  Owen  Mere- 
dith (grandfather),  was  born.  Owen  Meredith 
was  a  man  of  intelligence,  a  whig  and  a  suc- 
cessful farmer  of  Madison  township.  He  was 
a  baptist  and  died  at  ninety  years  of  age,  leav- 
ing eight  children,  of  whom  one  was  lion. 
Jonathan  Meredith  (father),  who  was  born 
December  11,  1810.  He  came  to  Kittauuing 
in  1836,  where  he  died  March  11,  1888.  He 
followed  surveying,  and  was  a  strong  whig.  He 
was  elected,  in  1845,  again  in  1848  and  a  third 
time  in  1857,  as  prothonotary  by  majorities  of 
over  1,000,  when  the  county  was  democratic. 
He  was  an  Odd  Fellow  and  Mason,  served  one 
term  as  a  member  of  the  State  Senate,  and  mar- 
ried Caroliue  McKee,  by  whom  he  had  two  sous 
and  two  daughters. 

William  B.  Meredith  received  his  education 
in  Kittauuing  and  Elder's  Ridge  academies 
and  Jefferson  college,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated in  the  class  of  1860.     During  the  late 


war  he  was  assessor  of  internal  revenue  and  op- 
eratetl  in  oil.  For  over  fourteen  years  he  has 
been  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Armstrong 
water  company,  besides  being  interested  in 
water  works  in  Butler,  Warren,  Westmoreland 
and  Greene  counties.  He  is  a  republican,  has 
frequently  been  a  delegate  to  State  conventions 
and  in  1884  was  elected  as  a  member  of  the 
State  senate.  He  is  a  presbyteriau  and  a 
thirty-third  degree  Mason. 

On  June  23,  1868,  he  married  Eliza  M., 
youngest  daughter  of  Alex.  Colwell.  Senator 
and  Mrs.  Meredith  have  two  children :  Mar- 
garet Colwell  and  E<.lith  Caroline  McKee. 


FRANK  A.  MOESTA.  Kittauuing  is  not 
only  becoming  a  celebrated  centre  for  the 
iron  industry,  but  likewise  for  many  other  lead- 
ing and  important  industries,  among  which  is 
the  manufacture  of  stone  and  china-ware  by  the 
Wick  China  company.  One  of  the  members 
of  this  important  manufacturing  company  is 
Frank  A.  Moesta,  a  successful  young  business 
man  of  Armstrong  county.  He  is  a  son  of 
Frederick  and  Mary  (Frank)  Moesta,  and  was 
born  at  Kittauuing,  Armstrong  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, January  18,  1860.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  J.  C.  IMoesta,  of  Germany,  was 
killed  in  a  mine.  Of  the  children  which  he 
left  one  was  Frederick  Moesta,  the  fatlier  of 
Frank  A.  Moesta.  Frederick  Moesta  was  born 
in  Ahlon,  Germany,  Jan.  28,  1830,  and  came  to 
America,  landed  at  Baltimore  Nov.  3,  1851, 
from  there  to  Philadelphia,  then  to  Pittsburgh, 
where  he  worked  at  the  trade  of  tailor,  which 
he  had  learned  in  his  uative  country.  He  then 
came  to  Kittanniug  March  31,  1854,  where  he 
worked  for  several  years.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  he  opened  a  tailoring  establishment  for 
himself  on  Jefferson  street,  which  he  conducted 
very  successfully  until  1884,  when  he  fitted  up 
a  complete  and  first-class  merchant  tailoring  es- 
tablishment at  No.  215    Market  street,  where 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


369 


he  did  a  good  business  and  had  a  large  trade 
until  his  death,  May  15,  1886.  He  was  one 
of  the  founders  and  an  elder  of  St.  Luke's 
Reformed  church.  He  was  a  Free  Mason,  a 
strong  republican  and  a  remarkably  successful 
as  well  as  active  business  man.  He  had  filled 
various  borough  offices  and  was  a  member  of  the 
school  board  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  Frank,  who  is  a  daughter  of  J.  C. 
Frank,  of  Saxonburg,  Butler  county,  and  was 
born  in  1835.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Re- 
foi-mcd  church  and  resides  at  Kittanning.  Mr. 
and  Mi-s.  Moesta  were  the  parents  of  five 
children  :  Charles  J.,  a  member  of  the  Wick 
China  company;  Frank  A.,  Elizabeth,  Fred- 
erick (deceased),  and  Henry  E. 

Frank  A.  Moesta  was  reared  and  obtained 
his  education  at  Kittanning.  He  learned  the 
trade  of  watchmaker  and  jeweler  in  ^\'hecling, 
W.  Va.,  and  in  1879  opened  a  watch-making 
and  jewelry  establishment  at  Kittanning,  which 
he  conducted  successfully  until  1886.  In  that 
year  he  disposed  of  his  business  and  went  to 
Kansas  City,  where  he  was  engaged  for  three 
years  in    various  lines  of  business.      In   April, 

1889,  he  returned  to  Kittanning,  where  he  be- 
came a  member  of  the  general  mercantile  firm 
of  Wick,  Moesta  &  Co.,  which  continued  in 
business    until   February,    1890.     In    March, 

1890,  he  became  a  member  of  the  present  Wick 
China  company,  which  is  engaged  upon  a  large 
scale  in  the  manufacture  of  iron-stone  china, 
white  granite  and  decorateil  ware.  The  works 
are  e.xtensive  and  comprise  a  long  three-story 
building  with  a  five-story  tower  and  two  three- 
story  wings.  They  are  conveniently  located  for 
shipping  purjioses  and  turn  out  ware  that  is  in 
constant  demand.  The  company  receives  and 
fills  large  orders  from  many  different  States  of 
the  T^nion  and  have  a  trade  wiiich  taxes  the 
utmost  capacity  of  their  works  to  supply.  The 
magnitude  of  tlicir  business  may  readily  be  in- 
ferred from  the  fact  that  they  em2>loy  a  force  of 
one  hundred  and  eighty  persons  in  their  works. 


The  members  of  the  company  are  J.  Wick,  Jr., 
Frederick  Wick,  C.  J.  Moesta  and  Frank  A. 
Moesta. 

Frank  A.  Moesta  has  always  been  a  republi- 
can and  is  the  youngest  councilman  that  has 
ever  been  elected  at  Kittanning.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Reformed  church,  and  stands  well 
in  business  circles,  where  he  is  favorably  known 
as  a  man  of  energy,  activity  and  success. 


ARSHALL  B.  OSW^ALD.  Theprintiug- 
-L'-l-  press,  the  light  and  life  of  the  world's  mod- 
ern civilization,  made  its  appearance  at  Kittan- 
ning as  early  as  1810.  To-day  the  oldest  paper  in 
Armstrong  county,  and  one  of  the  representative 
republican  newspapers  o(  western  Pennsylvania, 
is  the  Union  Free  Press  of  Kittanning,  pub- 
iishefl  by  M.  B.  Oswald  &  Son.  Marsliall  B. 
Oswald  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  is  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Sarah  A. 
(Brenham)  Oswald.  In  Maryland  among  its 
wealthy  planters  was  John  Oswald,  whose  son, 
Benjamin  Oswald  (fatiier),  was  born  in  1803. 
He  resided  near  Hagcrstown,  in  the  western  part 
of  that  State,  until  about  183.3,  when  he  removed 
toChambersburg,  Pa.,  where  he  publisheil,  for 
three  years,  the  Chambersbitrg  Whig,  which  is 
now  the  Repository.  He  then  went  to  Lancas- 
ter, Ohio,  where  he  remained  two  years  and 
published  a  weekly  paper  in  the  interests  of  the 
Whig  party.  Not  deeming  the  inducements 
and  advantages  of  his  Ohio  field  of  journalism 
to  be  such  as  could  be  found  in  the  older  States 
of  the  American  Union,  he  returned  in  1838  to 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  selected  Kittanning  as 
a  favorable  point  for  newspaper  success.  On 
April  5,  1838,  he  purchased  the  Kittanning 
Gazette  and  in  the  first  week  of  May,  1841, 
changed  the  name  to  that  of  the  Democratic 
Press  and  afterwards  to  the  Kittanning  Free 
P/'Cs.s,  w^hich  name  it  bore  until  his  death, 
March    17,  1855.     He   was   a   well    educated 


370 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


man,  wielded  a  ready  pen  and  expressed  his 
thoughts  upon  any  topic  of  general  interest  or 
subject  of  political  agitation  in  good  style  and 
vigorous  English.  He  was  an  old-line  whig 
and  later  a  republican  and  served  as  postmaster 
of  Kittanning  from  1841  to  1845,  having  been 
commissioned  by  President  William  Henry 
Harrison.  He  also  served  as  justice  of  the  peace 
and  school  director,  besides  hokliug  various 
other  borongh  offices.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  church  and  married  Sarah 

A.  Brenham,    who    was   a  daughter    of  John 
Brenham,  of  near  Hagerstown,  Maryland,  and 
died  August  7,  1889,  aged  eighty-one  years.  | 
They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children. 

Marshall  B.  Oswald  was  reared  principally  at 
Kittanning,  where  he  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  that  place.  He  learned 
the  trade  of  printer,  wiiich  he  followed  for  several 
years.  From  1861  to  1867  he  served  as  mail 
agent  between  Kittanning  and  Pittsburgh. 
In  1867  he  purchased  his  present  paper,  the 
Union  Free  Press,  which  is  the  name  that  had 
been  bestowed  upon  the  old  Kittanning  Free 
Press  when  it  was  purchased  from  Mrs.  Oswald 
in  May,  1864,  by  a  publishing  company.  He 
conducted  tiie  paper  successfully  until  1890, 
when  he  admitted  his  son,  John  R.  Oswald,  as 
a  partner  of  the  present  new.spaper    firm  of  H. 

B.  Oswald  <fe  Son.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  church,  and  Kittanning 
Lodge,  No.  244,  F.  and  A.  Masons.  He  is  a 
constant  worker  in  the  Republican  party,  but 
has  never  asked  an  office. 

On  February  22,  1864,  he  married  Mary  J. 
Bell,  daughter  of  Morris  Bell,  a  contractor  of 
Pittsburgh,  Pa.  They  have  five  children  : 
John,  engaged  as  a  partner  with  his  flither  ; 
Basil,  a  route  agent  of  Adams  Express  com- 
pany; Horace  G.,  in  the  printing  business; 
Marshall  and  Sarah. 

The  Union  Free  Press  is  devoted  to  news, 
politics  and  general  intelligence,  and  claims  to 
have  the  largest  circulation   of  any  paper  pub- 


lished in  the  county.  It  is  a  folio  sheet  30.x44 
inches  and  contains  thirty-six  columns  of  reading 
matter  and  advertisements.  It  has  able  and  point- 
ed editorials  on  political  matters  and  never  gives 
any  uncertain  support  to  the  Republican  party 
or  its  interests  or  candidates.  It  contains  the 
latest  reliable  news  of  national  affairs.  State  hap- 
penings, local  events  of  the  borough  and  the 
various  townships  of  the  county,  useful  inform- 
ation upon  general  subjects  and  a  column 
devoted  to  agriculture  and  the  interest  of  the 
grange.  A  first-class  job  office  has  been 
attached  to  the  pajjer.  The  Press  was  founded 
in  1838  under  the  name  of  the  Democratic 
Press  and  was  the  successor  of  the  Gazette  and 
f'olumbiun,  which  came  into  existence  in  1831 
by  the  consolidation  of  the  Gazette,  established 
in  1825,  and  the  Columbian,  founded  in  1819,  as 
the  second  paper  in  the  county.  Under  M. 
B.  Oswald's  charge  the  Press  has  come  to  be 
recognized  as  a  power  in  the  politics  of  Ann- 
strong  county. 


WALTER  S.  OTTO.  The  art  of  photog- 
raphy comes  near  to  our  affections,  for 
by  its  means  we  are  enabled  to  preserve,  at 
light  expense,  the  pictured  semblance  of  loved 
ones.  Kittanning  is  fortunate  in  having  several 
first-class  photographers,  and  one  of  that  num- 
ber is  Walter  S.  Otto,  a  skilled  photographer 
and  crayon  arti.st.  He  is  a  son  of  Dr.  Andrew 
B.  and  Mary  A.  (Barenstock)  Otto,  and  was 
born  at  Kittanning,  Armstrong  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, December  4,  1863.  As  the  name 
would  indicate,  the  Ottos  are  of  German 
lineage,  and  Christian  Otto  (grandfather)  is  a 
native  of  one  of  the  present  States  of  the  Ger- 
man ICmpire.  He  came  to  Pennsylvania  when 
a  young  man,  and  settled  at  Butler,  Pa.,  where 
he  engaged  in  his  present  hotel  business,  in  ad- 
dition to  which  he  conducts  a  butchering  estab- 
lishment. He  married  and  reared  a  family  of 
children.     His  son.  Dr.  Andrew  B.  Otto,  was 


'^-^        fici^^-L^ 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


373 


born  at  Butler,  and  died  iu  1868.  He  read 
medicine,  attended  lectures  at  Jefferson  Med- 
ical college,  of  Philadelphia,  and  practiced  his 
profession  at  Kittanning  until  his  death.  He 
was  a  republican,  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  an  able  physician,  who  was  enthusi- 
astically devoted  to  his  profession.  He  married 
Mary  A.  Barenstock,  who  still  survives  him. 
Their  family  consisted  uf  three  children,  of 
whom  two  are  living:  Walter  S.  and  William 
B.,  a  jeweler  of  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Walter  S.  Otto  was  reared  at  Kittanning  and 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
tiiat  place.  When  but  eleven  years  of  age  he 
was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  a  store,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  for  several  years.  In  1885  he 
made  choice  of  photograj)hy  as  his  life-pursuit, 
and  entered  C  C.  Shadle's  photographic  gallery 
at  Kittanning.  In  1886,  in  order  to  perfect 
himself  in  crayon  work,  he  went  to  Chicago  and 
spent  eighteen  months  in  the  stndy  of  tho-se 
special  branches  of  artistic  work.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Kittanning,  where  he  established  his 
present  j)hotograph  gallery  and  art  studio,  at 
No.  304  Market  street.  He  enjoys  a  large  and 
substantial  patronage  from  those  who  appreciate 
fine  work  in  his  line  of  business.  An  excellent 
specimen  of  his  work  as  an  artist  is  to  be  seen 
in  the  court-house.  It  is  a  fine  oil  painting  of 
Judge  Boggs,  which  is  from  the  brush  of  Mr. 
Otto.  He  is  a  republican,  but  takes  no  active 
part  in  the  local  politics  of  his  borough.  He 
devotes  his  time  to  his  gallery  and  studio.  His 
rooms  are  well  furnished,  and  display  a  large 
number  of  unusually  fine  photographs,  paint- 
ings and  crayon-pictures  which  fully  attest  the 
taste  and  skill  exercised  by  Mr.  Otto  iu  their 
production. 


T)EV.  JOHN  AV.  OWEN,  of  Kittanning, 
-'-*'  was  a  man  who  was  full  of  love  and  char- 
ity for  his  fellow-men,  true  to  his  friends,  firm 
in  his  attachments  and  unswerving   in  his  con- 


victions of  the  right.  He  commanded  public  re- 
spect, and  his  death  was  greatly  deplored.  He 
was  born  near  Clearfield,  Clearfield  county, 
Pennsylvania,  December  26,  18.30,  and  was  a  son 
of  John  and  Mary  Owen.  He  was  reared  iu 
Clearfield  county,  and  received  but  the  lim- 
ited education  which  that  county  then  afforded. 
He  was  converted  to  Christianity  in  early  life 
and  subsequently  became  a  minister  of  the  Gos- 
pel in  the  church  of  the  United  Brethren  in 
Christ,  and  was  actively  engaged  in  ministerial 
labor  for  nearly  ten  years,  but  was  compelled 
by  impaired  health  to  retire  from  the  ministry, 
much  against  his  own  wish  and  the  desire  of 
his  congregation.  He  then  took  up  and  suc- 
cessfully followed  the  practice  of  dentistry 
in  the  borough  of  Kittanning  for  a  number 
of  years,  nntil  influenced  to  turn  his  practice 
over  into  other  hands,  and  gave  his  atten- 
tion more  fully  to  store-keeping,  which  he 
was  carrying  on  in  connection  with  the  dental 
business.  But  finding  that  not  fidly  remunera- 
tive, after  a  few  years  he  gave  liis  whole  at- 
tention to_  the  building,  repairing  and  renting 
of  tenant  houses  (to  which  he  had  been  giving 
some  attention  in  connection  with  his  other 
business),  and  in  which  he  was  engaged  at 
the  time  of  his  death.  Mr.  Owen  was  chari- 
table and  kind  in  disposition,  and  had  a  wide 
circle  of  friends. 

December  20,  1861,  he  married  Laviua  C. 
Korb,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth  Korb, 
of  Clearfield,  Pa.,  who  were  natives  of  Ger- 
many. To  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Owen  were  born  six 
children,  three  of  whom  preceded  their  father 
to  the  better  land.  The  remaining  three  are 
Isaac  S.,  Martha  E.,  who  graduated  in  the 
Kittanning  high  school  in  1884  and  is  now 
the  wife  of  Thomas  H.  Logan,  a  prominent 
young  business  man  of  Logansport,  Pa.,  and 
Sadie  W. 

Mrs.  Owen  is  a  member  of  the  Metho<list  Pro- 
testant church  and  has  always  been  kind  to  the 
afflicted  and  needy.     As  manager  of  her  late 


374 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


husband's  estate  she  has  evinced  good  judgment 
and  has  met  with  fair  success. 

Among  the  papers  of  Rev.  John  W.  Owen 
was  found  a  biographical  sketch  of  him,  written 
by  himself,  whicii  is  modest  and  brief,  and  yet 
expressed  iu  such  simple  and  well-chosen  lan- 
guage, that  we  quote  concerning  his  ministry: 

"  I  was  born  near  Clearfield  town,  Clearfield 
county.  Pa.;  am  a  descendant  of  an  old  Revo- 
lutionary family,  and  was  reared  amid  the  dis- 
advantages of  a  new  county.  I  was  converted 
to  Christianity  in  1847,  was  licensed  to  exhort 
in  1854,  and  licensetl  to  preach  in  1855,  my 
first  class  being  Liberty  Valley  in  1858.  I  at- 
tended conference  at  Williamsport,  March,  1859, 
and  was  appointed  to  Penn's  Valley,  and  after- 
wards to  Wilmore  in  1860,  to  Knoxdalein  1861 
and  1862,  and  was  ordained  January  4,  1862. 
I  spent  1863  and  1864  on  the  Mahoning  dis- 
trict, where  I  suffered  from  diphtheria.  In  1865 
I  applied  for  and  received  from  conference  a 
local  relation  and  still  continued  to  preach,  but 
was  compelled  to  quit  before  the  close  of  the 
year  on  account  of  the  state  of  my  health,  and 
moved  to  Kittanning,  April  1st,  1866."  When 
Mr.  Owen  came  to  Kittanning,  finding  no 
church  of  his  own  denomination,  he  unitetl 
with  the  Episcopal  Methodist,  and  subsequently 
with  the  Protestant  Methodist,  to  which  he  be- 
longed at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  passed 
from  the  scenes  of  iiis  earthly  labor  June  13, 
1885,  and  his  remains  were  interred,  in  tJie  Kit- 
tanning cemetery.  Energetic  as  a  business  man, 
prominent  as  a  tcmjierance  advocate,  earnest  as 
a  church  worker  and  useful  as  a  minister,  Rev. 
John  W.  Owen,  when  he  died,  left  a  vacant 
place  that  was  hard  to  fill. 


HON.  CALVIN  RAYBURN,  president 
judge  of  the  courts  of  Armstrong  county, 
and  well  known  as  an  able  lawyer  before  his 
elevation  to  the  bench,  is  a  son  of  Squire  James 


and  Margaret  (Boyd)  Rayburn,  and  was  born 
on  the  old  Rayburn  homestead,  iu  North  Buf- 
falo township,  Armstrong  county,  Pa.,  October 
25,  1850.  Some  time  afler  the  close  of  the 
great  struggle  between  England  and  France  for 
political  supremacy,  which  is  known  in  history 
as  the  French  and  Indian  war,  the  paternal 
great-grandfather  of  Judge  Rayburn  left  the 
shores  of  Scotland  and  came  to  western  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  settled  in  the  famous  Ligo- 
nier  Valley.  Two  of  the  sons  whom  he  reared 
to  manhood  were  Matthew  and  James.  Mat- 
thew served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Continental 
army  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  James 
Rayburn  (grandfather),  the  j'ounger  son,  was 
born  in  the  Ligonier  Valley,  removed  in  1797 
to  Armstrong  county,  and  settled  in  what  is 
now  North  Buffalo  township.  The  farm  which 
he  purchased  and  cleared  has  descended  in  a 
direct  line,  and  in  the  Rayburn  name  for  four 
generations.  He  was  an  old-time  democrat, 
and  a  strict  member  of  the  Seceder  (now  the 
U.  P.)  church.  He  died  in  1837,  when  well 
advanced  in  years.  His  wife  was  Nellie  Callen, 
by  whom  he  had  seven  children,  of  whom  six 
grew  to  manhood  and  womanhood.  Nellie 
(Callen)  Rayburn  was  a  daughter  of  Patrick 
Callen,  who  came  at  the  same  time  with 
James  Rayburn  from  Westmoreland  to  Arm- 
strong county.  Of  the  six  surviving  children, 
Squire  James  Rayburn  (father)  was  born  Octo- 
ber 26,  1801,  and  passed  away  November  6, 
1886,  when  he  had  numbered  ten  days  beyond 
his  eighty  fifth  year.  He  gave  his  days  to  the 
cultivation  of  his  farm  and  lived  a  haj)py  and 
successful  life.  He  was  a  JefFersonian  demo- 
crat, always  was  active  in  the  support  of  his 
party,  and  frequently  represented  his  district 
in  county  democratic  conventions.  With  no 
thirst  for  office  or  no  ambition  for  public  place, 
he  never  refused  to  serve  his  own  community  in 
any  capacity  which  he  was  desired  to  fill,  and 
thus  was  frequently  elected  and  served  as  justice 
of  the  peace.     He  was  a  strong  and  honored 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


375 


member  of  Buffalo  U.  P.  church,  which 
stood  on  his  farm.  A  man  of  excellent  judg- 
ment and  conservative  views,  yet  positive  and 
earnest  in  convictions,  he  was  extremely 
popular  with  his  neighbors.  In  1827  he  mar- 
ried Jane  Galbraith,  who  bore  him  five  chil- 
dren, of  whom  three  are  living.  After  her 
death  he  married  Margaret  Boyd,  a  daughter 
of  Robert  Boyd,  an  early  settler  and  long-time 
resident  of  Sugar  Cieek  township.  By  this 
second  marriage  he  had  six  children,  of  whom 
four  are  living  :  Robert,  of  Iowa  ;  Jane,  wife 
of  Samuel  R.  Steele;  and  Judge  Calvin  and 
Cyrus,  who  are  twins. 

Calvin  Rayburn  acquired  his  elementary  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  and  prepared  for 
college  at  Slate  Lick  academy.  He  entered 
Princeton  college  and  was  graduated  from  that 
famous  eastern  institution  of  learning  in  the 
class  of  1875.  Between  his  academic  and  col- 
legiate courses  he  taught  three  terras  in  the 
common  schools,  and  after  graduation  taught  an 
additional  term  in  Brady's  Bend  township,  and 
served  for  one  winter  as  principal  of  Queens- 
town  public  schools.  In  1877  his  connection 
with  school-work  terminated  with  his  services  ; 
at  the  latter  place,  and  he  turned  his  attention  j 
to  the  profession  which  he  purposed  to  pursue 
as  his  life  vocation.  In  June  of  that  year  he 
registered  as  a  law  student  with  Hon.  George 
A.  Jenks,  of  Brooksville,  who  afterwards  at- 
tained to  National  prominence  as  assistant 
attorney-general  under  President  Cleveland's 
administration.  Mr.  Rayburn  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  of  Jefferson  county  in  June,  1879, 
and  in  November  following  was  admitted  to 
practice  in  the  courts  of  Armstrong  county. 
On  December  1,  1879,  he  openefl  an  office  at 
Kittauniug  and  was  engaged  in  the  active  prac- 
tice of  the  law  until  his  election  to  the  bench  in 
1889.  In  that  year  he  was  nominated  unani- 
mously by  the  Democratic  party  of  Armstrong 
county  for  president  judge,  and  was  trium- 
phantly elected  in  a  republican  stronghold  by  a 


majority  of  seven  hundred  and  twenty-two 
votes. 

October  19,  1886,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Margaret  McFadden,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  James 
McFadden,  of  Buena  Vista,  Allegheny  county, 
this  State.  They  have  one  child,  a  son,  named 
James  Rayburn,  who  is  two  years  of  age. 

Judge  Rayburn  was  chairman  of  the  county 
Democratic  committee  from  1882  to  1885,  and 
was  a  delegate  to  the  National  democratic  con- 
vention of  1884,  at  Chicago,  which  nominated 
Grover  Cleveland  for  President.  He  is  one  of 
the  youngest  judges  on  the  bench  in  this  State, 
and  so  far  has  presided  over  the  courts  of  the 
county  with  ability,  firmness  and  fairness.  Judge 
Rayburn  is  finely  educated,  modest  and  unas- 
suming. As  a  man  he  is  pleasant  and  agreeable  ; 
as  a  lawyer  lie  is  careful  and  correct,  and  as  a 
counselor  is  safe.  His  analysis  of  a  case  is  very 
clear  and  exact,  and  he  is  one  who  would  rather 
win  a  cause  by  clearness  of  statement  and  just- 
ness of  argument  tlian  by  fervor  of  appeal. 


DAVID  J.  REED,  ex-sheriff  of  Armstrong 
county,  and  a  well-known  i'uneral  director 
and  embalmer,  is  one  of  Kittanning's  leading 
and  reliable  business  men.  He  was  born  in 
East  Franklin  township,  Armstrong  county, 
Pennsylvania,  May  1,  1823,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Margaret  (Peeples)  Reed.  His  grand- 
father, David  Reed,  was  born  at  Gettysburg, 
Adams  county.  Pa.,  August  23, 1769,  and  after- 
wards came  to  this  county  in  1808.  He  was  a 
carpenter,  and  worked  at  his  trade  in  his  early 
days.  After  coming  to  tiiis  county,  of  which 
he  was  an  early  settler,  he  gave  his  entire  atten- 
tion to  farming.  He  diet!  in  Franklin  town- 
ship. John  Reed  (father)  was  born  on  Sewick- 
ley  creek,  Westmoreland  county,  this  State,  in 
1792,  and  came  to  this  county  with  his  father 
in  1808,  when  sixteen  years  of  age.  He  was  a 
farmer  of  Franklin  township,  and  was  the  first, 
in  his  section,  to  banish  whiskey  from  his  side- 


376 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


board.  He  was  a  great  reader,  and  had  a  won- 
derful power  of  retaining  what  he  read.  He 
was  a  republican,  and  well  posted  in  the  politi- 
cal and  general  affairs  of  the  day.  The  Glade 
Run  Presbytei'iau  church,  of  which  he  was  a 
member,  was  erected  on  a  corner  of  his  farm  in 
1846,  by  his  son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He 
died  December  23,  1878,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty-six  years.  In  1822  he  married  Mar- 
garet Peeples,  a  native  of  Westmoreland  county, 
by  whom  he  had  eiglit  sons.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  died  April 
15,  1880,  when  in  her  eighty-sixth  year. 

David  J.  Reed  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  until  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  received 
his  educational  training  in  the  subscription  and 
free  schools  of  his  native  county.  He  then  left  j 
the  farm  and  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter,  at 
which  he  worked  until  1858.  In  that  year  he 
engaged  in  the  hotel  business  just  across  the 
river  from  Kittauning,  where  he  remained  until 
1863,  when  he  moved  to  Kittauning,  and  was 
proprietor  of  the  Reed  house  for  a  time.  In 
1867  he  was  elected  to  and  filled  very  satisfac- 
torily the  office  of  sheriff  for  three  years.  He 
then  was  proprietor  of  the  Eagle  hotel  for  a 
short  time,  and  for  the  last  twelve  years  has 
been  engaged  in  the  undertaking  business.  His 
present  establishment  is  located  on  Jefferson 
street.  He  has  a  large  assortment  of  under- 
taker's supplies,  including  the  latest  kinds  of 
caskets  and  burial-cases,  and  also  full  lines 
of  funeral  trimmings.  As  a  funeral  director  his 
services  have  always  given  satisfaction. 

He  was  married  on  November  3,  1847,  to 
Leah  Wible,  daugliter  of  John  Wible,  of  West- 
moreland county.  They  have  five  ciiildren 
living,  four  sons  and  one  daughter :  Guy  W., 
engaged  in  the  livery  business  at  Washington, 
Pa. ;  Robert  K.,  in  the  mining  business  at 
Great  Falls,  Montana ;  William  H.,  engaged 
in  dealing  in  horses  at  Washington,  Pa. ;  David 
J.,  Jr.,  at  home ;  and  Leah,  married  to  Samuel 
Dixon,  of  Kittanniug. 


D.  J.  Reed  is  a  republican,  and  has  filled 
several  of  the  offices  of  his  boi'ough.  He  was 
elected  county  auditor  iu  1860,  wiiicli  office  he 
held  for  three  years.  He  is  a  contributor  and 
an  attendant  upon  the  services  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  He  owns  several  houses  iu  Kit- 
tanning,  and  is  always  willing  and  ever  ready 
to  assist  in  any  enterjjrise  for  tiie  benefit  of  his 
town  or  county. 


WILLIAM  H.  REICHERT.  Journalism 
has  become  a  profession,  and  the  modern 
newspaper  is  one  of  the  most  ])otent  forces  in 
the  laud  for  the  education  of  public  opinion  as 
well  as  for  the  dissemination  of  news.  A  young 
and  favorably  known  journalist  iu  Armstrong 
county  is  William  H.  Reichert,  editor  of  The 
Standard.  He  is  a  son  of  J.  E.  and  Hannah  A. 
(Hilton)  Reichert,  and  was  boru  at  Kittauning, 
Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  August  9, 
1858.  His  paternal  grandfatlier,  Rev.  Gabriel 
Adam  Reichert,  was  born  in  Constance,  Switzer- 
land, was  educated  for  the  ministry  iu  Germany 
and  came  to  the  United  States,  where  he  was 
a  faithful  and  efficient  minister  of  the  Lutheran 
church  for  fifty-seven  years.  He  had  charge  of 
a  church  in  Philadelphia  for  some  time,  and 
then  was  pastor  of  the  Kittanniug  Lutheran 
church  for  many  years.  He  married  Lydia^ 
daughter  of  John  Tyson,  of  Indiana,  and  they 
reared  a  family  of  ten  children.  One  of  their 
sons  was  J.  E.  Reichei-t  (father),  who  was  born 
June  9,  1834,  at  Kittanniug.  He  served  an 
apprenticeship  of  seven  years  in  the  drug-store 
of  George  C.  Bowers,  and  in  1855  commenced 
for  himself  in  the  drug  business,  which  he  has 
followed  successfully  ever  since.  He  has  always 
been  a  republican,  and. is  a  member  of  the  Pro- 
testant Episcopal  church.  On  March  10, 1857, 
he  married  Hannali  A.,  daughter  of  Rev.  William 
Hilton,  formerly  rector  of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal 
church.  To  their  union  were  born  six  children, 
of  whom  four  are  living. 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


377 


W.  H.  Reichert  was  reared  at  Kittanuing,  re- 
ceived liis  education  in  the  public  schools  and 
learned  the  printing  business  with  John  W. 
Rohrer,  of  the  Sentinel.  In  April,  1874,  he 
issued  the  initial  number  of  a  monthly  paper 
called  tiie  Centennial,  whicii  he  published  until 
1883,  when  he  changed  it  to  a  weekly.  In  1887 
he  changed  it  in  name  to  The  Standard,  which 
he  has  continued  to  publish  until  the  present 
time.  The  Standard  contains  all  home  and 
State  news,  besides  furnishing  its  readers  with 
everytiiing  of  national  interest,  while  not  ne- 
glecting information  of  value  or  benefit  to  the 
tradesman  or  farmer.  Mr.  Reichert  is  one  of 
the  active  young  republican  editors  of  the  State. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcauum  and  the 
Episcopal  church  of  Kittanning,  in  which  he 
has  been  organist  ever  since  he  was  fifteen  years 
of  age. 

August  9,  1883,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Minnie  A.  Stofer,  daughter  of  J.  W.  Stofer, 
editor  of  the  Middletown  Journal. 

He  lias  made  a  good  record  as  a  journalist, 
and  stands  well  with  the  members  of  his  pro- 
fession. 


FRANCIS  M.  REYNOLDS,  D.D.S.,  a  lead 
ing,  progressive  and  successful  dentist  of 
Kittanning,  is  a  son  of  George  W.  and  Rachel 
(Lloyd)  Reynolds,  and  was  born  on  Jefferson 
street,  Kittanning,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, December  3,  1857.  Among  the  early 
settlers  of  the  county  was  William  Reynolds 
(grandfather),  who  was  born  in  1783  and  settled 
at  Kittanning  some  time  in  the  fii-st  decade  of 
the  present  century.  He  was  a  tanner  by  occu- 
pation, acquired  considerable  property  and  mar- 
ried. He  had  several  children.  One  of  these 
children  was  George  W.  Reynolds  (father),  who 
was  born  in  1808,  at  Kittanning,  where  he 
always  resided  and  where  he  died  in  November, 
1869.  He  was  engaged  during  his  lifetime  in 
the  mercantile  business.    He  was  for  a  Ions  time 


in  partnership  with  Alex.  Caldwell,  but  finally 
purchased  the  entire  store  and  in  connection 
with  it  kept  an  extensive  lumber-yard.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  U.  P.  church,  a  strong  anti- 
slavery  man  and  republican  and  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Sous  of  Temperance  He  mar- 
ried Rachel  Lloyd,  who  was  a  daughter  of 
Stephen  Lloyd,  one  of  Cambria  comity's  earliest 
settlers  and  largest  and  wealthiest  landholders, 
and  died  February  2,  1888.  They  had  seven 
childreu,  of  whom  three  are  living  :  Jennie  E., 
wife  of  W.  D.  Crawford ;  Dr.  F.  M.  and  Ida 
M.  In  his  early  life  Mr.  Reynolds  .served  one 
term  as  constable  of  the  borough,  but  after  that 
refused  to  accept  various  offices  that  were  prof- 
fered him.  He  was  a  very  large  man,  of  fine 
personal  appearance  and  genial  disposition.  He 
was  very  popular  with  the  farmers  of  the  county, 
as  he  would  sell  them  lumijer  on  time  and  never 
hurry  them  for  the  pay. 

Francis  M.  Reynolds  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Kittanning  and  Mari- 
etta, Ohio,  and  the  Indiana  Normal  school  of 
Indiana,  Pa.  Leaving  school,  he  spent  three 
years  in  the  hotel  business  at  Parker  City.  Not 
having  any  decided  liking  for  hotel-keeping^ 
and  entertaining  a  preference  for  dentistry,  he 
entered  the  Philadelphia  Dental  college.  After 
two  years'  close  application  and  hard  study  he 
graduated  from  that  institutiou  in  1881.  Imme- 
diately after  graduation  he  opened  an  office  at 
Kittanning  fur  the  practice  of  his  profession. 
From  that  time  until  the  present  he  has  steadily 
been  building  up  the  large  and  lucrative  prac- 
tice whicli  he  now  enjoys.  He  has  kept  abreast 
of  his  profession  in  its  every  deiiartment,  has 
the  late  improved  instruments  and  appliances 
of  dental  surgery  and  is  ever  awake  to  the  ad- 
vancement of  dentistry. 

Dr.  Reynolds  is  a  member  of  the  First  Pres- 
byterian church,  of  Kittanning,  the  Royal  Ar- 
canum and  Improved  Order  of  Heptasophs. 
He  is  genial  and  affable  and  thoroughly  equipped 
for  conducting  dentistry  in  all  of  its  branches. 


378 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


ROBERT  A.  ROBINSON.  The  practical, 
honorable  audsucceesful  merchant  does  not 
spring,  ready  armed  and  equipped,  into  the 
active  business  of  mercantile  life,  like  Minerva 
from  the  head  of  Jove  ;  but,  by  careful  training 
and  years  of  experience,  is  fitted  to  assume  and 
hold  a  prominent  place  in  mercantile  affairs. 
Such  a  training  was  received  and  such  a  place 
was  held  by  the  late  Robert  A.  Robinson,  of 
Kittanning.  He  was  a  son  of  Robert  and  Lydia 
(McKee)  Robinson,  and  was  born  at  Kittan- 
ning, Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  August 
12,  1817.  The  Robinsons,  like  many  more  of 
the  early  settled  families  west  of  the  Alleghe- 
nies,  were  of  Scotch-Irish  origin.  Robert  Rob- 
inson, Sr.,  the  grandfather  of  the  late  Robert  A. 
Robinson,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  near 
Greensburg,  Westmoreland  county,  who  came 
fi-om  eastern  Pennsylvania.  He  followed  farm- 
ing for  some  length  of  time,  and  then  came  to 
Kittanning,  where  he  died  in  1815,  while 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  busines.  His  son, 
Robert  Robinson  (father),  was  born  in  1790,  in 
Westmoreland  county,  and  came  with  his  father, 
in  the  early  years  of  the  present  century,  to 
Kittanning,  where  he  was  a  successful  merchant 
for  many  years.  He  was  originally  a  democrat, 
but  finally  became  a  free-soiler,  and  had  served 
as  one  of  the  early  sheriffs  of  this  county.  He 
also  had  held  various  borough  offices,  was  a  promi- 
inent  business  man,  and  died  in  1856,  aged 
sixty-six  years.  He  married  Lydia  McKee,  by 
whom  he  had  five  children  :  one  son  and  four 
daughters.  One  daughter,  Mrs.  Sarah  E.  Col- 
well,  resides  at  Kittanning,  and  is  the  only  child 
living. 

Robert  A.  Robinson  was  reared  at  Kittan- 
ning, and  received  his  education  in  the  select 
schools  and  the  academy  of  that  place.  Leaving 
school,  he  was  engaged  in  the  mei'cantile  busi- 
ness with  his  father  until  1840,  when  he  went 
to  Rural  Village,  where  he  opened  a  store 
■which  he  successfully  conducted  for  eight  years. 
He  then  returned  to  Kittauniug,  where  he  died 


March  6,  1849,  when  only  thirty-two  years  of 
age  and  in  the  very  prime  of  his  life.  He  was 
a  democrat  and  an  active  business  man.  He 
was  careful  and  judicious,  and  never  extended 
his  business  beyond  his  capital,  although  he 
possessed  the  requisite  credit  to  have  done  so. 
Safe  as  a  business  man  and  well  liked  as  a  citi- 
zen, he  was  much  missed  at  his  native  town 
and  wherever  he  was  known. 

On  May  1,  1839,  he  married  Matilda  Cog- 
ley,  daughter  of  Joseph  Cogley,  of  Buffalo 
township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robinson  had  five 
children,  of  whom  four  are  living  :  Dr.  Robert, 
a  practicing  physician  of  East  Brady ;  Lydia 
M.,  Arabella,  wife  of  William  Pollock,  cashier 
of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Kittanning  ;  and 
Juliet. 

Mrs.  Matilda  Robinson  and  her  daughters 
are  members  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church 
of  Kittanning.  She  is  of  English  descent,  and 
her  paternal  great-grandfather,  John  Cogley, 
came  from  England  nearly  150  years  ago,  and 
purchased  an  island  in  the  Susquehanna  river 
(near  Harrisburg),  which  he  improved  and  cul- 
tivated. He  died  at  Philadelphia,  when  on  the 
eve  of  visiting  his  native  country,  and  his 
grave  is  to  be  seen  in  a  cemetery  in  that  city. 
One  of  his  grandsons,  Joseph  Cogley,  was  the 
father  of  Mrs.  Robinson.  Joseph  Cogley  was 
born  in  Dauphin  county,  January  11,  1776, 
came,  in  1799,  to  what  is  now  South  Buffalo 
town.ship,  Armstrong  county,  where  he  died 
April  8,  1852,  aged  seventy-five  years.  He 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  a  member  of 
what  is  now  the  U.  P.  church.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1799,  to  a  lady  who  soon  died,  and  in 
1801  he  married  Rachel  Jones,  of  Lancaster 
county,  who  was  a  member  of  the  U.  P.  church, 
and  passed  away  February  14,  1849,  when  in 
the  seventy-seventh  year  of  her  age.  To  Joseph 
and  Rachel  Cogley  were  born  eleven  children ; 
of  these  children  but  two  are  living :  Dr. 
Thomas  Cogley,  of  Madison,  Indiana,  and  Mrs. 
Matilda  Robinson.      Since  her  husband's  death. 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


379 


Mrs.  Robinson  has  resided  at  Kittanning,  where 
slie  has  a  pleasant  and  comfortable  home. 


WILLIAM  D.  ROBINSON.  Of  the  great 
elements  of  material  wealth  for  which 
western  Pennsylvania  is  noted,  one  is  its  great 
oil  field.  With  the  rapid  growth  and  remark- 
able development  of  the  oil  industry  of  the 
great  petroleum  producing  counties  of  Venango, 
Warren,  Clarion,  Butler,  Bradford  and  Arm- 
strong is  prominently  connected  the  name  of 
William  D.  Robinson,  one  of  the  leading  and 
substantial  business  men  of  the  old  and  time- 
honored  Robinson  family  of  New  England. 
He  was  born  at  Parker's  Landing,  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania,  October  2,  1820,  and  is 
a  son  of  Elisiia  and  Elizabeth  (Roller)  Robin- 
son. His  father,  Elisha  Robinson,  Sr.,  was 
one  of  the  best-known  and  most  prominent  of 
the  early  settlers  of  Armstrong  county.  He 
was  born  at  Windham,  Connecticut,  December 
4,  1791,  and  was  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Olive 
Robinson,  who  were  of  English  descent  and  of 
families  which  had  been  for  several  generations 
in  New  England.  He  learned  a  trade,  and  in 
1814  came  to  what  is  now  Hovey  township, 
where  he  engagetl  in  shoemaking  and  erected 
the  first  tannery  ever  built  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  county.  In  1846  he  gave  control  of  the 
tannery  to  his  son,  Samuel  M.,  and  devoted  his 
entire  attention  to  farming  until  1868.  In  that 
year  the  oil  excitement  became  intense  in  the 
region  about  Parker's  Landing  (now  Parker 
City),  and  he  began  to  lease  his  lands  to  oil 
operatoi-s,  for  royalties.  Many  good  producing 
wells  were  soon  struck,  and  he  found  himself 
for  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  receipt  of  a 
large  income  from  his  royalties.  He  was  mar- 
ried, on  January  7,  1816,  to  Elizabeth  Roher, 
of  Greeusburg,  Pa.,  who  died  at  an  advanced 
age,  September  21, 1881.  Their  children  were: 
Simeon  H.,  Mary  A.  (Bovard),  William  D., 
Olive  (McConnell),  S.  M.,  Frederick  A.,  An- 
23 


drew  J.,  Samuel  M.,  Elisha  and  Frederick  R. 
Of  these  children,  Mary  A.,  W.  D.,  Samuel  M. 
and  Elisha  are  living.  Elisha  Robinson,  Sr., 
after  a  long  and  well-directed  life  of  activity 
and  usefulness,  passed  away  after  a  compara- 
tively short  sickness,  on  October  17,  1874.  A 
democrat  of  life-long  standing  and  a  man  of 
scrupulous  honesty,  he  was  a  fitting  represen- 
tative of  New  England  sjiirit  and  enterprise. 
He  was  actuated  in  life  by  the  principle  of  the 
Golden  Rule,  and  left  to  his  descendants  the 
priceless  inheritance  of  a  spotless  reputation. 

William  D.  Robinson  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  subscription  schools  of  that  day. 
He  then  attended  for  two  years  a  select  school 
taught  by  a  man  of  the  name  of  Piersol,  and  in 
1835  entered  the  freshman  class  of  Meadville 
college,  where  he  spent  two  years.  Returning 
home  from  Meadville,  he  learned  the  trade  of 
tanner  with  his  father,  but  did  not  follow  bin- 
ning very  long.  He  next,  turning  his  atten- 
tion to  the  mercantile  business,  was  a  clerk  at 
Brady's  Bend  for  three  years,  and  then  opened 
a  store  at  Parker's  Landing,  whi(;h  he  conduct- 
ed until  1868.  He  also  bought  stock,  which 
he  drove  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  purchased 
his  goods.  In  1864  he  became  the  pioneer  of 
the  oil  business  at  Parker  City,  where  he  sunk 
the  first  well  of  that  place.  He  continually 
widened  his  field  of  operations  as  an  oil  pro- 
ducer and  was  interested  in  wells  in  Armstrong, 
Bradford,  Butler,  Venango  and  Clarion  coun- 
ties. In  1880,  after  a  very  successful  career, 
he  retired  from  the  oil  business  and  left  to 
other  hands  the  care  of  the  many  important 
interests  which  he  had  managed  so  successfully. 
In  1858  he  removed  to  Kittanning,  where  he 
has  resided  ever  since  in  a  beautiful  home  with 
pleasant  surroundings. 

In  June,  1852,  he  married  Mary  Kelly,  a 
daughter  of  Hon.  Ebcn  Smith  Kelly,  who  was 
the  eldest  son  of  W.  Bowdoin  Kelly,  and  was 
born  at  Meredith,  N.  H.,  February  1,  1794. 
He  left  home  on  September  13,  1813,  for  Steu- 


380 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


benville,  Ohio,  where  he  arrived  on  the  17th  of 
October.  He  read  law  with  B.  Tappan,  of 
Steubenville,  and  Judge  Baldwin,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, was  admitted  to  the  Pittsburgh  bar 
November  17, 1815,  and  soon  thereafter  moved 
to  Kittanning,  where  he  engaged  in  practice. 
He  was  prothonotary  of  Armstrong  county  from 
1816  to  18'21,  and  in  1826  was  elected  as  State 
Senator  from  the  Tvventy-fourth  Senatorial  Dis- 
trict of  Pennsylvania,  then  composed  of  the 
counties  of  Venango,  Warren,  Jefferson,  Indi- 
ana, Cambria  and  Armstrong.  On  September 
26,  1822,  he  married  Nancy,  daughter  of  Hugh 
Davidson,  of  Berkley  county,  Va.,  and  died  in 
Harrisburg,  Pa.,  March  28,  1829,  when  in  the 
very  prime  of  life.  He  was  a  man  of  extensive 
reading  and  literary  tastes  of  a  high  order,  be- 
ing familiar  with  all  the  famous  English  au- 
thors and  Latin  poets.  On  March  18,  1829,  on 
motion  of  Hon.  Richard  Vanx,  of  Philadelphia, 
he  was  unanimously  elected  as  a  correspond- 
ing member  of  the  Historical  Society  of  Penn- 
sylvania. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robinson  have  been 
the  parents  of  five  children,  of  whom  three  are 
living :  Emma,  wife  of  Elder  Montgomery ; 
May  Olive  and  Cornelia.  May  Olive  Robin- 
son married,  November  3,  1883,  William  Gates 
Reynolds,  a  member  of  the  Armstrong  county 
bar,  and  a  son  of  Thomas  J.  Reynolds,  who 
was  a  brave  soldier,  one  of  the  prominent  men 
of  the  county,  and  married  Mary  Gates,  a 
daughter  of  William  Gates,  an  influential  busi- 
ness man,  and  one  of  tlie  founders  of  the  Kit- 
tanuino;  rolling-mill. 

William  D.  Robinson  is  a  democrat  and  ac- 
tive in  politics,  although  never  an  aspirant  for 
office  or  public  favor.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity  and  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal church,  in  which  he  has  frequently  served 
as  a  vestryman. 


HON.  JOHN  W.  ROHRER,  ex-member  of 
the  Pennsylvania  House  of  Representa- 
tives and  a  member  of  the  Armstrong  county 
bar,  is  the  well-known  editor  of  the  Armstrong 
Democrat  and  Sentinel.  He  is  a  sou  of  Fred- 
erick and  Mariamne  (Stevenson)  Rohrer,  and 
was  born  at  Kittanning,  Armstrong  county, 
Pennsylvania,  March  5,  1823.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  George  Rohrer,  was  of  German 
origin,  and  was  born  on  the  French  side  of  the 
Rhine,  and  settled  in  Westmoreland  county, 
where  his  son,  Frederick  Rohrer  (father),  wa.s 
born  some  time  prior  to  1800.  Frederick 
Rohrer  learned  the  printing  business  at  Pitts- 
burgh in  the  office  of  the  old  Mercury,  whose 
proprietors  he  paid  $500  for  the  privilege  of 
being  entered  as  an  apprentice.  In  1819  he 
established  the  Columbian,  which  he  sold  in 
1832,  and  then  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness until  shortly  before  his  death,  in  1837. 
He  served  as  register  and  recorder,  and  as  pro- 
thouotar}'  of  the  county,  and  was  a  justice  of 
the  peace  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a 
strong  democrat,  and  married  Mariamne  Ste- 
venson, of  Gettysburg.  Of  their  family  of  six 
children,  five  are  living. 

John  W.  Rohrer  was  reared  at  Kittanning, 
where  he  read  law  with  John  S.  Rhey,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar.  He  served  three  terms  as 
district  attorney  of  the  county,  and  was  elected 
as  a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  legislature  in 
1859. 

In  1864  he  became  editor  and  proprietor  of 
the  Armstrong  Democrat  and  Sentinel,  which 
has  been  under  his  administration  an  able  and 
prosperous  democratic  journal. 

June  25th,  1851,  he  married  Ann  E.,  daugh- 
ter of  Rev.  William  Hilton.  They  have  one 
son  living:  Frederick,  who  is  assistant  editor 
of  the  Sentinel. 

J.  W.  Rohrer  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  Kittanning  Protestant  Episcopal 
church,  of  which  he  was  a  vestryman  for  many 
years. 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


381 


AS.  SCHRECKENGOST,  a  skilled,  relia- 
•  ble  and  successful  photographer  aud  ar- 
tist of  Kittanning,  is  a  son  of  Isaac  aud  Cath- 
erine (King)  Schreckeugost,  and  was  born  near 
Frantz'  mill,  Kittanning  township,  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania,  July  20,  1865.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  Benjamin  Schreckeugost, 
was  born  in  a  beautiful  valley  amid  the  lofty 
mountains  of  Switzerland,  from  which  he  emi- 
grated to  western  Peunsylvauia  when  a  young 
man.  He  was  a  farmer  and  miller,  and  built 
what  is  now  known  as  Frantz'  mill.  He  mar- 
ried Sallie  Eurie,  of  this  county,  aud  of  the 
children  born  to  them  one  was  Isaac  Schreck- 
eugost, the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
He  was  born  in  Armstrong  county,  is  a  pros- 
perous farmer,  and  holds  membership  in  the 
Lutheran  church,  of  which  he  has  been  an  elder 
and  deacon.  He  is  a  conservative  republican 
in  politics. 

He  united  in  marriage  with  Catherine,  ' 
daughter  of  Jacob  King,  of  Westmoreland 
county,  tliis  State.  To  their  union  wei-e  born 
ten  children,  of  whom  six  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter are  living.  The  latter,  Louisa  by  name,  is 
the  wife  of  William  Montgomery,  of  Denver, 
Colorado. 

A.  S.  Schreckeugost  was  reared   in   Kittan- 
ning township,  and   received   his  etlucation  in 
the  common  schools.     At  twenty  years  of  age  j 
he  became  interested  in  the  art  of  photography, 
which  he  learned  and  has  since  followed  suc- 
cessfully.    For  a  while  he  was  in  partnership  i 
with   C   C.   Shadle,   an    old    and    experienced 
photographer  of  Kittanning;   but  recently  he 
has  rented  large  and  convenient  rooms  in  the  i 
Orr  building,  which  he  has  furnished  with  all  j 
late  aud  improved  photographic  apparatus.    He 
is  now  prepared  to  do  any  kind  of  work  in  his 
line  of  business  from  the  small  ambrotype,  so 
popular  with  a  past  generation,  to  the  life-size 
picture  that  has  such   large  space  iu  the  pho- 
tographic   productions    of    the    present.       He 
makes  first-class  photographs,  ranging  iu  size 


from  the  gem  up  to  the  cabinet  and  panel.  A 
laudable  ambition  to  excel  in  his  work,  united 
with  a  desire  to  please  his  patrons,  has  led  un- 
doubtedly to  the  success  which  he  has  achieved, 
and  is  indicative  of  increased  future  pros- 
perity. 

In  politics  he  is  a  republican.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Equitable  Aid  Association  and 
St.  Luke's  Reformed  church.  He  is  well 
established  in  his  chosen  business  in  a  pleas- 
ant and  thriving  borough,  and  having  found 
his  level  and  life-work,  nothing  should  prevent 
him  from  becoming  a  leadiug  photographer  in 
the  future. 


CC.  SHADLE,  the  oldest  resident  photog- 
•  rapher  of  Kittanning  and  an  artist  of 
superior  ability  in  his  line  of  business,  was 
born  four  miles  from  Clarion,  Clarion  county, 
Pennsylvania,  October  17,  1845,  and  is  a  .son 
of  Isaac  and  Mary  (Shirely)  Shadle.  Isaac 
Shadle  was  born  in  1817,  in  the  eastern  part  of 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  reared  to  manhood. 
He  then  removed  to  Clarion  county,  but  in  a 
short  time  pushed  farther  westward  and  located 
at  Blairsville,  in  Indiana  county,  where  he  now 
resides.  He  is  a  natural  mechanic  and  con- 
siderable of  an  artisan.  As  such  he  has  worked 
successfully  iu  various  trades  with  but  little 
instruction  and  did  creditable  work  as  a 
plasterer,  shoemaker,  cabinet-maker  and  jeweler. 
At  the  age  of  forty-five  he  learned  photography, 
which  business  he  has  followed  uninterruptedly 
and  successfully  ever  since.  He  has  a  well 
fitted  and  convenient  gallery  at  Blairsville, 
where  he  makes  the  best  of  work,  although  in 
the  seveuty-third  year  of  his  age.  He  is  a 
democrat,  a  member  of  the  Methotlist  Epi.scopal 
church  and  a  man  of  excellent  standing  in  the 
town  where  he  resides.  He  married  Mary 
Shirely,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children.  Siie 
died  and  he  married  for  his  second  wife  Hannah 
Fink,  a  native  of  this  State. 


382 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


C  C  Shadle  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools,  learned  photography  with  his  father 
and  then  spent  three  years  as  an  engineer.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  he  opened  a  photograph 
gallery  at  Apollo,  where  he  remained  for  three 
years  and  then  removed  to  Tarentum,  Pa.,  at 
which  place  he  followed  his  business  until  1869. 
In  that  year  he  came  to  Kittanning  and  estab- 
lished his  present  large,  well- fitted  and  con- 
venient photographic  gallery  and  art  studio. 
He  understands  well  every  department  of  pho- 
tography. He  does  anj'  and  all  kinds  of  work 
that  comes  within  the  line  of  his  art,  and  the 
general  satisfaction  which  he  has  given  is  highly 
commendatory  of  his  ability  as  an  artist. 
Abundant  success  and  a  remunerative  and  flat- 
tering patronage  has  rewarded  his  constant  and 
assiduous  efforts  to  please  the  public.  He  is  a 
member  and  trustee  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
of  Kittanning  and  as  one  of  the  committee  on 
selection  of  site  had  much  to  do  in  securing  the 
fine  location  of  the  present  beautiful  church 
structure.  He  is  a  democrat  in  politics,  be- 
longs to  the  Equitable  Aid  Union  and  served 
one  term  as  school  director  of  the  borough.  He 
has  always  been  remarkably  active  in  all  move- 
ments which  have  been  undertaken  of  late  years 
for  the  material  improvement  of  Kittanning  or 
the  advancement  of  its  business  interests.  He 
owns  a  good  farm  five  miles  from  the  borough, 
besides  valuable  town  property. 

He  married  Jane  Wherry,  daughter  of  John 
Wherry,  of  South  Bend,  this  county.  They 
have  four  childi-en :  Charles,  who  was  graduated 
in  1890  at  Washington  and  Jefferson  college; 
Helen,  a  graduate  of  Washington  Female  semi- 
nary; and  Laura  and  .John,  who  are  attending 
school. 


JOHN  TEMPLE  SIMPSON.  In  the  jour- 
^  nalistic  history  of  Armstrong  county,  one 
of  the  papers  that  has  attained  a  prominent 
position  and  extended  circulation  is  The  Kittan- 


ning Times,  which  is  edited  and  published  by 
John  Temple  Simpson.  He  is  a  son  of  Joseph 
and  Elizabeth  G.  (Hutchinson)  Simpson,  and  wa<( 
born  on  the  site  of  the  present  public  school 
building  at  Kittanning,  Armstrong  county, 
Pennsylvania,  June  9,  1852.  The  early  an- 
cestors of  the  Simpson  family  of  western  Penn- 
sylvania wei'e  members  of  the  strictest  .sect  of 
the  old  historic  covenanters.  James  Simpson 
(grandfather)  located  in  1806  in  what  is  now 
Cowanshannock  township,  of  which  he  was  one 
of  the  pioneer  settlers.  In  the  latter  part  of  life 
he  removed  to  Manor  township  in  which  he  died 
at  7iinety-one  years  of  age.  One  of  his  brothers 
served  in  the  war  of  1812,  while  two  or  three 
more  of  them  were  the  ancestors  of  the  Simp- 
sons of  Indiana  county,  Pa.  He  married  Jane 
Shearer,  who  lived  to  be  ninety  years  of  age. 
He  reared  a  family  of  eight  children,  to  each  of 
whom  on  their  marriage  he  gave  a  good  farm. 
One  of  these  children,  Joseph  Simpson  (father), 
was  born  in  1816,  and  now  resides  in  Indiana 
county.  He  is  a  carpenter  by  trade,  but  follows 
farming.  He  is  a  republican,  like  his  father 
before  him,  and  when  the  late  war  broke  out  he 
enlisted  in  Thompson's  Independent  Battery, 
but  after  two  years  and  three  months'  active 
.service  was  discharged  on  account  of  ill  health. 
He  is  now  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  He  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Greenfield  Hutchinson,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Philip  Hutchinson,  of  Cliambersburg,  Pa., 
and  has  four  children  living. 

John  T.  Simpson  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools.  At  nine  years  of  age  he 
worked  in  a  rolling-mill,  from  which  he  went  to 
a  farm  for  a  short  time  and  then  went  to  work 
in  a  woolen-mill.  At  sixteen  years  of  age  he 
commenced  upon  his  life-work  by  entering  the 
oflBce  of  the  Armstrong  Republican,  where  he 
remained  for  three  years.  He  next  worked  on 
the  East  Brady  Independent  for  one  year  and 
then  went  to  Pittsbuigh,  where  he  worked  on 
the  Leader  and  various  other  papers  of  that 
city.     In  1873  he  came  to  Kittanning,  opened 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


383 


a  job  office  in  January,  1874,  and  iu  May, 
1876,  he  and  Benjamin  Oswald  became  part- 
ners in  the  Valley  Times,  whose  name  was 
afterward  changed  to  that  of  The  Kittanning 
Times.  In  January,  1886,  Mr.  Simpson  pur- 
chased his  partner's  interest  and  has  been  the 
editor  and  proprietor  ever  since.  The  Kittan- 
ning Times  is  a  four-page  paper,  24  x  36  niches 
in  size  and  containing  twenty-eight  cohim>  of 
choice  reading  matter  and  important  advertise- 
ments. It  is  a  newsy  local  sheet,  independent 
in  politics  and  having  a  circulation  of  over  two 
thousand  copies.  It  is  jiublished  in  the  Times 
building  on  Friday  of  each  week  at  one  dollar 
per  year.  It  makes  a  specialty  of  local  news 
and  aims  to  present,  in  brief  but  interesting  par- 
agraphs, the  substance  of  the  latest  happenings 
in  the  borough  and  the  county.  It  also  gives  a 
large  amount  of  selected  miscellany  valuable  to 
every  class  and  profession  ;  nor  is  it  neglectful  of 
the  political  news,  as  it  spreads  before  its  read- 
ers, in  concise  form,  the  great  or  notable  political 
events  of  the  day,  M'ith  the  platforms  and 
movements  of  every  political  party  asking  for 
the  support  of  the  people.  A  complete  job 
printing  department  has  been  organized  and 
thoroughly  fittted  up  Mith  first-class  machinery 
and  is  kept  very  busy  in  filling  the  orders 
which  it  is  constantly  receiving. 

Christmas  day,  1877,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Jennie  M.  Williams,  of  Kittanning.  They 
have  two  children  :  Harry  Temple  Simpson, 
born  September  3d,  1879,  and  Rowland  B. 
Simpson,  born  April  16th,  1883. 

In  political  sentiment  Mr.  Simpson  is  a 
strong  republican.  He  was  elected  coroner  of 
the  county  in  1888,  and  on  February,  1890, 
was  elected  as  one  of  the  justices  of  the  peace  for 
Kittanning.  He  is  a  past  regent  in  the  Royal 
Arcanum,  past  dictator  in  the  Knights  of 
Honor,  district  deputy  in  the  Knights  of  Honor, 
past  archon  in  the  Heptasophs,  district  deputy 
in  the  O.  U.  A.  M.,  and  was  the  representative 
of  District  No.  3,  Knights  of  Labor,  to   the 


State  convention  of  that  organization  in  1887. 
John  T.  Simpson  has  wasted  naught  of  life  in 
idleness  or  inactivity.  Ever  moving,  always  ac- 
tive, he  has  won  success  and  position  by  his 
own  unaided  efforts. 


T  lEUTENANT  ROBERT  S.  SLAY- 
i-^  MAKER,  the  lately  elected  register  and 
recorder  of  Armstrong  county,  and  at  present 
the  chief  clerk  in  that  office,  is  one  who  is  not 
only  well-known  for  his  ability  to  transact  busi- ' 
ness  with  ease  and  energy,  but  also  for  his  cour- 
teous and  kind  attention  to  all  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact.  He  was  born  in  Lower  Win- 
sor  township,  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  Oc- 
tober 16,  1838,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  R.  and 
Anna  M.  (Smith)  Slaymaker.  His  paternal  great- 
grandfather, Henry  Slaymaker  (or  Schlier- 
macher,  as  the  name  was  originally  written), 
was  a  native  of  Germany,  and  came  in  1710  to 
Strawberry  township,  Lancaster  county,  where 
he  followed  farming  until  his  death.  His  son, 
Samuel  Slaymaker  (grandfather),  owned  and 
operated  a  stage  line  from  Philadelphia  to 
Pittsburgh,  and  died  at  sixty  years  of  age. 
He  was  succeeded  in  the  ownership  of  the 
stage  line  by  his  son,  Samuel  R.  Slaymaker 
(father),  who  continued  to  operate  it  until  the 
building  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  which 
took  the  tra%'el  of  the  old  pike  and  terminatetl 
the  existence  of  the  stage  lines.  In  1833  he 
removed  to  York  county,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  farming  until  1842,  when  he  came  to  this 
county  and  rented  a  farm  on  the  site  of  Ford 
City.  In  October,  1844,  he  removed  to  the 
McCall  farm  in  Butler  county,  and  in  1847  re- 
turned to  York  county,  where  he  operated  a 
foundry  for  twenty-two  years.  He  then  (1869) 
went  to  Evanston,  Illinois,  where  he  died  at 
the  residence  of  his  eldest  son,  Henry  S.  Slay- 
maker, in  1878,  aged  seventy-six  years.  He 
was  an  old-line  whig  and  republican  and  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.     He  mar- 


384 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


ried  Anna  M.  Smith,  of  Philadelphia,  who  was 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  died 
in  1877,  at  sixty-six  years  of  age.  They  reared 
a  family  of  four  sons  and  one  daughter,  of 
whom  three  sons  are  living. 

Robert  S.  Slaymaker  was  reared  in  York  and 
Armstrong  counties  and  received  his  education 
in  the  common  schools  and  York  County  acad- 
emy of  the  former  county.  In  the  dark  days 
of  18G1  he  was  one  who  responded  to  his  coun- 
try's call  for  troops.  On  August  24,  1861,  he 
enlisted  as  a  private  in  Co!  A,  37th  regiment, 
Pa.  Vols.,  was  promoted  to  sergeant-major 
December  25,  1862,  and  to  first  lieutenant  of 
Company  H,  of  his  regiment,  on  January  13, 
1863.  He  participated  in  all  the  engagements 
of  his  regiment  until  the  fall  of  1863,  when  he 
was  discharged  on  September  13th  of  that 
year,  at  Martinsburg,  W.  Va.,  on  the  surgeon's 
certificate  of  disability.  After  being  discharged 
lie  returned  to  York  county,  where  he  was  en- 
gngod  in  the  manufacture  of  water-wheels  until 
1869,  when  he  removed  to  Armstrong  county 
and  remained  for  a  few  months.  He  then 
(June,  1870)  went  to  Chicago,  where  he  engaged 
as  a  clei"k  in  a  large  mercantile  establishment, 
but  only  remained  until  November  1st  of  that 
year,  when  he  returned  to  Armstrong  county 
and  engaged  in  the  general  mercantile  business 
at  Kittanuing  with  P.  K.  Bowman.  He  re- 
mained in  the  store  until  February,  1881,  when 
he  was  appointed  chief  clerk  in  the  register  and 
recorder's  office  which  position  he  has  filled  sat- 
isfactorily ever  since.  On  May  3,  1890,  he  was 
nominated  l)y  the  republicans  for  register  and 
recorder  of  Armstrong  county,  and  on  Novem- 
ber 4,  1890,  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  574 
votes. 

April  25,  1866,  he  married  Jane  Oswald, 
who  was  a  daugliter  of  Rev.  Jonathan  Oswald, 
D.  D.,  of  York  county,  and  died  September  5, 
1867.  Mr.  Slaymaker  was  remarried  on  May 
25,  1871,  to  Lizzie  K.  Bowman,  daughter  of  P. 
K.   Bowman,  of   Kittanning.     By  his  second 


marriage  he  has  three  children,  one  son  and  two 
daughters:  Agnes  E.,  Philip  K.,  and  Anna  F. 
In  politics  Mr.  Slaymaker  is  a  republican, 
and  his  maternal  and  paternal  ancestors  were 
republicans  and  whigs  as  far  back  as  he  is  able 
to  trace  them.  He  is  a  member  and  elder  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Jr.  0.  U.  A.  M.,  and  John  F.  CroU 
Post,  No.  156,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 


WALTER  J.  STURGEON,  one  of  the 
young  business  men  and  a  leading  drug- 
gist of  Kittanning,  is  a  son  of  William  and 
Mary  E.  (Kiskadden)  Sturgeon,  and  was  born 
in  North  BufiFalo  township,  Armstrong  county, 
Pennsylvania,  March  5,  1861.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  James  Sturgeon,  was  born  in  county 
Armagh,  Ireland,  and  came  to  Kittanning  in 
1840,  then  bought  a  farm  in  North  Bufltiilo 
township,  where  he  followed  farming  until  his 
death,  in  1861,  at  seventy-seven  years  of  age. 
He  marrie<l  Elizabeth  McComb,  of  county 
Down,  Ireland,  and  reared  a  family  of  six 
childi'en.  One  of  his  sons  was  William  Stur- 
geon, who  was  born  in  county  Armagh,  Ireland. 
June  14,  1818,  and  came  to  Kittanning  about 
1843.  During  the  next  year  he  hjcated  on  a 
farm  in  North  Buffalo  township,  where  he  lived 
until  1888,  when  he  returnetl  to  Kittanning  and 
has  resided  there  ever  since.  He  has  been  a 
farmer  by  occupation  until  of  late  years,  when 
he  retired  from  active  life.  He  is  a  republican 
from  principle,  and  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  On  February  16,  1840,  he  mar- 
ried Mary  E.  Kiskadden.  Her  father,  AVilliam 
Kiskadden,  who  was  born  in  1799  and  died  in 
1869,  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Slate 
Lick,  and  was  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Margaret 
(Knox)  Kiskadden.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Morrison,  a  daughter  of  William  ]\Iorrison,  who 
was  one  of  the  pioneer  Presbyterians  and  earliest 
settlers  of  Armstrong   county.      William   and 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


385 


Mary  E.  Sturgeon  are  the  parents  of  two  chil- 
dren,— Lissa  and  Walter  J. 

Walter  J.  Sturgeon  received  an  academical  and 
business  education,  taught  in  the  common  schools, 
then  attended  the  Iron  City  Commercial  col- 
lege, of  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  and  was  graduated  from 
that  well-i<no\vu  business  institution  December 
24, 1882.  For  the  next  two  years  he  lauglit  in 
the  common  schools.  In  1885  he  ojicned  a  drug 
store  at  No.  305  Market  street,  Kittanning,  and 
has  continued  in  the  drug  business  until  the 
present  time.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  He  is  a  repuljJicaii  in  political 
matters,  but  gives  his  time  to  his  business  inter- 
ests and  takes  but  little  part  in  jujlitics. 

Mr.  Sturgeon's  eligibly  located,  well-stocked 
and  carefully  conducted  drug  hou.se  is  one  of  the 
main  business  establishments  of  Kittanning.  His 
well-assorted  and  varied  stock  of  goods  embraces 
first-class  drugs,  standard  proprietary  medicines, 
fancy  and  useful  toilet  articles,  perfumes,  mineral 
waters  and  fine  stationery.  Mr.  Sturgeon  is  re- 
liable and  accurate  as  a  druggist,  has  a  good 
trade  and  stands  well  in  his  line  of  business. 
He  is  extensively  known  and  is  everywhere  re- 
garded as  an  honorable  and  upright  business 
man  and  a  well-respected  citizen. 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  HUGH  MER- 
CER, one  of  the  ablest  chieftains  of  the 
Revolutionary  war,  was  born  near  Aberdeen, 
Scotland,  in  1723,  and  was  liberally  educated. 
He  became  a  physician  and  served  as  a  surgeon 
on  the  bloody  field  of  Culloden,  in  1745. 
About  1750  he  came  to  Mercersburg,  Pa.,  and 
afterwards  removed  to  Virginia.  He  served 
with  Washington  under  Braddock  at  the  fateful 
battle  of  the  Monongahela,  and  in  1756  was  a 
captain  in  Gen.  Armstrong's  expedition  to  Kit- 
t^inuing.  In  1758  he  was  promoted  to  colonel 
and  served  under  Forbes.  Twelve  years  later 
he  left  his  drug  store  and  an  extensive  medical 


practice  and  drew  his  sword  in  behalf  of  his 
adopted  country.  On  June  5,  1776,  he  was 
commissioned  as  a  brigadier-general  and  won 
distinction  at  the  battle  of  Trenton.  He  com- 
manded the  van  of  the  American  army  at 
Princeton,  where  he  fell  mortally  wounded 
wliile  rallying  his  troops  in  the  face  of  a  British 
charge. 

He  married  Isabella  Gordon  and  left  a  family 
of  four  sons  and  one  daughter. 

In  the  action  at  Kittanning  Gen.  (then  Capt.) 
Mercer  was  induced  by  some  of  his  men,  who 
were  somewhat  acquainted  with  the  country  (or 
claimed  to  be),  to  detach  himself  with  twelve 
others  to  reach  the  road  by  a  short  route.  Ac- 
counts differ  as  to  the  wound  he  received  when 
he  ran  into  an  Indian  ambush  on  the  near  route 
pointed  out  by  his  guides.  One  author  .says  he 
was  shot  in  the  wrist  and  another  states  that  his 
arm  was  broken.  Bancroft  says :  "  Mercer, 
who  was  wounded  severely  and  se2)arated  from 
his  companions,  tracked  his  way  by  the  stars 
and  rivulets  to  Fort  Cumberland." 

Sixty-three  days  after  Gen.  Mercer  had  fallen 
on  the  battle-field,  the  Continental  Congress  re- 
solved to  erect  a  monument  to  his  memory,  in 
Fredericksburg,  with  a  suitable  inscription;  and 
also  resolved,  "  That  the  eldest  son  of  General 
Warren,  and  the  youngest  son  of  General  Mer- 
cer, be  educated,  from  this  time,  at  the  expense 
of  the  United  States." 

That  "youngest  son  of  General  Mercer"  was 
Col.  Hugh  Mercer.  He  was  born  at  Fredericks- 
burg, Virginia,  in  July,  1776,  and  died  at  the 
"Sentry  Box,"  his  pleasant  residence  near  his 
birth-place,  on  December  1,  1S53.  "His 
mother  was  Isabella  Gordon,  who  survived  her 
martyred  husband  about  ten  year.s,  and  during 
that  time  made  an  indelible  impression  of  her 
own  excellence  of  character  upon  that  of  her 
son.  He  was  educated  at  William  and  Mary 
college,  in  Virginia,  during  its  palmiest  days, 
while  under  the  charge  of  Bishop  Madison. 
For  a  long  series  of  years  he  was  colonel  of  the 


386 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


militia  of  his  native  county  (Spottsylvania),  and 
for  twenty  years  he  was  an  active  magistrate. 
For  five  consecutive  years  he  represented  his 
district  in  the  Virginia  legislature,  when,  pre- 
ferring the  sweets  of  domestic  life  to  the 
turmoils  of  politics  and  public  office,  he  declined 
a  I'e-election.  He  was  soon  afterward  chosen 
jM'esideut  of  the  branch  bank  of  Virginia, 
located  at  Fredericksburg,  and  held  that  situa- 
tion until  his  death.  Throughout  his  long  life 
Colonel  Mercer  enjoyed  almost  uninterrupted 
health  until  a  short  time  before  his  departure. 
He  was  greatly  beloved  by  those  who  were 
related  to  him  by  ties  of  consanguinity  or 
friendship,  and  was  universally  esteemed  for 
his  solid  worth  as  an  honorable,  energetic,  and 
methodical  business  man  and  superior  citizen. 
He  was  one  of  the  few  noble  specimens  of  the 
Virginia  gentleman  of  the  old  school." 


MAJOR-GENERAL     JAMES    POTTER 
was  a  son  of  John  Potter  and  was  born 
on    the   bank   of  the  river   Foyle,   in   county 


Tyrone,  Ireland,  in  1729.  At  twelve  years  of 
age  he  came  with  his  father  to  New  Castle, 
Delaware,  and  subsequently  removed  to  what  is 
now  Cumberland  county,  of  which  his  father 
became  the  first  sheriff.  In  1742  he  was  a 
lieutenant  in  a  frontier  militia  company,  and  in 
1756  commanded  a  company  in  Gen.  Arm- 
strong's Kittanning  expedition.  He  was  after- 
wards promoted  to  major  and  then  to  lieutenant- 
colonel.  He  was  an  active  advocate  of  the 
Revolutionary  cause.  In  1775  he  was  appoint- 
ed colonel  and  on  April  5,  1777,  was  commis- 
sioned as  a  brigadier-general  in  the  Continental 
army.  He  rendered  Washington  good  ser- 
vice in  1777.  He  was  actively  engaged  dur- 
ing the  entire  Revolutionary  struggle  and 
was  commissioned  as  a  major-general  in  1782. 
He  resided  in  Penn's  Valley,  Centre  county, 
from  1772  until  his  death  in  November, 
1789. 

General  James  Potter  was  a  stout,  broad- 
shouldered  man  of  dark  complexion.  He 
served  for  some  years  as  an  associate  Judge  of 
Northumberland  county. 


APOLLO. 


Hidorical  and  Descriptive. — One  of  the  most 
flourishing  and  prosperous  business  centres  of 
western  Pennsylvania  is  tlie  progressive  borough 
of  Apollo.  It  is  situated  on  the  Kiskiininetas 
river,  about  teu  iniles  from  its  confluenee  with 
the  Allegheny.  It  was  laid  out  in  181(5  by 
William  Johnson  and  J.  R.  Spcer,  and  named 
AVarrcn,  after  either  an  old  Indian  chief  or  an 
early  English  trader  who  bore  that  name.  It 
was  surveyed  into  lots  in  November,  1816,  by 
William  Watson,  and  its  name  was  changed  to 
tlie  classical  one  of  Apollo  on  August  15,  1827, 
when  the  post-office  was  established.  As  tra- 
dition is  uncertain  for  whom  it  was  first  named 
Warren,  so  history  is  silent  as  to  who  gave  it 
the  name  of  Apollo.  The  site  of  the  town  was 
known  as  "Warren's  Sleeping  Place,"  and 
among  the  first  settlers  were  Isaac  McLaughlin, 
Robert  Stewart,  Abraham  Ludwick  and  Cath- 
erine Cochran,  mother  of  the  late  Judge  Coch- 
ran. 

The  first  hotel  was  opened  in  1824,  and  the 
first  tannery  was  established  in  the  same  year 
by  John  Wort.  The  first  resident  physician 
was  Robert  iMcKissen,  and  the  leading  physi- 
cians of  the  borough  to-day  are  Dr.  William 
McBryar  and  Dr.  Robert  E.  ^NlcCauley.  Jacob 
Erectly,  of  the  present  law  firm  of  Erectly  & 
Guthrie,  is  the  first  resident  lawyer  since  1855. 
The  first  church  in  the  town  was  the  Presby- 
terian, which  was  founded  in  1825,  since  which 
time  the  Methodist  Episcopal,  Lutheran,  United 
Presbyterian  and  Baptist  churches  have  been 
organized.  The  first  mill  was  built  in  1849, 
the  first  school-house    was    a    frame   structure 


which  was  erected  in  1850.  The  first  military 
organization  was  the  Charleston  Guards  (1840), 
and  they  were  succeeded  in  1850  by  the  Apollo 
Blues,  which  became  so  famous  during  the  late 
war  as  Co.  G,  of  the  11th  Pa.  Re.serves.  John 
B.  Chambers  was  the  captain  of  the  first  packet- 
boat  that  ran  between  Apollo  and  Pittsburgh. 

The  building  of  the  Pennsylvania  canal 
helped  the  growth  of  the  town  in  1855  ;  the 
great  iron  industries  of  the  borough  were  inau- 
gurated by  the  formation  of  the  Kiskiminetas 
Iron  company,  which  erected  its  rolling-mill  in 
1856.  This  mill  was  operated  under  different 
proprietors  until  1876,  when  it  pa.s.sed  into  the 
hands  of  P.  H.  Laufman  &  Co.,  limited,  who 
have  increased  its  capacity  from  65  to  300  tons 
per  week.  In  1886  this  company  erected  their 
present  large  and  well-equipped  sheet  iron  and 
decarbonized  steel  plant,  in  which  they  employ 
150  men.  In  1890  P.  H.  Laufman  erected  his 
copper-plating  works.  Tiie  Apollo  Foundry 
company  was  organized  in  1889,  and  employ  a 
force  of  25  men  in  their  works,  which  are  well 
equipped  with  modern  machinery. 

Apollo  has  over  two  thousand  population, 
and  contains  a  bank,  newspaper,  five  churches, 
a  graded  school,  two  planing-mills  and  two 
flouring-mills.  Of  its  hotels  the  "  Chambers 
Hou.se  "  is  deserving  of  special  mention,  for  it 
is  up,  in  every  respect,  to  the  highest  standard, 
and  is  under  the  management  of  James  H. 
Chambers,  one  of  the  leading  business  men  and 
public-spirited  citizens  of  the  borough.  Apollo, 
within  the  last  decade,  has  grown  steadily,  and 
within  the  last  few   years,  rapidly.     A  canal 

387 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


town  of  the  past,  a  railway  town  of  the  present, 
Apollo  is  destined  to  become  an  iron  city  in  the 
future.  She  has  within  her  grasp  the  materials 
and  facilities  for  wealth  and  growth,  and  bids 
fair  to  rank  high  in  the  future  as  one  of  the  in- 
land manufacturing  cities  of  the  Keystone  State. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


DAVID  D.  P.  ALEXANDER,  postmaster 
of  Apollo,  a  successful  merchant  and  a 
Union  soldier  of  the  late  war,  was  born  in 
Allegheny  city,  Alleghenty  county,  Pennsylva- 
nia, March  4, 1837,  and  is  a  son  of  John  S.  and 
Sarah  (Drury)  Alexander.  John  S.  Alexander 
was  born  in  Philadelphia,  this  State,  in  1794, 
and  died  at  Brackenridge,  Cauldwell  county 
Mo.,  in  1870.  In  early  life  with  his  father 
he  crossed  the  Alleghenies  by  the  old  State  road 
and  came  to  Pittsburgh,  where  he  learned  the 
trade  of  chair-making.  After  residing  at  dif- 
ferent  places  he  removed  in  1847  to  Apollo, 
where  he  embarked  and  continued  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  for  many  years.  He  was  a 
quiet,  peaceable  man  and  a  consistent  member 
of  the  Baptist  church,  and  from  1860  he  sup- 
ported the  republican  party,  having  previously 
voted  the  democratic  ticket.  He  married  Sarah 
Drury,  daughter  of  James  Drury,  of  New  Alex- 
andria, Westmoreland  county,  by  whom  he  had 
six  sons  and  two  daughters. 

David  D.  P.  Alexander  was  reared  at  Apollo, 
where  he  attended  the  public  .schools.  Leaving 
school,  he  became  an  apprentice  at  Apollo  to  the 
saddlery  and  harness-making  trade,  but  finished 
his  apprenticeship  at  Cannonsburg,  Washington 
county.  When  the  late  war  commenced  he  was 
among  the  first  to  enter  the  Union  service.  He 
did  not  come  up  in  size  to  the  required  standard 
of  a  soldier  at  that  time  and  enlisted  on  April 
27,  1861,  as  a  musician  in  Co.  G,  11th  Pa. 
Reserves  (or  40th  regiment  Pa.  Vols.).  He 
was  a  drummer  and  was  with   his  regiment  in 


all  of  its  long  marches,  numerous  skirmishes 
and  many  hard  battles,  under  McCIellan, 
Hooker,  Meade  and  Grant,  until  it  was  mustered 
out  on  June  13,  1864.  This  regiment  was 
commanded  by  Col.  T.  F.  Gallagher  and  Gen. 
>S.  M.  Jackson  and  was  in  some  of  the  hardest 
fighting  that  occurred  in  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  After  the  war  he  embarked  in  the 
grocery  and  confectionery  and  the  hardware 
business. 

On  June  13,  1865,  he  married  Abigail  Wray, 
daughter  of  John  M.  Wray,  of  Shady  Plain, 
Pa.  Their  children  are:  Maud  Ella,  assistant 
postmaster  at  Apollo;  Maggie  Irene,  Sarah 
Emma,  Edna  Loretta,  Aline  Stewart,  Nina 
Gerlrude,  Mary  Ada,  Helen  Grace,  Olive 
Ethelwin  and  WiJda  Leota. 
j  On  April  1,  1889,  Mr.  Alexander  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  of  Ajjollo.  He  is  a  repub- 
lican in  political  opinion,  and  a  member  of 
Kiskirainetas  Lodge,  No.  1993,  Knights  of 
J  Honor,  E.  S.  Whit  worth  Post,  No.  89,  Grand 
I  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  Encampment  No.  1 , 
Union  Veteran  Legion  of  Pittsburgh,  Pa.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  a 
useful  business  man  and  highly  respected  citi- 
zen of  Apollo. 


JOHN  BENJAMIN,  an  efficient  iron-worker 
^  and  well-informed  citizen  of  Apollo,  is  the 
eldest  son  of  William  and  jMartha  (Rivens) 
Benjamin,  and  was  born  in  Monmouthshire,  in 
the  south  of  England,  February  22,  1844. 
His  grandfather,  William  Benjamin,  Sr.,  was 
an  iron-worker  in  England.  One  of  his  sons 
was  William  Benjamin  (father),  a  rail-jointer  by 
trade.  He  died  in  1850,  when  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  but  six  years  of  age.  He  mar- 
ried Martha  Rivens,  who  came  to  the  United 
States  after  her  husband's  death,  remained  here 
but  a  short  time  and  then  returned  to  England, 
where  she  died  in  the  spring  of  1882,  when  in 
her  eighty-sixth  year. 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


389 


John  Benjamin  had  but  little  opportunity  to 
acquire  any  education  whatever,  for  soon  after 
the  time  of  his  fatiier's  death  the  duty  of  earn- 
ing and  paying  the  rent  of  the  family  devolved 
upon  him,  as  he  was  the  eldest  child,  a  task  by 
no  means  light  for  a  boy.  In  1  867  he  came  to 
Northumberland  county,  Pa.,  where  for  the 
three  succeeding  years  lie  followed  the  trade  of 
puddler.  He  then  removed  to  Leechburg,  and 
was  a  puddlcr  in  the  first  heat  made  in  the 
rolling-mill  there  by  natural  gas.  In  187(3  he 
went  to  Tennessee  to  follow  his  trade,  where  he 
remained  a  short  time.  He  then  removed  to 
Apollo,  wliere  he  lias  been  in  the  employ  of  the 
Apollo  Iron  &  Steel  company  for  thirteen 
years.  He  is  a  practical  workman,  capable  of 
taking  part  in  any  branch  of  the  iron  industry 
and  holds  tiie  highest  recommendation  from 
Blauaven  Iron  company,  McElroy,  I>aiifman  & 
Co.,  as  well  as  from  the  firm  of  Van  Allen  & 
Co.,  for  whom  he  worked  in  England. 

He  was  married  in  England,  on  Marcli  23, 
1864,  to  Mary  Ann  Watkins,  daughter  of 
James  Watkins,  a  miner  still  living  in  the 
south  of  England.  They  have  had  nine  j 
children,  seven  of  whom  are  living:  William 
J.,  born  in  1865,  a  music  dealer  at  Apollo; 
Sarah,  wife  of  Hubert.  Lewis;  Florence  Maud, 
Joiin  Henry,  David  Thomas,  George  Roberts 
and  Martha  Washington. 

In  politics  Mr.  Benjamin  follows  no  party 
lines,  but  uses  his  own  judgment  in  regard  to 
the  reliability  of  tlie  candidates,  and  votes  for 
the  one  he  considers  most  trustworthy.  He  has 
been  strictly  temperate  since  boyhood,  when  he 
was  often  ridiculed  for  sending  back  the  beer 
that  was  furnished  with  his  dinner.  To  his 
temperate  habits  he  attributes  the  fact  that  he  is 
still  a  vigorous  man,  who  for  forty-four  years 
has  never  lost  an  hour's  work  from  sickness. 
He  is  a  trustee  in  the  Baptist  church,  of  which 
he  and  his  wife  are  esteemed  members.  With 
all  the  odds  against  him,  John  Benjamin  has 
fought    his    way    from    e-xtreme  poverty    to   a 


competency,  and  an  honorable  position  in  the 
ranks  of  the  skilled  mechanics  and  the  useful 
citizens  of  his  town. 


TAMES  HUTCHINSON  CHAMBERS,  a 

^  union  officer  of  the  late  war,  e-x:-register  and 
recorder  and  ex-slicrifT  of  Armstrong  county, 
and  manager  of  the  leading  hotel  of  Apollo,  is 
a  son  of  Capt.  John  B.  and  Martha  (Guthrie) 
Chambers,  and  was  born  in  Allegheny  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  21, 
1838.  His  great-grandfather,  James  Cham- 
bers, was  born  about  1748  in  Ireland  and  set- 
tled at  Chambersburg,  Pa.,  where  he  married  a 
Miss  Hutchinson,  by  whom  he  had  two 
children  :  William  (grandfather),  and  Jane,  who 
married  Judge  Bovard,  of  Butler  county.  Pa. 
After  his  marriage  he  removetl  to  (near  Apollo) 
Washington  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
where  he  died  in  1848,  aged  one  hundred 
years.  He  took  up  seven  hundred  acres  of 
land,  was  captured  by  Indians  once  and  kept 
prisoner  on  an  island  in  Lake  Erie  until  the 
close  of  that  Indian  war.  After  this  the  In- 
dians once  stole  his  hor.ses,  but  his  stentorian 
cries  brought  the  soldiers  from  the  block-hou.se 
two  miles  away  and  they  recovered  the  hor.ses. 
His  son,  William  Chambers,  was  born  in  1777 
and  died  in  1851.  He  married  Fannie  Bovard, 
who  was  born  in  1787  and  passed  away  in  1864. 
Eight  children  were  the  issue  of  their  union : 
James,  Capt.  John  B.,  William,  George  H., 
Mary,  Jane,  Margaret  and  Nancy.  Of  these 
William  is  .still  living.  Capt.  John  B.  Cham- 
bers (father)  was  born  June  13,  1813.  He  fol- 
lowed farming  until  Aj)ril  1,  1845,  when  he 
moved  to  Apollo,  Armstrong  county.  Pa., 
where  he  built  the  "Apollo  Packet,"  a  boat 
which  ran  between  Apollo  and  Pittsburgh,  on 
the  Pennsylvania  canal.  He  was  passenger 
and  freight  agent  at  Apollo  for  eighteen  years 
and  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  from 
1849  to  his  death,  October  21,  1886.     On  May 


390 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


29,  1871,  when  the  "Apollo  Savings  Bank" 
was  organized,  he  was  elected  president  of  that 
institution  and  was  annually  re-elected  as  long 
as  he  lived.  He  was  a  member  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  church  of  Apollo  and  contributed 
generously  of  his  means  to  the  erection  of 
churches  of  all  denominations.  He  was  a  man 
of  sterling  moral  character  and  was  universally 
esteemed.  His  various  business  enterprises 
were  well  managed  and  the  people  ever  had 
confidence  in  his  judgment  and  sagacity.  He 
was  a  public-spirited  citizen  as  well  as  a  suc- 
cessful and  honorable  business  man,  and  his 
memory  will  be  long  held  in  kind  remembrance 
l)y  the  citizens  of  Apollo.  On  May  6,  1837, 
he  married  Martha  Guthrie,  a  daughter  of  Wil.- 
liara  and  Mary  (Hill)  Guthrie,  and  who  was 
born  in  Salem  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
August  27,  1811.  Her  fother,  William  Guth- 
rie, was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent  and  was  a  son 
of  John  Guthrie,  who  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers  on  Beaver  run,  near  Delmont.  The  off- 
spring of  the  marriage  of  John  B.  and  Martha 
Chambers  were  four  children  :  James  H.,  Sam- 
uel H.,  born  June  14,  1840,  died  February  24, 
1889;  William  G.,  born  December  15,  1842, 
and  Mary  Jane,  born  January  20,  1844,  now 
intermarried  with  D.  A.  Heck,  of  Butler,  Pa. 

James  Hutchinson  Chambers  spent  much  of 
*his  early  life  in  his  father's  store.  He  attended 
the  common  schools,  completed  his  academic 
course  at  Saltsburg  academy,  and  taught  two 
terms  in  the  schools  of  his  native  county.  In 
1858  he  went  to  Missouri,  where  he  found  abet- 
ter field  for  teaching  than  then  existed  in  Penn- 
sylvania. He  taught  until  1861,  when  he 
returned  home  and  enlisted  as  sergeant  in  Co. 
C,  103d  rcg..  Pa.  Vols.  He  participated  in  all 
of  the  battles  of  the  Peninsula  under  McCIel- 
lan,  was  then  transfened  to  North  Carolina, 
where  he  took  part  in  the  engagements  of 
Kingston,  White  Hall,  Goldsboro'  and  Plym- 
outh. At  the  last-named  battle  he  was 
wounded  and  taken  prisoner  with  Co.  F,  to 


which  he  had  been  transferred.  He  was  con- 
fined in  the  Confederate  prisons  at  Macon,  Ga., 
Charleston,  S.  C,  where  he  was  placed  under 
the  fire  of  the  Union  batteries,  and  Charlotte, 
N.  C.  On  March  1,  1865,  he  was  paroled  for 
exchange,  and  was  honorably  discharged  from 
the  service  at  Annapolis,  Md.,  after  serving  six 
months  beyond  his  time  of  enlistment.  He 
was  color-bearer  of  his  regiment  until  1863, 
when  he  was  commissioned  sergeant-major. 
On  May  20,  1863,  he  was  promoted  to  second 
lieutenant  of  Co.  F,  and  July  4,  for  meritorious 
bravery,  was  promoted  to  first  lieutenant. 
After  the  war  he  engaged  in  mercantile  business 
for  two  years.  From  1869  to  1870  he  was  in 
the  oil  business,  then  embarked  again  in  mer- 
chandising at  Apollo,  which  he  quit  in  1875  to 
become  register  and  recorder  of  Armstrong 
county.  After  serving  two  terms  he  was  elect- 
ed sheriff  in  1883.  In  1886  he  became  cashier 
of  Dubois  (Pa.)  Deposit  bank  and  served  until 
1887.  In  1889  he,  with  several  others,  pro- 
jected the  Chambers  House  at  Apollo,  which 
was  opened  on  February  6,  1890.  This  ele- 
gant hotel  is  situated  on  the  corner  of  First 
street  and  Warren  avenue,  in  the  very  business 
center  of  the  town.  It  is  a  fine  brick  structure 
of  modern  style  and  finish.  Internally  its 
arrangements  are  up  to  the  highest  standard  of 
comfort  and  elegance.  It  is  heated  throughout 
by  natural  gas  and  has  water  and  electrical  bells 
on  every  floor. 

May  28,  1867,  he  marrietl  Kate  R.  Brenner, 
who  was  born  near  Jacksonville,  this  county, 
December  15,  1847,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
George  and  Elizabeth  (Mahatiey)  Brenner;  the 
former  born  December  13,  1813,  and  a  son  of 
Michael  Brenner,  of  York  county.  Pa.,  and 
the  latter  born  June  25,  1812,  and  a  daughter 
of  Joseph  Mahaffey,  of  this  county.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Chambers  have  one  child:  Edith  McCrum, 
who  was  born  October  5,  1869. 

James  H.  Chambers  resides  on  the  old  home- 
stead and  employs  the  most  of  his  time  in  the 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


391 


management  of  his  different  business  enter- 
prises. He  is  a  presbyterian,  a  decided  repub- 
lican and  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
and  the  Masonic  fraternity. 


MICHAEL  HERMOND  COCHRAN  is 
editor  of  the  Apollo  Herald.  He  was 
born  in  South  Bend  township,  Armstrong  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  October  24,  1859,  and  is  a 
son  of  Robert  Scott  and  Mary  (Hart)  Cochran. 
The  Cochrans  were  among  the  early  settlers  of 
Apollo,  and  Judge  Miciiael  Cochran,  the  grand- 
father of  Michael  H.  Cochran,  was  born  May  10, 
1810,  at  Crawford's  mills,  Westmoreland  coun- 
ty, Pa.,  where  his  father  followed  the  occupa- 
tion of  milling.  His  mother's  maiden-name 
was  Catherine  Risher.  He  was  bound  out  at 
four  yeai-s  of  age  to  a  man  named  McKissic, 
with  whom  lie  remained  for  several  years.  At 
nineteen  years  of  age  he  learned  the  trade  of 
blacksmith,  which  he  followed  at  Apollo  for 
several  years,  during  which  time  he  was  elected 
and  served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace.  In  April, 
1846,  he  removed  to  Cochran's  Mills,  where 
the  present  post-office  was  established  under 
that  name  in  1855.  Here  he  built  a  mill  and 
followed  successfully  his  father's  occupation. 
He  also  established  a  store  which  he  conducted. 
About  1855  he  was  elected  as  an  associate  judge 
of  Armstrong  county  for  a  term  of  five  years ; 
one  other  associate  and  the  president  judge  con- 
stituting the  county  judiciary  at  that  time. 

Prior  to  1846  he  married  Catherine  Murphy, 
who  died  in  1857.  In  1858  he  married  Mrs. 
Mary  Jane  Cummings,  who  bore  him  five  chil- 
dren, of  whom  one,  Elizabeth  Jane  Cochran, 
has  since  become  famous  as  a  writer  and  made 
the  trip  around  the  world  in  seventy-two  days. 
By  his  first  marriage  Judge  Cochran  had  nine 
children,  of  whom  one  was  Robert  Scott  Coch- 
ran, the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
who  has  been  a  prominent  and  influential  man 


in  the  county  for  many  years.  He  has  been 
identified  for  several  years  with  the  firm  of 
Cochran  &  McGIauglin  in  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness at  Apollo. 

Michael  H.  Cochran  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Apollo  and  Indiana 
(Pa.)  Normal  school.  Leaving  school  in  1878, 
he  was  engagetl  in  teaching  until  1882.  He 
taught  one  term  in  Madison  township,  two  terms 
at  Apollo,  and  in  1881  was  elected  as  a  teacher 
.  in  the  public  schools  of  Johnstown,  where,  after 
I  teaching  one  term,  he  declined  a  re-election  and 
went  to  Pittsburgh  where  he  was  occupied  for 
two  years  in  several  capacities,  and  at  one  time 
during  this  period  did  some  newspaper  work. 
He  then  returned  to  Johnstown  and  became  a 
teacher  in  the  Conemaugh  scliool.  The  next  year 
(1886)  he  was  elected  teacher  in  the  Johnstown 
schools,  which  position  he  resigned  to  become  a 
newspaper  man.  He  purchased  the  Apollo 
Herald  September  3,  1886,  and  has  successfully 
edited  it  ever  since.  It  is  a  weekly  eight-page 
independent  paper,  issued  every  Saturday  at 
$1.50  per  annum  and  devoted  to  general  news  of 
importance,  and  the  latest  local  news  of  the 
near  county.  It  has  a  remarkably  wide  circu- 
lation, and  is  regarded  by  advertisers  as  a  valu- 
able medium  of  reaching  the  reading  public. 
At  no  distant  day  in  the  future,  Mr.  Cochran, 
who  has  been  greatly  encouraged  by  his  success- 
ful efforts  with  a  weekly  sheet,  will  i.ssue  a  daily 
paper  to  meet  the  wants  of  his  progressive  and 
live  town. 

June  13,  1889,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Minnie  McGeary,  daughter  of  John  McGeary, 
of  Apollo.  Their  union  has  been  blest  with 
one  child,  a  daughter,  named  Gladys  C.  Coch- 
ran, who  was  born  June  19,  1890. 

In  politics  Mr.  Cochran  is  a  republican.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
of  Apollo,  Darling  Council,  No.  250,  Jr.  O.  U. 
A.  M.,  Fraternal  Mystic  Circle  and  the  Order 
of  Solon.  Through  the  Herald  he  has  labored 
long,  faithfully  and  successfully  for  the  progress 


392 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


and  prosperity  of  Apollo,  having  written  and 
pushed  several  petitions  which  have  resulted  in 
permanent  improvements,  a  notal>le  one  be- 
ing the  opening  of  Warren  avenue  extension 
from  First  to  South  Fifth  street,  which  was 
formerly  an  alley  ;  another  improvement  being 
the  re-naming  of  the  streets  with  a  local  nomen- 
clature, and  the  numbering  of  the  houses  ac- 
cording to  a  scheme  suggested  and  pushed 
through  the  council  by  him. 


JOHN  Q.  COCHRANE.  A  man  of  widely 
varied  and  unusually  successful  business 
experience  is  John  Q.  Cochrane,  justice  of  the 
peace  and  principal  of  the  public  schools  of 
Apollo.  He  is  a  son  of  William  and  Mary  S. 
(Quigley)  Cochrane,  and  was  born  near  Kittan- 
ning,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  July  6, 
1849.  The  trans-Atlantic  home  of  the  Coch- 
rane family  was  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  from 
which  they  came  to  eastern  Penn.sylvania  near 
two  centui-ies  ago.  William  Cochrane,  the 
great-grandfather  of  John  Q.  Cochrane,  came  to 
what  is  now  Armstrong  county,  where  his  son, 
James  L.  Cochrane  (grandfather)  was  born  in 
1787.  James  L.  Cochrane  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  a  democrat  in  politics  and  a  presby- 
terian  in  religious  faith.  He  built  "  Ore  Hill  " 
furnace,  which  lie  operated  for  some  time  pre- 
vious to  selling  it  to  a  company.  He  was  a 
man  above  medium  height,  lield  various  town- 
ship offices  and  married  a  Miss  Gibson,  of  near 
Kittanning,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children. 
The  oldest  sou  and  child  was  William  Cochrane 
(father),  who  was  born  February  14,  1813,  in 
what  is  now  Boggs  township,  where  he  followed 
farming  and  teaching,  and  where  he  died  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1876.  The  war  issues  of  1861  changed 
him  to  a  republican  in  politics,  while  in  religion 
he  was  a  united  presbyterian,  and  served  for 
years  as  elder  in  one  of  the  churches  of  that  de- 
nomination. He  was  an  unassuming  man,  who 
acquired  considerable  property,  served  continu- 


ously as  school  director  and  in  other  township 
offices,  and  had  the  good-will  of  his  neighbors. 
He  married  Mary  S.  Quigley,  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Quigley,  of  this  county.  They  had 
eleven  children,  of  whom  eight  are  living. 

John  Q.  Cochrane  attended  the  common 
scliools  and  Dayton  academy,  after  which  he 
taught  a  few  months  and  then  jjursued  a  course 
of  study  at  Ann  Arbor  university,  Michigan. 
In  addition  to  his  literary  studies  there  he  also 
entered  the  law  department,  in  which  he  re- 
mained for  one  year.  At  the  end  of  this  time 
he  entered  the  law  office  of  M.  G.  McCaslin,  of 
Butler,  Pa.,  where  he  completed  the  required 
course  of  legal  study,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  that  place  in  1874.  After  admission,  he 
practiced  law  for  two  years  at  Millerstown  and 
at  Butler,  Pa.,  for  one  year.  He  then  went  to 
Pittsburgh,  where  he  became  a  partner  for  one 
year  with  Webster  Street  in  the  law  business. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  went  to  Parkersburg, 
W.  Va.,  where  he  spent  two  years  as  an  oil-well 
contractor  and  oil  producer.  He  was  then  engaged 
for  one  year  as  a  traveling  salesman  of  heavy 
oils  for  the  Commercial  Oil  company,  of  Park- 
ersburg. Leaving  their  employ,  he  became 
manager  of  the  celebrated  Brush  Electric  Light 
company,  of  Pittsburgh.  Six  months  later  (fall 
of  1882)  he  accepted  the  priucipalship  of  the 
public  schools  of  West  Monterey,  Pa.  In  1884 
he  was  elected  to  the  priucipalship  of  the  Apollo 
public  schools,  which  position  he  has  held  until 
the  present  time.  He  is  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Cochrane  Bros.,  railroad  and  steamship  ticket 
agents.  This  agency  represents  the  leading 
railways  and  principal  steamship  lines. 

He  united  in  marriage,  on  Nov.  7th,  1875, 
with  Lizzie  Roup,  daughter  of  Francis  Roup, 
of  Kittanning.  Their  union  has  been  blessed 
with  two  children :  Earle  and  Alexander,  aged 
respectively  thirteen  and  eleven  years. 

John  Q.  Cochrane  is  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church.  He  has  always  been  a  repub- 
lican, and  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  in 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


393 


1887,  for  the  borough  of  Apollo.  As  a  school 
principal  he  has  been  very  successful,  while  his 
extensive  business  experience  and  his  fine  knowl- 
edge of  the  law  has  enabled  him  to  make  a 
splendid  record  as  a  justice  of  the  peace. 


pAPTAIN   THOMAS    A.   COCHRAN,   a 

^  leading  druggist  of  Apollo  and  a  man  of 
business  ability  and  experience,  is  one  of  the 
surviving  officers  of  the  old  103d  regiment  of 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  He  is  a  son  of  John 
and  Isabella  (McKee)  Ccx'hran,  and  was  born 
in  Kiskiminetas  township,  Armstrong  county, 
Pennsylvania,  July  27,  1837.  His  paternal 
grandfather  Cochran,  was  a  native  of  Scotland, 
and  settled  in  Westmoreland  county,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  farming  and  milling  until  his 
death,  in  1812.  His  eldest  son  was  John  Cochran 
(father),  who  was  born  Decemi)er  15,  1802,  and 
died  at  Apollo,  May  19,  1884.  When  he  was 
ten  years  of  age  his  father  died  and  he  became 
the  main  support  of  his  mother  and  his  younger 
brothers  and  sisters.  He  helped  to  clear  the 
site  of  Apollo  and  afterwards  purchased  a  farm 
five  miles  east  of  that  then  small  place.  He 
was  a  whig  and  afterwards  a  republican,  and 
served  as  constable  of  his  township,  besides  hold- 
ing other  local  offices.  A  methodist  in  early 
life,  he  afterwards  became  a  presbyterian.  A 
man  of  pleasant  manners,  he  was  scrupulously 
honest  and  very  popular.  He  married  Isabella 
McKee,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  McKee, 
and  only  survived  her  husband  one  year.  They 
were  the  parents  of  ten  children  :  Silas,  Joseph, 
John  G., Keziah,  married  to  D.  Hill;  Margaret, 
married  to  Joseph  Spang  ;  William  M.,  Thomas 
A.,  W.  S.,  James  H.,  and  K.  D.  Of  these 
children  but  two  are  living,  William  M.  and 
Thomas  A.  W.  S.  was  sergeant  in  and  Thomas 
A.  was  captain  of  Co.  C,  103d  regiment.  Pa. 
Vols.  James  H.  belonged  to  the  139tli  regi- 
ment, Pa.  Vols,,  and  was  killed  in  one  of  the 
Wilderness   fights,   while   K.   D.,  who   was   a 


member  of  the  same  regiment,  became  sick  and 
was  sent  home  and  died  of  disease  contracted  in 
service.  Thus,  of  the  four  sons  from  this  family 
that  went  to  the  front  in  1861,  but  two  only 
came  back. 

Thomas  A.  Cochran  attended  the  common 
schools  of  Kiskiminetas  tovvn.ship  and  Leech- 
burg  academy.  In  1858  he  entered  Duff''s  Com- 
mercial college,  of  Pittsburg,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  the  same  year.  He  then  studied  den- 
tistry and  returned  to  Apollo,  where  he  taught 
school  and  practiced  dentistry  for  some  time. 
Just  before  the  commencement  of  the  late  war 
he  went  to  Missouri  as  a  favorable  field  for 
dental  work  and  teaching.  The  war  deranged 
all  business  in  that  State,  and  after  serving  a  few 
weeks  in  a  citizens'  guard,  he  returned  to 
Pennsylvania,  where,  on  September  16,  1861, 
he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Co.  C,  10.3d  regiment, 
Pa.  Vols.  He  was  soon  promoted  to  sergeant, 
became  second  lieutenant  July  18,  1862,  was 
promoted  to  first  lieutenant  January  14,  1863, 
was  commissioned  captain  July  11.  1863,  and 
commanded  his  company  until  it  was  mustered 
out  of  the  service  June  25,  1865.  The  103d 
regiment  bore  up  well  at  Fair  Oaks,  on  the 
Peninsula,  was  highly  complimented  by  Gen. 
Foster  for  their  fighting  qualities  in  North  Caro- 
lina, where  all  of  the  companies  were  taken 
prisoner,  except  Capt.  Cochran's  company  (C)^ 
which  was  absent  from  the  regiment  at  that  time, 
at  Roanoke  island.  Capt.  Cochran  was  now 
placed  in  command  of  his  own  company,  the 
other  soldiers  of  his  regiment  who  had  been  ab- 
sent on  furlough  and  in  the  hospital  and  three 
newly-recruited  companies.  He  held  this  com- 
mand until  the  men  were  mustered  out,  and  in 
addition  to  this  position  he  was  given  charge  of 
an  important  fort  and  had  the  muster  and  pay- 
rolls of  his  regiment  to  make  out  from  April 
20,  1864.  After  the  war  he  was  engaged  in 
the  dry -goods  business  for  several  years.  In 
1868  he  opened  his  present  drug  house  on 
First   street,   Apollo.     He   carries  a   full  and 


394 


BIOOBAPHIES  OF 


well-selected  stock  of  drugs,  proprietary  medi- 
cines and  toilet  articles  and  enjoys  a  good  trade. 

November  2, 1865,  Capt.  Cochran  united  in 
marriage  with  Martha  M.  Jackson,  daughter  of 
John  Jackson  and  sister  to  Gen.  S.  M.  Jackson, 
of  Apollo  (whose  sketch  appears  in  this  volume)- 
They  have  nine  children  :  Stella  M.,  wife  of  C. 
W.  Bollinger;  A.  Bright,  who  is  in  the  drug 
business  with  his  father ;  Lizzie  B.,  Effie  T., 
Annie  M.,  Margaretta  K.,  Frank  W.,  T.  Clyde^ 
and  James  H.  Chambers  Cochran. 

Capt.  Cochran  is  a  republican  and  frequently 
is  a  delegate  to  conventions  of  his  party.  He  is 
a  member  of  Apollo  Council,  No.  168,  Royal 
Arcanum,  Kiskirainetas  Lodge,  No.  1993, 
Knights  of  Honor,  Encampment  No.  1,  Union 
Veteran  Legion,  and  Chas.  Whitworth  Post,  No. 
89,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  has  been 
an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church  for  several 
years,  and  is  a  man  of  sound  judgment  and  cor- 
rect business  principles.  He  is  active  in  church 
work,  is  conscientious  and  zealous  in  whatever 
he  undertakes,  and  by  honesty,  energy  and  in- 
dustry has  always  sought  to  win  success. 


WJ.  ELWOOD.  The  name  of  Elwood 
•  has  been  as.sociated  with  Apollo  since 
its  first  settlement.  William  Elwood,  the 
grandfather  of  W.  J.  Elwood,  settled  on  Tur- 
tle creek,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  in  the 
year  1783.  His  son  John  came  to  Apollo, 
or,  as  it  was  then  known,  Warren,  in  1831, 
where  he  was  married  to  Mary  Patterson,  of 
Washington  county,  and  where  they  resided 
until  his  death,  in  1872.  They  had  born  to 
them  four  sons,  one  of  wliom,  B.  F.,  died  when 
quite  young.  W.  J.,  R.  D.,  and  T.  J.  are  still 
living.  Their  names  were  identified  with  the 
M.  E.  church,  in  which  they  were  active  and 
useful  members.  In  politics  John  Elwood  was 
a  whig,  but  early  took  sides  with  the  Abolition 
party,  casting  the  first  abolition  ticket  ever 
voted  in  Apollo.     By  occupation  he  was  a  cab- 


inet-maker, also  contractor  and  builder.  He 
was  an  active  citizen  and  interested  in  all  the 
moral  enterprises  of  his  day.  Of  his  three 
sons  now  living,  R.  D.  served  through  the  war 
as  captain  in  the  78th  regiment.  Pa.  Vols.  At 
the  close  of  the  war  the  three  brothers  associ- 
ated in  the  mercantile  and  manufacturing  busi- 
ness under  the  firm-name  of  Elwood  Bros., 
which  firm  was  dissolved  in  1873,  W.  J.  re- 
maining in  Apollo,  R.  D.  removing  to  Pitts- 
burgh, where  he  is  now  engaged  in  busine.ss, 
and  T.  J.  to  Leech  burg,  where  he  still  resides. 

W.  J.  Elwood,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  born  in  1835.  His  occupation  was  that  of 
a  carpenter  until  his  connection  with  his  bro- 
thers in  business.  On  the  dissolution  of  the 
co-partnership  he  established  a  business  of  his 
own,  which,  by  careful  attention  and  good  bus- 
iness qualifications,  has  been  highly  successful. 
He  is  a  respected  member  of  the  M.  E.  church 
as  well  as  an  active  and  esteemed  citizen. 

On  January  16,  186-,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Margaret,  daughter  of  James 
McCauley,  living  near  Apollo.  His  family 
consists  of  .seven  sons  and  three  daughters:  R. 
D.,  who  is  in  business  with  his  father;  Min- 
erva, a  teacher ;  John  S.,  a  bookkeeper  in  the 
Apollo  Rolling-mill ;  James  McCauley,  a  stu- 
dent at  Elder's  Ridge  academy ;  Elizabeth, 
Belle,  William  F.,  Rus.sell,  Charles  and  Wal- 
ter F. 

Politically,  W.  J.  Elwood  is  a  republican, 
and  keeps  himself  well  informed  on  political 
affairs.  He  has  been  closely  identified  with  the 
trade  and  prosperity  of  his  town  for  over  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  and  is  always  interested 
in  any  enterprise  calculated  to  promote  the 
growth  and  prosperity  of  Apollo. 


JOHN  M.  FISCUS,  one  of  Grant's  veterans 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  an  ex- 
perienced iron-worker  and  popular  republican 
of  Apollo,  was  born  on  the  Fiscus  homestead 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


395 


farm,  in  Valley  tuwuship,  Armstrong  county, 
Pennsylvania,  December  11,  1841,  and  is  a  son 
of  Abraham  and  Elizabeth  (Martin)  Fiscus. 
Christopher  Fiscus,  from  v/hich  the  Armstrong 
county  family  of  that  name  is  descended,  was  a 
native  of  France,  and  emigrated  from  that 
country  to  the  United  States  during  the  latter 
half  of  the  eighteenth  ceutui-y.  He  followed 
farming  in  Westmoreland  and  Armstrong  coun- 
ties for  many  years.  He  owned  six  hundred 
acres  of  land  in  this  county,  was  a  thorough- 
going man  and  a  successful  farmer,  married 
and  reared  a  family  of  several  sons  and  daugh- 
ters. One  of  the  sons  was  Abraham  Fiscus, 
the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  who 
was  born  in  what  is  now  Burrell  township  in 
1791,  and  died  in  1853,  at  sixty-nine  years  of 
age. 

He  was  a  farmer,  who  took  commendable 
pride  in  always  having  his  farm  neat  and  clean. 
Just,  generous  and  sympathetic,  he  was  popular 
in  his  community,  where  he  was  often  consulted 
by  his  neighbors  on  business  aifairs.  He  was 
a  lutheran  in  religious  faith,  a  republican  in 
politics  and  served  as  one  of  the  first  officers  of 
Valley  township,  when  it  was  organized,  in 
1835.  He  was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812, 
serving  under  Gen.  William  Henry  Harrison. 
He  was  twice  married;  his  first  wife  was  a  Miss 
Ourie,  who  bore  him  seven  children,  of  whom 
six  are  living.  After  her  death  he  married 
Elizabeth  Martin,  who  was  a  daughter  of 
John  Martin,  of  Allegheny  township,  and  died 
in  1853,  aged  seventy -seven  years.  By  his  second 
marriage  he  had  eight  children  :  Sarah  J., 
Sidney,  Elizabeth,  John  M.,  William,  Harry, 
Hugh  and  Amanda. 

John  M.  Fiscus  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
received  his  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  township.  Leaving  school,  he 
worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  the  late  war 
commenced.  On  September  3,  1861,  he  en- 
listed in  Co.  K,  78th  regiment.  Pa.  Vols.,  and 
served  until  March,  1863,  when  he  was  dis- 
24 


charged  on  account  of  disability  from  a  severe 
spell  of  sickness.  As  soon  as  his  health  was 
sufficiently  recruited  (September  3,  1864),  he 
enlisted  in  Co.  H,  5th  regiment.  Pa.  Vols.,  was 
promoted  to  sergeant  and  .served  until  June  30, 
1865,  when  his  company  was  discharged.  He 
performed  cheerfully  whatever  duty  was  re- 
quired of  him  as  a  soldier  and  as  an  officer. 
While  in  the  last  company,  which  was  known 
as  Battery  H,  Heavy  Artillery,  he  served  in 
front  of  Washington,  at  Manassas  and  on  the 
Rapidan.  When  the  war  was  ended  he  came 
to  Apollo,  where,  on  August  3, 1865,  he  engaged 
as  a  common  laborer,  at  one  dollar  and  twenty- 
five  cents  per  day,  in  the  old  sheet-iron  mill. 
After  some  time  he  secured  the  position  of 
heater,  which  he  held  until  1874,  when  he 
went  to  Pittsburgh,  where  he  became  a  sheet- 
roller  in  the  rolling-mill  of  Moorehead,  Mc- 
Clean  &  Co.  In  June,  1887,  he  returned  to 
Apollo,  and  two  months  afterwards  was  em- 
ployed as  a  sheet-roller  in  the  Apollo  rolling- 
mill,  which  position  he  still  holds. 

On  July  26,  1863,  he  was  married  to  Annie 
M.  Stiveson,  daughter  of  William  Stiveson. 
Their  children  are  :  Liifflie  C,  wife  of  M.  E. 
Haddock ;  William  S.,  married  Minnie  Shoe- 
maker, and  is  a  sheet-roller  in  the  Apollo  roll- 
ing-mill ;  Lolla  M.,  Hugh  W.,  a  heater ;  and 
Logan  T.,  now  learning  the  trade  of  sheet- 
roller. 

John  M.  Fiscus  is  a  member  of  Mineral 
Point  Lodge,  No.  615,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Apollo 
Council,  No.  168,  Royal  Arcanum,  and  George 
G.  McMurtrie  Command,  No.  14,  U.  V.  U., 
which  he  organized  at  Apollo,  March  1st, 
1888.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Amalga- 
mated Association  of  Iron  and  Steel  workers. 
John  M.  Fiscus  is  a  prominent  republican,  and 
an  active  worker  in  his  party.  He  is  a  high 
tariff  advocate,  and  believes  that  the  success  of 
''protection"  principles  means  good  wages, 
sound  prosperity  and  the  highest  possible  devel- 
opment of  home  industries. 


396 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


JACOB  FREETLY  is  a  resident  of  Apollo 
borough,  ArmstroDg  county,  Pa.  He  was 
born  in  Lancaster  county  on  the  8th  day  of 
July,  A.D.  1816.  His  father,  John  Freetly,  was 
of  German  descent,  and  his  mother,  Mary 
(Logan)  Freetly,  was  of  Irish  parentage.  They 
had  eight  children,  two  sons  and  six  daughters. 
John  Freetly,  the  eldest  son,  was  educated  at 
the  Western  university,  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  and 
studied  divinity  at  the  Theological  seminary, 
Allegheny,  Pa.  He  was  pastor  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church,  Henderson  county,  III.  He 
and  three  of  his  sisters  died  in  that  State,  the 
other  three  sisters  dying  in  Pennsylvania,  leav- 
ing Jacob  Freetly,  the  youngest  child,  the  only 
surviving  member  of  the  family.  His  mother 
died  when  he  was  two,  and  his  father  when  he 
was  four  years  of  age,  leaving  him  to  the  care 
of  an  elder  sister,  with  whom  he  remained  until 
he  was  eight  years  of  age.  He  was  then  taken 
by  a  family  by  the  name  of  Reed,  with  whom 
he  remained  ten  years,  during  which  time  he 
worked  on  the  farm  for  his  board  and  clothing. 
After  leaving  John  Reed,  who  at  that  time 
resided  in  York  county,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Susquehanna  river,  he  labored  at  farm  work  in 
the  summer  and  attended  school  in  the  winter 
working  morning  and  evening  to  pay  his  board, 
until  he  acquired  suflScient  education  to  teach. 
After  saving  some  money  he  entered  the  West- 
ern university,  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  and  pursued  the 
study  of  the  higher  branches  under  Dr.  Brtice, 
then  president  of  that  institution,  and  minister 
of  the  Seceder  church  of  that  city.  He  read 
law  under  Hon.  Thomas  Mellon,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  practice  his  profession  in  1849. 

Jacob  Freetly  was  admitted  to  the  Armstrong 
county  Bar  in  1851,  and  is  still  engaged  in  the 
active  practice  of  his  chosen  profession.  He  was 
married  September  10,  1835,  to  Fanny  McKee 
Boggs,  daughter  of  David  and  Mary  Boggs, 
and  sister  of  Hon.  Jackson  Boggs,  who  was  for 
several  years  judge  of  the  courts  of  Armstrong 
county.     Jacob  Freetly  was  the  father  of  five 


children,  of  whom  John  and  Cyrus  died  in  in- 
fancy. Mary  Jane,  the  oldest  daughter,  was 
born  September  20,  1837,  and  was  educated 
principally  by  her  father.  She  is  an  active 
member  of  the  M.  E.  Church  at  Apollo.  She 
married  John  B.  Guthrie,  Esq.,  son  of  James 
Guthrie,  of  Apollo  borough,  and  an  attorney- 
at-law  by  profession.  To  them  were  born  two 
children:  Lauretta  A.,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Blairsville  Ladies'  seminary.  She  was  for  sev- 
eral years  engaged  in  the  profession  of  teaching. 
She  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church,  and 
actively  engaged  in  church  and  Sunday-school 
work.  Walter  J.  (see  sketch),  a  graduate  of 
Allegheny  college,  and  by  profession  an  attorney- 
at-law.  The  second  daughter,  Annie  E.,  was 
born  November  14,  1839,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.  She  is  married  to 
Samuel  Smith,  a  nailer  by  profession,  who  has 
acquired  considerable  pi'operty  and  a  comforta- 
ble and  respectable  home  and  position  at  Sharon, 
Mercer  county.  Pa.  They  have  one  daughter, 
Mamie  McKee.  She  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Sharon  high  .school,  and  for  several  years  has 
been  engaged  in  the  profession  of  teaching,  in 
which  she  has  achieved  more  than  ordinary  suc- 
cess. The  only  living  son,  David  Boggs 
Freetly,  was  born  October  31,  1843,  received 
a  good  school  education  ;  was  a  private  in  the 
139th  regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  Co. 
E,  under  Captain  Sample  and  Col.  Colure.  He 
is  now  engaged  in  the  production  of  oil  in  tlie 
Armstrong  county  oil  field.s,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Jacob  Freetly  is  one  of  the  oldest  members  of 
the  Armstrong  county  bar,  and  it  may  be  truly 
said  that  the  legal  profession  has  no  superior  in 
the  business  world.  In  every  county  in  the 
State  it  has  its  able  advocates,  and  Armstrong 
county  is  not  inferior  to  its  neighboring  coun- 
ties for  honest  and  intelligent  attorneys.  In 
politics  Mr.  Freetly  is  a  republican,  and  has 
served  as  burgess  and  poor  director  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  at  Apollo.     He  is  a  member  of  the 


X/U"^^/  /^-^^^^^^^^^^^-^"^ 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


399 


Presbyteriau  church.  In  his  field  of  profes- 
sional labor  he  has  been  a  quiet  but  active  and 
successful  practitioner  for  over  forty  years.  His 
life  recorded  is  one  of  activity  and  usefulness. 


REV.  JOHN  Q.  A.  FULLERTON,  pastor 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Apollo,  a 
popular  minister  of  education  aud  ability,  aud  a 
faithful  Union  ofiScer  of  the  late  war,  is  a  de- 
scendant of  the  distinguished  Fullerton  family 
of  eastern  Pennsylvania.  He  was  born  in  Al- 
legheny city,  Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania, 
April  25,  1845,  and  is  a  son  of  Humphrey  and 
Nancy  (Gormley)  Fullerton.  The  Fullertons 
are  of  Scotch-Irish  origin,  aud  have  been  au 
American  family,  by  residence,  for  nearly  two 
centuries.  The  family  has  produced,  both  in 
the  old  and  the  new  world,  many  men  who 
have  distinguished  themselves  in  civil  and  polit- 
ical life  and  in  the  learned  professions.  Rev. 
John  Q.  A.  Fullerton  is  a  lineal  descendant  in 
the  fourth  generation  from  Hon.  Humphrey 
Fullerton,  the  first  president  judge  of  Franklin 
county,  and  whose  graudfather  received  a  sword 
from  King  William,  for  his  courage  at  the  bat- 
tle of  the  Boyne,  and  whose  father  came  from 
Scotland  or  Ireland  to  Chester  county,  Pa.,  in 
1723.  Judge  Humphrey  Fullerton's  son,  Hon. 
David  Fullerton,  was  born  in  Lancaster  county 
in  1772,  received  a  fine  education,  removed  to 
Franklin  county,  where  he  was  successively  a 
farmer,  a  president  of  the  Greencastle  bank  and 
a  politician.  He  was  an  old-line  whig,  a  great 
admirer  of  Henry  Clay,  and  a  man  of  great 
firmness.  He  was  a  member  of  the  State  Sen- 
ate of  Pennsylvania  for  twelve  years  in  succes- 
sion. He  was  elected  a  representative  from 
Pennsylvania  to  the  Sixteenth  Congress,  in  which 
he  served  and  was  active  in  the  discussion  of 
the  Missouri  Compromise.  When  he  left  con- 
gress he  declined  a  renomination  aud  returned 
to  Greencastle,  where  he  died  February  1, 1843. 
His   son,  Humphrey  Fullerton,  was   born    in 


Franklin  county  in  1795,  and  died  in  Califor- 
nia in  1849.  He  received  a  good  education, 
but  preferred  a  business  pursuit  to  a  professional 
life  and  engaged  in  the  general  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  Pittsburgh,  which  he  followed  until  his 
death.  He  married  Nancy  Gormley,  who  was 
born  in  Allegheny  county  in  1811,  and  died  in 
Allegheny  city  in  1871.  Mrs.  Fullerton  was 
a  daughter  of  John  Gormley,  who  was  one  of 
the  early  business  men  of  Pittsburgh.  In  1803 
the  first  successful  iron  business  in  that  city,  the 
Pittsburgh  iron  foundry,  was  built  by  Joseph 
McClurg,  Joseph  Smith  and  John  Gormley,  on 
the  site  of  the  post-office  building,  corner  of 
Smithfield  street  and  Fifth  avenue.  At  that 
foundry  were  made,  in  1811-12,  the  first  can- 
non west  of  the  Allegheny  mountains,  and  the 
first  water-pipe,  and  the  first  rolls  were  also 
made  there.  James  Hartley,  a  workman  there, 
discovered  the  art  of  successfully  making  chilled 
rolls. 

On  both  sides  Rev.  John  Q.  A.  Fullerton  is 
of  pure  covenanter  descent  and  related  also  to 
all  the  ministers  of  his  name  who  are  connected 
with  the  Presbyterian  church  in  this  country. 
He  was  reared  in  Allegheny  city.  Pa.,  and 
Bucyrus,  Ohio.  After  completing  his  academic 
studies  in  1866,  he  entered  Princeton  college, 
from  which  time-honored  institution  he  was 
graduated  June  30,  1869.  With  a  view  to  en- 
tering the  Christian  ministry  he  left  college  to 
enter  upon  the  study  of  theology.  He  entered 
Princeton  Theological  seminary,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  April  29,  1873.  In  the  same 
year  he  became  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  at  Dillsburg,  York  county,  which  he 
served  until  1879,  when  he  accepted  a  call  from 
Curwensville,  Clearfield  county,  and  was  pastor 
of  that  church  for  six  yeare.  On  January  1, 
1885,  he  came  to  Apollo  and  assumed  charge  of 
the  Apollo  Presbyterian  church,  which  he  ha.s 
served  very  satisfactorily  and  most  successfully 
ever  since.  When  he  entered  upon  his  pastoral 
duties,  the  church  had   two  hundred  and  fifty 


400 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


members;  it  now  has  a  membei-ship  of  four 
hundred.  lu  addition  to  the  charge  of  this 
church,  he  serves  Spring  church,  five  miles  east 
of  Apollo,  and  under  his  charge  it  has  been 
steadily  prosperous. 

On  August  24,  1871,  he  united  in  marriage 
■with  Ella  Van  Doren,  of  Princeton,  New  Jer- 
sey. To  their  union  have  been  born  three 
children  :  Jessie  Quarrier,  Boyd  Van  Doren 
and  David  Humphrey. 

When  the  call  to  arms  was  sounded  in  1861, 
Rev.  Fullerton  was  in  Ohio,  where,  on  July  30, 
1861,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Co.  E,  .34th 
regiment,  Ohio  Infantry  (or  Piatt  Zouaves).  He 
was  immediately  elected  sergeant,  was  promoted 
to  second  lieutenant  October  10,  1862,  then  to 
first  lieutenant  INIarch  2,  1864,  when  he  was 
made  adjutant  of  the  regiment,  which  position 
he  held  until  September  14,  1864,  when  his 
term  of  enlistment  expired.  He  .served  in 
West  Virginia  for  some  time,  where  his  regi- 
ment encountered,  in  their  line  of  duty,  every 
conceivable  hardship  of  military  life.  He  was 
in  the  battles  of  Fayetteville,  Lynchburg  and 
Wytheville,  in  Hunter's  disastrous  raid  and 
many  other  lesser  engagements.  His  regiment 
was  then  transferred  to  the  Shenandoah  Valley 
and  fought  under  Sheridan.  He  escaped  un- 
hurt in  the  various  battles  in  which  he  was  en- 
gaged, except  Fayetteville,  where  he  was  struck 
in  the  wrist  by  a  rifle-ball.  He  is  a  member 
of  Charles  S.  "wiiitworth  Post,  No.  89,  G.  A. 
R.,  at  Apollo.  Rev.  Fullerton  is  an  active  and 
persistent  worker  in  his  important  field  for  the 
advancement  of  morality  and  Christianity,  and 
his  labors  have  been  blest  with  abundant  suc- 
cess. 


WALTER  J.  GUTHRIE,  ex-editor  of  the 
Apollo  Herald,  and  a  young  and  rising 
member  of  the  Armstrong  county  bar,  is  a  son 
of  Capt.  John  B.  and  Mary  J.  (Freetly)  Guth- 
rie, and  was  born  at  Apollo,  Armstrong  County, 


Pennsylvania,  September  9,  1863.  The  Guth- 
rie family  is  of  Scotch  origin.  The  great- 
grandparents  of  Walter  J.  Guthrie  were  Wil- 
liam and  Agues  (Dixon)  Guthrie,  who  were 
among    the    early    settlers    of    Westmoreland 

[  county.  They  settled  near  the  site  of  New 
Salem,  where  they  underwent  all  the  privations 

I  of  frontier  life  with  the  characteristic  endurance 

I  of  the  Scottish  race,  and  eventuallv  secured  for 
themselves  a  comfoilable  home.  One  of  their 
sons,  James  Guthrie  (grandfather),  was  born  in 
their  Westmoreland  home,  September  20,  1806. 
In  1833  he  came  to  Apollo,  where  he  died  in 
1882.  He  purchased  a  farm,  upon  which  a 
part  of  the  town  stands  to-day.     He  devoted 

;  his  life  to  business  pursuits,  in  which  he  was 
very  successful.  He  was  a  heavy  stockholder 
in  the  old  Warren  bridge,  was  a  strong  whig, 

:  and  served  as  justice  of  the  peace.  He  was  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  Apollo  M.  E.  church, 
and  married  a  Miss  Beatty,  who  died  in  a  few 
years,  and  left  one  child,  Capt.  John  B.  Guth- 
rie, father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Capt. 
John  B.  Guthrie  was  born  on  the  old  Guthrie 
homestead  farm  in  1835,  and  died  on  Septem- 
l)er  21,  1875.  He  received  a  very  good  edu- 
cation, read  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
of  Armstrong  county  in  1857.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  his  profession  until  the 
late  war,  when  he  raised  a  company  of  a  regi- 
ment of  Pa.   Vols.,    and    served    his    country 

\  faithfully. 

After  the  war  he  resumed  the  practice  of 
law;  but  his  health  became  impaired  and  inter- 
fered, to  a  great  extent,  with  his  practice.  He 
spent  several  winters  in  the  south,  and  made 
an  extended  trip  throughout  the  great  west  for 
the  benefit  of  his  health,  but  did  not  experience 
much  relief.  Shortly  after  Gen.  Hartranft's 
inauguration  as  governor'  of  Pennsylvania, 
Capt.  Guthrie  became  a  clerk  in  the  surveyor- 
general's  office,  and  served  as  such  for  two 
years.  Through  the  summer  of  1875  he  failed 
gradually,  and  during  the  autumn  days  (Sep- 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


401 


tember  21st)  passed  peacefully  into  the  great 
beyond.  He  was  a  republican,  a  Free  Mason 
and  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  Masonic 
lodge  at  Apollo.  He  had  been  for  many  years 
a  prominent  and  devoted  member  of  the  Apollo 
M.  E.  church,  of  whose  Sunday  school  lie  liad 
been  superintendent  for  several  years.  He  was 
an  exemplar)-  Christian,  a  kind  friend  to  those 
in  distress  and  a  conscientious  man  in  all  that 
he  did.  As  a  citizen,  as  a  lawyer  and  as  a  man, 
none  stood  hieher  iu  his  section  of  Armstrono; 
county  than  Capt.  John  B.  Guthrie.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  J.  Freetly,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  Freetly,  of  Apollo.  (See  his  sketch.) 
They  had  two  children  :  Laura  A.  and  Walter  J.  I 

Walter  J.  Guthrie  was  reared  at  Apollo.  He 
attended  the  public  schools  and  Blairsville 
academy,  and  iu  1880  entered  Allegheny  col- 
lege, Pa.,  from  which  institution  of  learning  he 
was  graduated  in  1884.  He  then  entered  the 
office  of  Joshua  Reynolds,  and  commenced  the 
study  of  law,  which  he  finishetl  with  his  grand- 
father, Jacob  Freetly,  of  Apollo.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Armstrong  county  bar  in  Sep- 
tember, 1887,  immediately  entered  upon  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Apollo,  and  since 
April  1,  1890,  has  been  a  member  of  the  law- 
firm  of  Freetly  &  Guthrie.  During  two  years 
of  the  time  in  which  he  was  pursuing  his  legal 
studies  he  was  editor  of  the  Apollo  HcrahJ. 
He  is  well  read  in  his  profession,  and  is  secu- 
ring a  good  practice. 

Mr.  Gutlirie  is  a  republican  in  politics.  He 
is  prominent  in  the  Masonic  fraternity,  with 
which  he  has  been  identified  for  several  years. 
He  is  a  member  of  Lodge  and  Chapter,  and 
Tancred  Commandery,  Knights  Templar,  of 
Pittsburgh. 


ARMAND  C.  ILiMMITT,  well-known  in 
social  circles  of  Apollo,  is  the  eldest  son  of 
Isaac  and  Hannah  (Co.k)  Hammitt,  and  was  born 
December  18,  1854,  in  McKeesport,  Allegheny 


county.  Pa.  His  grandfather,  Isaac  Hammitt, 
a  native  of  eastern  Pennsylvania,  was  a  sailor 
iu  his  youth,  afterwards  taking  up  boat-building 
as  an  occupation.  He  helped  to  build  the  vessels 
that  Commodore  Perry  commanded  in  his  fam- 
ous naval  victory  at  Put-In  Bay,  on  Lake  Erie. 
Later  in  life  he  moved  to  the  Monougahela  Val- 
ley, where  he  died.  His  son,  Isaac  Hammitt 
(father),  was  born  iu  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  fol- 
lowed the  same  occupation  as  his  father,  boat- 
building, having  learned  that  trade  in  Philadel- 
phia. He  worked  in  various  localities  betwean 
Pittsburgh  and  New  Orleans,  building  many 
steam-boats,  some  of  which  are  still  plying  up 
and  down  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio  rivers.  Be- 
ing a  good  draughtman,  he  drew  the  plans  for, 
and  superintended  the  building  of  two  gun- 
boats for  the  Federal  government  during  the 
great  Rebellion.  He  was  also  engaged  in  ship- 
ping coal  to  points  on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
rivers.  Some  of  the  boats  for  whicli  he  drew 
the  plans  are  still  used  on  the  Volga  river  in 
Russia.  He  remained  actively  engaged  in  his 
occupation  until  a  few  months  before  his 
death.  He  married  Hannah  Cox,  whose 
father  was  a  coal  merchant  of  Pittsburgh. 
They  had  five  children,  of  whom  three  .sons 
are  living :  Armand  C,  Murat,  of  McKeesport, 
and  Sheridan,  who  makes  his  home  at  Apollo. 

Armand  C.  Hammitt  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  McKeesport,  learneil  the  trade 
of  machinist  in  the  McKeesport  locomotive 
works,  and  worked  for  the  company  owning 
those  works  for  six  years.  He  has  been  a  roll- 
turner  for  some  ten  years,  six  of  which  he  has 
been  in  the  employment  of  the  Apollo  Iron  and 
Steel  company. 

On  the  24th  of  September,  1885,  he  married 
Virginia  Jackson,  daughter  of  Gen.  Samuel  M. 
Jackson,  of  Apollo.  They  have  two  children  : 
Samuel  Jackson  and  John  K. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and  votes  the  republican  ticket,  taking 
an  active  part  in  local  politics.     He  is  a  mem- 


402 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


ber  of  the  borough  council,  and  the  Masonic 
Fraternity.  Armaud  C.  Hammitt  is  one  of 
tiie  progressive  young  men  of  Apollo,  fully  im- 
bued with  the  true  spirit  of  enterprise,  and 
deeply  interested  in  the  advancement  of  his 
borough. 


GEORGE  M.  HUNTER,  a  skilled  and  ex- 
perienced steel  and  iron  worker,  and  one 
of  Apollo's  reliable  citizens,  was  born  in  Fawn 
township,  Allegheny  county.  Pa.,  November 
2(),  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  Rev.  John  and  Mar- 
garet (Keever)  Hunter.  Nearly  a  century  ago 
John  Hunter,  the  paternal  grandfather  of 
George  M.  Hunter,  came  from  Ireland  to  east- 
ern Pennsylvania,  and  in  a  short  time  removed 
to  Allegheny  county,  where  he  followed  farming 
and  where  he  died  when  an  octogenarian  in 
years.  He  was  a  presbyterian  and  a  democrat. 
He  married  Mary  Hunter,  who  was  in  no  wise 
related  to  him,  and  by  whom  he  had  eight 
children.  The  next  to  the  oldest  child  was  Rev. 
John  Hunter  (father),  who  was  born  in  IMifflin 
county  in  1813,  and  came  first  to  Butler  county 
in  1837,  then  removed  to  Allegheny  county  in 
1839  and  in  1874  came  to  Apollo,  where  he  died 
June  8, 1886,  aged  seventy-three  years.  He  was 
a  man  of  good  education,  although  self-educated. 
He  was  a  strong  republican,  was  one  of  the 
seven  members  of  the  first  abolition  society  in 
Allegheny  county,  and  had  two  sons  who  served 
in  the  late  war.  He  was  genial  and  sympathetic 
and  served  for  many  years  as  a  local  minister  in 
the  M.  E.  church.  He  served  as  school  director 
for  several  years,  was  a  prominent  Free  Mason 
and  never  was  neutral  on  any  question  of  in- 
terest or  importance.  For  several  years  before 
his  death  he  had  acted  as  a  general  agent  forH. 
G.  Fink's  medical  house.  He  was  over  six  feet  in 
height,  weighed  two  hundred  pounds,  and  start- 
ing with  no  means  whatever,  acquired  a  com- 
petency. He  married  Margaret  Keever,  daughter 
of  John  Keever,  by  whom  he  had  eleven  chil- 


dren, of  whom  six  are  living :  John  K.,  a  ma- 
chinist, of  Owensboro',  Pa;  Samuel,  a  book- 
keeper, of  Los  Angeles,  Cal.;  Kate,  widow  of 
W.  C.  White;  Albert,  a  carpenter,  of  Topeka, 
Kan.,  employed  by  the  Santa  Fe  R.  R.;  Ma- 
tilda M.,  teaching  at  Apollo,  and  George  M. 

George  M.  Hunter  was  reared  in  Allegheny 
county  and  at  Apollo.  He  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  and  at  an  early  age 
commenced  life  for  himself  as  a  clerk  and 
spent  seven  years  as  such  in  several  stores  at 
Apollo  and  in  the  oil  regions  of  this  State.  In 
1881  he  entered  the  employ  of  Laufman  &  Co., 
and  learned  the  trade  of  shearman,  which  he 
has  pursued  ever  since.  He  was  with  Laufman 
&  Co.  until  they  were  succeeded  by  the  Apollo 
Iron  and  Steel  company,  and  then  entered  the 
employ  of  the  latter  company,  with  whom  he 
has  been  until  the  present  time. 

August  3,  1883,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Rosa  Jack,  daughter  of  A.  X.  Jack,  of  Apollo. 
To  their  union  have  been  born  four  children  : 
Rosa  Marie  and  Albert  Lew  Hunter  and  two 
who  died  in  infancy. 

George  M.  Hunter  is  a  republican  and  a 
member  of  Apollo  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
and  of  Apollo  Lodge,  No.  437,  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons  of  the  jurisdiction  of  Penn- 
sylvania. 


WILLIAM  C,  HUNTER,  the  proprietor  of 
the  Apollo  Hotel  and  a  man  of  varied 
and  successfid  business  experience,  is  a  son  of 
Adam  and  Margaret  (Fleming)  Hunter,  and 
was  born  at  Apollo,  Armstrong  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, February  8,  1851.  The  Hunters 
were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Westmoreland 
county.  Col.  Robert  Hunter  (great-grand- 
father) served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  lived 
at  Hannastown  when  it  was  burned  by  the 
Indians,  in  1782,  and  married  Anna  Sloan,  by 
whom  he  had  several  children.  One  of  his 
sons  was  Kennedy    Hunter  (grandfather),  who 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


403 


was  born  in  1 778,  at  Haunastown.  He  removed 
to  Crawford  county,  and  afterwards  located  on 
Crooked  run,  this  county,  where  he  remained 
until  he  came  to  Apollo.  He  was  a  democrat 
and  a  presbyterian  and  lived  to  be  ninety-one 
years  of  age.  He  married  Margaret  F'iscus, 
who  lived  to  be  eighty-  five  years  of  age.  They 
had  eight  children,  of  whom  five  are  living. 
(For  fuller  ancestry  see  sketch  of  Robert  <  )rr 
Hunter).  Oneof  their  sons  was  Adam  Hunter 
(father),  who  was  born  in  1826,  and  at  an  early 
age  became  a  boatman  on  the  Pennsylvania 
canal. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  years  he  left  the 
caual  and  embarked  in  the  general  mercantile 
business,  which  he  continued  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1857,  when  only  in  the  thirty- 
first  year  of  his  age.  He  evinced  good  business 
ability  and  tact,  and  gave  promise  of  a  successful 
business  career.  He  married  Margaret  Fleming. 
They  were  the  parents  of  four  children  :  John 
M.,  an  oil  operator  at  Edenburg,  Pa. ;  William 
C,  Margaret,  wife  of  Kev.  Milton  Porterfield, 
of  Illinois;  and  Sarah  M.,  married  to  Samuel 
Beck,  of  Apollo. 

William  C.  Hunter  was  reared  partly  on  a 
farm,  and  attended  the  common  schools  and  the 
public  schools  of  Apollo.  For  several  years 
before  he  attained  his  majority  he  lived  with 
Ex-Sheriff  Wat.son.  At  twenty-one  years  of 
age  he  engaged  in  mining  coal,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  eight  years,  and  then  came  to  Apollo, 
where  he  worked  for  two  years  at  puddling  in  the 
rolling-mill.  Leaving  the  mill,  he  purchased  a 
grocery  store,  ^vhich  he  conducted,  with  very 
good  success,  for  four  years.  In  September, 
1887,  he  purchased  the  "  James  House,"  which, 
after  thoroughly  refitting,  he  opeuetl  as  the 
Apollo  Hotel.  It  contains  thirteen  rooms, 
besides  the  sitting-rooms,  dining-room  and 
kitchen.  Mr.  Hunter's  extensive  business 
experience  and  his  courteous  attention  to  the 
wants  of  his  gne>^ts  have  made  him  popular  and 
successful  as   a    hotel-keeper.      He  has  a  large 


trade,  holding  all  his  old  patrons  and  constantly 
gaining  new  ones. 

He  married  Phebe  Buckerstaff,  daughter  of 
Alexander  Buckerstaff,  of  Irwin,  Pa.  They 
have  had  seven  children,  of  whom  five  are : 
Margaret  Minerva,  Mina  Gertrude,  Howard 
Clinton,  Robert  Owen  and  Charles. 

W.  C.  Hunter  is  democratic  in  principles 
and  always  gives  a  hearty  support  to  his  party. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Improved  Order  of 
Red  Men  and  Royal  Arcanum. 


ROBERT  ORR  HUNTER  is  an  old  and 
well-known  citizen  of  Apollo,  who  has 
been  successfully  engaged  in  the  hardware  busi- 
ness for  over  forty  years.  He  is  a  son  of  Ken- 
nedy and  Margaret  (Fiscus)  Hunter,  and  was 
born  on  Crooked  creek,  Allegheny  township, 
Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  January  4, 
1817.  When  the  Revolutionary  struggle  for 
independence  commenced  on  Lexington  common 
and  the  tidings  of  New  England's  spirited 
resistance  to  ministerial  tyranny  was  borne  to 
eastern  Pennsylvania,  one  among  the  many  in 
that  section  to  take  up  arms  in  the  cause  of  the 
Colonies  was  Col.  Robert  Hunter,  of  Hunter's 
Valley.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  enlist- 
ment he  came  to  Hannastown,  Westmoreland 
county,  where  he  was  residing  when  it  was 
given  to  the  flames  by  the  Indians,  on  July  13, 
1782.  He  was  a  prominent  and  influential  cit- 
izen in  the  "  Hannastown  country,"  where  he 
dealt  largely  in  stock.  He  was  a  Jeffersonian 
democrat  and  a  strict  presbyterian.  He  married 
Anna  Sloan,  daughter  of  Capt.  John  Sloan,  a 
Revolutionary  soldier,  who  was  killed  at  the 
siege  of  Yorktown.  Several  sons  and  daugh- 
ters were  born  to  them,  and  one  of  their  sons 
was  Kennedy  Hunter  (father),  who  was 
born  at  the  old  Hannastown,  of  frontier  fame, 
in  1778,  and  died  at  Apollo,  Oct.  1,  1809, 
when  in  the  ninety-first  year  of  his  age.  He 
removed  to  Crawford  county,  where  he  enlisted 


404 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


as  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812.     At  the  end  of  { 
his  term  of  service  he  re-enlisted  and  served  at  ' 
Baltimore  when  that  city  was  threatened  by  the  j 
British,  in  1814.       From    Crawford   county  he 
removed  to  Crooked  creek,  where  he  dwelt  for 
many  years,  and  was  engaged  in  farming  and 
in  buying   and   driving   stock   to   the   eastern 
markets.      About     1845  he   came   to   Apollo, 
where  he    resided    until   his    death,    in    1869. 
He  was  a   democrat  and    a    presbyterian,    and 
married  Margaret  Fiscus,  who  was  a  daughter  of 
Abraiiara  Fiscus,  of  Westmoreland  county,  and 
died    in    Phnn    Creek    township,    in    1832,  at 
eightv-four  years  of  age.       To  them   wei'e  born 
eight  ciiildren,  of  whom  five  are  living. 

Robert  Orr  Hunter  received  his  education  in 
the  old  subscription  schools.  At  nine  years  of 
age  he  became  an  errand  boy  on  tiie  old  Penn- 
sylvania canal,  along  whicli  he  worked  until 
1835.  He  then  learned  the  trade  of  tailon 
which  he  followed  for  seven  years,  and  at  the 
end  of  tiiat  time  rented  a  boat  on  the  Ohio 
canal,  whicii  he  ran  until  1844.  He  then 
opened  a  tin  and  stove  store,  although  possessed 
of  but  sixty  dollars  capital,  and  succeeded  so 
Avell  that  he  increased  his  capital  sufficiently  to 
engage  in  the  grocery  business,  in  which  he  met 
with  good  success.  In  1850  he  returned  to 
Apollo,  where  in  the  succeeding  year,  he  em- 
barked in  his  present  prosperous  hard- 
ware business.  His  establishment  is  on  the 
ciirner  of  North  street,  where  he  keeps  a  full  Hue 
of  hardware,  including  builders'  supplies,  tools 
and  household  and  shelf-ware. 

December  20,  1849,  Mr.  Hunter  married 
Margaret  J.  Kline,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Ber- 
nard Kline,  of  Westmoreland  county,  this 
State. 

Robert  Orr  Hunter  is  steadfast  in  the  demo- 
cratic faith  of  his  forefathers,  and  supports  the 
party  of  Jefferson  and  Jackson.  He  became  a 
member  of  the  IMasonic  fraternity  in  1851,  and 
has  served  as  treasurer  of  Apollo  Lodge,  No. 
437,  Free  and   Accepted   Masons.      He   owns 


some  valuable  property  in  Apollo,  and  a  very 
fine  farm,  which  is  but  a  short  distance 
beyond  the  borough  limits.  Robert  Orr  Hun- 
ter, now  having  passed  his  three-score  and  ten 
years,  can  look  back  over  half  a  century  of  his 
active  and  useful  life  spent  in  serving  and 
accommodating  the  public. 


SAMUEL  JACK,  a  prominent  advocate  of 
the  cause  of  temperance  at  Apollo,  was 
born  near  White  Rock  Eddy,  in  what  was  then 
Allegheny  township,  Armstrong  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, April  26,  1820,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
and  Mary  Ann  (Smith)  Jack.  The  Jack  family 
is  of  Irish  descent.  While  William  Jack 
(great-grandfather)  and  his  wife  were  on  board 
the  ship  coming  to  America,  their  son,  James 
Jack,  was  born.  They  settled  at  White  Rock 
Eddy,  where  they  lived  the  remainder  of  their 
lives.  James  Jack  (grandfather)  was  a  team- 
ster the  most  of  his  life,  driving  a  pack  team 
from  Pittsburgh  to  Philadelphia  and  Balti- 
more. He  was  an  uncompromising  democrat. 
He  married  Mattie  Morri.son,  of  Irish  descent, 
by  whom  he  had  eight  children.  He  died  at 
the  advanced  age  of  ninety  years.  John  Jack 
(father)  was  born  near  White  Rock  Eddy, 
April  27,  1788,  learned  the  trade  of  shoemaker, 
but  after  his  marriage  he  gave  up  that  occupa- 
tion and  went  to  farming.  He  voted  the  dem- 
ocratic ticket  all  his  life  and  was  a  strict  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Thoroughly 
honest,  a  kind  neighbor  and  a  faithful  friend, 
his  death,  which  occurred  on  Oct.  27,  1858, 
was  deplored  by  the  whole  community.  His 
wife  was  Mary  Ann,  daughter  of  Archibald 
Smith,  wlio,  with  his  wife,  Molly  (Anderson) 
Smith,  emigrated  from  Ireland  to  the  United 
States,  becoming  early  settlers  of  Armstrong 
county.     John  Jack  had  seven  children. 

Samuel  Jack,  after  receiving  his  education  in 
the  subscription  schools  of  the  county,  learned 
the  trade  of  cooper,  which  he  followed  for  thirty 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


40.5 


years.  For  two  years  he  acted  as  superintend- 
ent of  an  oil  company.  In  1866  he  opened  a 
lumber-yard,  in  connection  with  his  planing- 
mill,  in  Apollo.  For  twenty-four  years  his 
eldest  son  was  in  partnership  with  him,  but  in 
the  spring  of  1890  he  sold  one-fifth  interest  to 
three  of  his  sons,  thus  making  himself  and  four 
sons  equal  partnei's.  The  firm  of  Samuel  Jack 
&  Sons  has  for  many  years  conducted  an  exten- 
sive business,  controlling  exclusively  the  whole 
of  the  lumber  trade  in  Apollo. 

On  April  14,  1840,  he  married  Catherine, 
daughter  of  Daniel  Beck,  a  soldier  of  tlie  war 
of  1812.  To  them  have  been  born  ten  chil- 
dren, of  whom  six  are  living:  Daniel,  S.  S., 
Mathew  A,,  Mary  Jane,  David  R.  and 
Henry  F. 

During  the  late  civil  war  S.  S.  Jack,  the 
second  son,  enlisted  in  the  regimental  band  of 
the  11th  regiment,  Pa.  Reserves,  September  11, 
1861  ;  was  discharged  in  1862,  and  the  follow- 
ing year  re-entered  the  service,  joining  C'o.  G, 
63d  regiment,  Pa.  Vols.  He  serveil  in  this 
regiment  until  January  2,  1865,  when  he  was 
discharged  on  account  of  a  severe  wound  in  the 
left  hand,  received  in  the  battle  of  Spottsyl- 
vauia  Court-House,  May  12,  1864.  From 
1866  to  1882  he  assisted  his  father  in  the  lum- 
ber business.  For  the  last  eight  years  he  has 
been  in  the  employment  of  the  Apollo  Iron  & 
Steel  company, — at  present  chief  clerk  in  their 
office.  He  is  a  stanch  republican,  and  has  been 
elected  by  his  party  to  various  offices  of  public 
trust.  He  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  school 
trustees,  and  one  of  the  directors  of  The  Apollo 
Mutual  Building  &  Loan  association.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  Cliarles  S.  Whitworth  Post, 
No.  89,  G.  A.  R.,  and  an  earnest  memlier  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  On  Fel)ruary 
23,  1865,  he  married  Hannah  Ulam,  daughter 
of  Simon  Truby,  and  has  two  daughters :  Lillie 
May,  wife  of  T.  J.  Baldrige,  and  Carrie  Belle. 
The  Jack  brothers  rank  among  the  solid  men  of 
Apollo. 


During  his  early  manhood,  Samuel  Jack  was 
a  whig,  and  after  that  party  went  down  he 
joined  the  republicans,  but  since  1884  he  has 
advocated  the  cause  of  the  Prohibition  pai-ty, 
working  ince-ssantly  for  its  success,  and  intends 
to  vote  anti-saloon  till  he  dies.  He  is  a  stew- 
ard and  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  In  the  di- 
rection of  the  public  welfare  of  the  borough, 
he  has  filled  the  offices  of  burgess  and  school 
director.  After  the  cares  and  turmoil  of  a  busy 
life,  surrounded  by  their  children  and  children's 
children,  Samuel  Jack  and  his  faithful  wife  are 
calmly  waiting  their  last  summons. 


GENERAL  SAMUEL  McCARTNEY 
JACKSON.  Among  those  sons  of  Arm- 
strong county  whose  privilege  it  has  been  to 
achieve  distinction  in  civil  as  well  as  military 
life,  is  Gen.  Samuel  McCartney  Jackson,  an 
active  and  successful  business  man  of  the  county 
and  of  Apollo,  with  whose  interests  he  has  been 
closely  identified  by  over  a  quarter  of  a  century's 
residence  and  active  business  life  within  its  lim- 
its. He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Mc- 
Cartney) Jackson,  and  was  born  near  Apollo, 
Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  September 
24,  1833.  The  Jackson  family  is  of  Irish 
descent  and  has  always  been  prominent  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  county  from  its  earliest 
settlement.  James  .Jackson  (grandfather)  came 
from  Ireland  to  Pennsylvania  with  his  parents, 
who  were  at  Hannastown  (1782)  when  it  was 
burned  by  Indians,  and  finally  settled  in  Kis- 
kiminetas  township.  James  Jackson  died  at 
eighty-four  years  of  age  and  his  eldest  son, 
John  Jackson  (father),  was  born  October  12, 
1797,  and  died  January  8,  1853.  John  Jack- 
son was  the  builder  of  his  own  fortune  and 
became  one  of  the  wealthy,  honorable  and 
highly  respected  men  of  the  county.  On 
October  5,  1826,  he  married  Elizabeth  Mc- 
Cartney, of  Scotch  lineage,  who  was  born  Oc- 


406 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


tober  10,  1805,  and  died  August  9,  1880.  She 
was  an  amiable  Christian  woman  and  was  the 
mother  of  ten  children,  of  whom  the  second  son 
and  fourth  child  was  Gen.  S.  M.  Jackson. 

Samuel  M.  Jackson  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
at  sixteen  years  of  age  enteral  Jacksonville 
academy  in  Indiana  county,  but  one  ^year  later 
the  death  of  his  father  compelled  him  to  leave 
school  and  lose  his  long  contemplated  liberal 
academic  education.  He  was  well  read  in 
history  and  biography  and  took  an  active  part 
in  the  State  Militia,  in  which  he  had  obtained 
his  enrollment  at  thirteen  years  of  age.  Effi- 
ciency as  a  soldier  secured  him  successive  pro- 
motion until  he  was  commissioned  as  a  captain. 
AVhen  the  late  war  commenced  Capt.  Jackson 
immediately  proffered  his  services  to  the  gov- 
ernment and  recruited  Co.  G,  or  the  Apollo 
Independent  Blues,  of  the  11th  Pa.  Reserves, 
of  which  he  became  captain  when  it  was  mus- 
tered into  service.  On  July  2,  1861,  he  was 
promoted  to  major  and  on  October  28th,  was 
commissioned  lieutenant-colonel.  April  10, 
1863,  he  was  promoted  to  colonel  of  his  regi- 
ment. He  served  gallantly  through  his  three 
years'  term  of  service,  received  two  slight 
wounds,  and  was  conspicuous  at  Gaines'  Mill, 
Second  Bull  Run,  South  Mountain,  Antietam, 
Fredericksburg,  Gettysburg,  in  the  Wilder- 
ness and  at  Spottsylvania  Court-house  and 
Bethesda  Church.  He  particularly  distin- 
guished himself  at  South  Mountain,  Freder- 
icksburg, Gettysburg  and  the  Wilderness, 
where  the  conflicts  were  of  such  a  nature  as  to 
try  officers  and  men  to  their  utmost,  and  espe- 
cially to  test  the  bravery,  decision  an<l  skill  of 
the  former.  At  Spottsylvania  he  commanded  a 
brigade  and  was  brevetted  brigadier-general  for 
gallant  conduct.  At  Gettysburg  he  was  thrown 
forward  on  the  bloody  ground  where  the  third 
corps  had  been  driven  back,  and  supports  from 
several  corps  which  had  been  sent  to  the  relief 
of  the  third  had  been  terribly  broken.  The 
position  there  taken  was  held,  and  the  entire 


field  was  subsequently  regained.  At  the  battle 
of  the  Wilderness,  while  in  command  of  his  own 
and  the  2d  regiment,  he  was  cut  off  from  the 
balance  of  the  division  by  a  strong  force  of  the 
enemy,  but  rallying  his  men  about  him,  he 
charged  the  hostile  lines,  and  by  a  circuitous 
route  reached  the  Union  front,  where  he  had 
for  several  hours  been  given  up  as  lost.  The 
appreciative  regard  of  the  officers  and  men  of 
the  11th  regiment  for  their  colonel  was 
indicated  by  their  presenting  him  with  a 
superb  gold-encased  and  jeweled  sword,  to- 
gether with  sash  and  spurs,  the  presentation 
speech  being  made  on  behalf  of  the  regiment  by 
Capt.  Timblin. 

At  the  close  of  his  term  of  service  Col.  Jack- 
son was  mustered  out  and  returned  to  his  home 
and  the  pursuits  of  business  life.  He  was 
engaged  for  some  time  in  the  oil  business  in 
Venango  county,  but  returned  to  Armstrong 
county  in  1869,  and  was  elected  on  the  republican 
ticket  as  a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  legisla- 
ture. In  1870  he  was  re  elected  and  during 
both  terms  made  a  creditable  record  as  an 
efficient  and  faithful  legislator.  Four  years 
later  his  services  were  again  demanded  in  a  public 
capacity  and  he  was  once  more  called  from  pri- 
vate to  public  life,  being  elected  to  the  State 
senate  to  represent  the  Forty-first  District, 
composed  of  the  counties  of  Armstrong  and 
Butler.  His  services  in  the  State  senate  were 
so  acceptable  that  he  was  tendered  a  re-nomi- 
nation, which  he  declined.  In  April,  1882,  he 
was  appointed  by  President  Arthur  as  col- 
lector of  internal  revenue  in  the  Twenty-third 
District,  composed  of  the  counties  of  Beaver, 
northern  part  of  Allegheny,  Butler,  Armstrong, 
Indiana,  Jefferson,  Clearfield,  Blair  and  Hunt- 
ingdon. He  assumed  the  duties  of  this  office 
July  1,  1882,  and  served  until  July  1st,  1885, 
when  he  was  removed  by  President  Cleveland, 
on  ""account  of  his  politics,  since  which  he  has 
been  twice  the  choice  of  his  county  for  Congress. 
In  local  affairs  he  has  always  been  active  at 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


407 


Apollo.  He  secured  the  passage  of  the  act 
authorizing  the  building  of  a  free  bridge  at 
Apollo  and  has  always  been  interested  in  every 
important  measure  of  public  improvement. 
Since  1871  he  has  been  interested  in  the  bank- 
ing business,  and  in  1886  he  became  a  stock- 
holder and  treasurer  of  the  present  well-known 
sheet  iron  firm  of  P.  H.  Laufman  &  Co. 

He  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife 
was  Martha  J.  Byerly,  of  Westmoreland  county, 
whom  he  married  in  1860  and  who  died  in 
1804,  leaving  two  children  :  Mary  Gertrude 
(Townsend)  and  Lizzie  Virginia  (Hammitt). 
December  29,  1869,  Gen.  Jackson  unites!  in 
marriage  with  his  present  wife,  who  was  Mary 
E.  Wilson,  daughter  of  Col.  John  M.  Wilson,  of 
Clarion  county.  By  his  second  marriage  he 
has  had  five  children :  Frank  Wilson,  John 
Howard,  Bessie,  Mamie  (dead)  and  Emily 
Louise. 

Gen.  Jackson  is  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  and  a  member  of  session.  He 
was  cashier  of  the  Apollo  Savings  bank  when 
it  was  organized  in  1871,  and  has  been  presi- 
dent since  1885  of  that  institution,  which  has  a 
capital  of  |50,000.  In  1886  he  became  inter- 
ested in  the  benefits  to  be  derived  by  his  town 
and  county  from  the  erection  of  sheet  iron  mills 
at  Apollo,  and  after  he  and  others  had  agitated 
the  subject,  the  present  firm  of  P.  H.  Laufman 
&  Co.,  limited,  was  formed  with  a  capital  stock 
of  $150,000.  They  keep  in  constant  operation 
three  large  mills.  (See  sketch  of  W.  B.  Lauf- 
man). He  became  a  stockholder  of  this  com- 
pany and  was  elected  treasurei-,  in  which 
capacity  he  has  served  until  the  present  time. 

During  his  busy  life  (xen.  Jackson  has  wit- 
nessed the  little  river  village  of  his  boyhood, 
whose  industries  and  interests  were  those  of  a 
centre  of  a  moderately  prosperous  agricultural 
district,  grow  to  a  town  of  over  two  thousand 
people,  the  home  of  varied  industries,  the  most 
,  important  of  which  he  was  largeh-  instrumental 
in  establishing  and   has  been  incessantly  perse- 


vering in  developing  to   their  present  highly 
prosperous  condition. 


pYRUS  J.  KEPPLE,  a  successful  cabinet- 
^  maker,  furniture  dealer  and  undertaker  of 
Apollo,  is  the  eldest  son  of  George  and  Isa- 
bella (Hoffman)  Kepple,  and  was  born  near 
Delmont,  in  Salem  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  November  17,1 831 .  The 
Kepple  family  is  of  German  descent,  the  great- 
grand-father  of  Cyrus  J.  Kepple  having  come 
from  Germany  to  America.  Hisson,  George  Kep- 
ple (grandfather),  was  born  near  Manor  church 
in  Penu  township,  Westmoreland  county.  George 
Kepple(father)  was  born  near  Delmont,  where  he 
lived  on  afarm  nntil  his  marriage, and  afterwards 
removing  to  a  farm  near  Cochran's  mills,  in 
Burreil  township,  Armstrong  county,  on  which, 
in  1869,  he  died,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 
In  earlier  years  he  was  a  democrat,  but  after 
the  rebellion  he  joined  the  republican  party. 
He  was  for  many  years  a  member  and  officer 
of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  always  evinced  a 
deep  interest  in  the  work  of  the  church.  He 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  old  Bethel 
Lutheran  Church,  in  1848.  In  1830  he  mar- 
ried Isabella  Huffman  (now  dead),  who  was  a 
daughter  of  Adam  Huffman,  a  soldier  in  the 
war  of  1812.  They  had  eight  children,  of 
whom  six  are  living. 

Cyrus  J.  Kepple  received  his  education  in 
the  old  school-house  in  the  Heckman  neigh- 
borhood, afterward  working  for  his  father  on 
the  farm  until  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age, 
when  he  went  to  learn  the  trade  of  cabinet- 
maker. This  trade,  together  with  carpenter- 
ing, he  followed  in  connection  with  his  furni- 
ture and  hardware  store,  until  1878,  when  he 
closed  out  the  hardware  department,  and  has 
been  in  the  furniture,  undertaking  and  embalm- 
ing business  ever  since.  He  has  been  success- 
ful in  his  various  enterprises  and  acquired  a 
competency. 


408 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


On  May  7,  1857,  he  married  Caroline  Keok, 
daughter  of  Isaac  Keck.  They  have  had  six  chil- 
dren :  Belle,  married  Edward  Melhorn,  of 
Freeport,  son  of  Rev.  J.  K.  Melhorn,  and  has 
two  children ;  Isaac  Newton,  who  married 
Anna  Stewart,  and  died  July  9,  1890,  from  the 
eifects  of  a  gunshot  wound,  and  left  six  chil- 
dren ;  George  S.,  married  Emma  Gumbert, 
and  has  two  children  ;  Cyrus,  in  the  store  with 
his  fiither;  Bes.sie  Alice,  the  youngest  child, 
and  Anna  Mary,  who  was  born  in  1860  and 
died  February  18,  1866. 

During  the  late  war  he  was  out  with  the 
one  bundled  day  men,  repelling  the  Confederat« 
raids  in  Pennsylvania.  In  elections  he  sup- 
ports the  democratic  ticket.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church  since  boyhood, 
and  for  several  years  has  been  an  officer  in  that 
church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and 
has  twice  been  sent  as  a  representative  of  his 
lodge  to  the  R.  W.  Grand  Lodge  of  that  order 
of  Pennsylvania.  Cyrus  J.  Kepple  is  one  of 
the  substantial  citizens  of  Apollo.  He  is  hon- 
est and  industrious,  a  faithful  husband,  a  kind 
father,  and  a  man  whose  integrity  is  unques- 
tioned. 


JAMES  KIRKWOOD,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Apollo  Foundry  company, 
and  a  man  of  energy,  ability  and  enterprise, 
was  born  in  Nortii  Washington,  Washington 
township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  Septem- 
ber 7,  1854,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and' Mary  | 
(Byerly)  Kirkwood.  The  Kirkwood  family  of 
Westmoreland  and  Armstrong  counties  is  de- 
scended from  Hugh  Kirkwood,  who  was  an  ' 
early  settler  near  the  site  of  North  Washing- 
ton, and  was  an  exemplary  member  of  the  old 
Poke  Run  Presbyterian  church.  He  was  allied 
by  marriage  with  the  early-settled  Thompson 
family  of  his  section.  The  Byerly  family,  with 
its  many  liranches,  traces  its  ancestry  to  Andrew 
Byerly,  who  bore  such  a  conspicuous  part  at  the 


battle  of  Bushy  Run,  which  Parkman  (the 
historian)  classes  as  one  of  the  "  decisive  battles 
of  the  world."  Andrew  Byerly  was  the  soldier 
selected  by  Washington,  at  Fort  Cumberland 
(now  Cumberland,  Md.)  in  1755,  to  contest  a 
race  with  a  celebrated  Indian  runner,  and  Byerly 
triumphantly  justified  the  young  Virginia 
colonel's  selection,  by  easily  distancing  the  sav- 
age. Andrew  Byerly  married  Beatrice  Guldin, 
a  brave  and  energetic  woman,  who  was  a  native 
of  Switzerland,  and  well  acquainted  with  Col. 
Bouquet  before  he  left  his  Alpine  home  to  enter 
upon  his  subsequent  distinguished  military 
career.  A  more  complete  genealogy  and  history 
of  James  Kirkwood's  paternal  and  maternal 
ancestry  will  be  found  in  the  sketch  of  William 
Kirkwood,  of  Apollo. 

James  Kirkwood  was  reared  at  Apollo,  in 
whose  public  schools  he  received  his  education. 
His  first  employment  was  in  a  brickyard,  which 
he  soon  left  to  accept  a  (tlerkship  in  a  store. 
After  four  years  he  left  the  store  and  became 
book-keeper  for  Rogers  &  Burchfield,  in  whose 
employ  he  remained  nearly  four  years.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  he  went  to  Pittsburgh,  where 
he  had  charge  of  a  set  of  books  for  eighteen 
months.  He  then  entered  the  service  of  John- 
son, Eagey  &  Earl,  wholesale  grocers,  and  was 
with  them  six  years,  four  years  of  which  time 
were  spent  as  a  traveling  salesman.  In  the 
spring  of  1889  he  came  to  Apollo  and  assisted 
in  organizing  the  Ai)ollo  Foundry  company, 
whose  works  went  into  operation  on  July  31st, 
1889.  He  has  served  as  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  this  company  until  the  present  time. 
The  company  employ  a  force  of  twenty-five 
men,  and  manufacture  ingot  moulds  and  every 
description  of  rolling-mill  castings  and  brasses. 
Their  works  cover  a  considerable  area  of  ground. 
Their  buildings  are  equipped  with  all  the  latest 
improved  machinery  necessary  for  the  successful 
prosecution  of  their  business. 

May  28,  1885,  hs  united  in  marriage  with 
Henrietta  Power,  daughter  of  James  B.  Power, 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


409 


of  uear  Harinei'sville,  Allegheny  county.  To 
their  union  have  been  born  two  children  :  Wil- 
liam Power,  born  May  10,  1886,  and  Helen 
Losey,  born  September  18,  1888. 

James  Kirkwood  has  always  been  a  republi- 
can in  politics.  He  is  a  member  of  Franklin 
Lodge,  No.  221,  F.  &  A.  Masons,  of  Pittsburgh, 
Royal  Arcanura,  and  Darling  Council,  No.  250, 
Jr.  Order  of  United  American  Mechanics.  He 
is  active  and  progressive,  is  a  self-made  man, 
and  has  won  by  his  own  eftbrts  the  ample  suc- 
cess of  whicii  he  is  de.serving.  He  has  labored 
faithfully  in  the  establishment  of  his  present 
business  enterprise,  and  the  continuance  of  his 
company's  career  of  progress  and  success  is  full 
of  promise  of  future  gain  to  Apollo. 


HUGH  KIRKWOOD,  a  skilled  iron-worker 
and  an  intelligent  and  industrious  citizen 
of  Apollo,  was  born  uear  North  Washington, 
Washington  township,  \Vestraoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  August  26,  1849,  and  is  a  son 
of  William  and  Mary  (Byerly)  Kirkwood. 
His  paternal  grandparents  were  Hugh  and 
Mary  (Thompson)  Kirkwood,  both  natives  of 
northern  Westmoreland  county ;  and  the  latter 
a  daughter  of  William  Thompson,  who  served 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  His  maternal  grand- 
parents were  Andrew  J.  and  Anna  (Smith) 
Byerly,  respectively  natives  of  Westmoreland 
and  Fayette  counties  and  the  former  was  a  son 
of  the  celebrated  Andrew  Byerly,  of  frontier 
fame,  who  was  among  the  first,  if  not  the  first 
white  man  to  settle  in  Westmoreland  county. 
The  Kirkwood,  Thompson,  Byerly  and  Smith 
families  are  among  the  old  settled  families  of 
southwestern  Pennsylvania  and  a  fuller  and 
more  complete  history  of  them  will  be  found  in 
the  sketch  of  W.  T.  Kirkwood,  which  is  given 
in  this  volume. 

At  si.x  yeai-s  of  age  Hugh  Kirkwood  came 
with  his  parents  to  Apollo,  where  he  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools.     At  twelve 


years  of  age  he  commenced  to  work  in  the  nail 
mill  and  has  been  an  iron  worker  ever  since. 
He  was  a  heater  for  seven  years  in  the  rolling- 
mill  at  Scottdale  and  ten  years  in  Apollo  and 
Sharpsburg,  Pa.,  rolling-mills.  In  1882  he 
secured  his  present  position  of  sheet  roller  with 
the  Apollo  Iron  &  Steel  company  and  thorough- 
ly understands  his  business  of  sheet  rolling. 

On  January  7,  1873,  he  married  Mattie  E. 
James,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Jesse  James,  of 
Apollo,  and  died  May  2,  1877,  leaving  two 
children :  Mary  Elizabeth,  born  December  9, 
1873;  and  Charles  Francis,  born  August  20, 
1875.  Mr.  Kirkwood  was  re-married  on  July 
8,  1880,^to  Maggie  E.  Artman,  daughter  of  Eli 
Artman,  a  farmer  of  Kiskiminetas  toM'uship. 
By  his  second  marriage  he  has  five  children,  of 
whom  four  are  living :  Florence  Everson,  born 
February  6,  1881  ;  Grace  Josephine  and  Nellie 
Louise,  born  December  30,  1884;  and  Robert 
Smith  Byerly,  born  July  16,  1888. 

Hugh  Kirkwood  is  a  republican  politicall}', 
and  although  ever  ready  to  respond  to  any  call 
for  work  in  behalf  of  his  party  yet  is  no 
aspirant  for  any  political  office.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Amalgamated  As.sociation  of  Iron  & 
Steel  workers  and  the  Jr.  Order  of  United 
Americau  Mechanics,  and  is  also  a  Master 
Mason.  Mr.  Kirkwood  is  a  persistent  worker. 
Whatever  he  does  he  does  well  and  he  loses  no 
time  from  his  business.  To  close  application  to 
business  a  portion  of  his  success  in  life  is  attrib- 
utable. Mr.  Kirkwood  has  built  himself  a  very 
fine  residence  where  he  now  lives  on  the  corner 
of  Wood  and  Terrace  avenues.  His  house  is 
after  the  most  modern  and  approved  plans  of 
architecture. 


WILLIAM  T.  KIRKWOOD,  a  descendant 
of  two  of  the  early  settled  families  of  the 
Allegheny  Valley,  and  a  great-grandson  of  An- 
drew Byerly,  the  most  famous  scout  of  Pontiac's 
war,  is  one  of  the  reliable  business  men  and  trust- 


410 


BIOQRAFHIES  OF 


worthy  citizens  of  Apollo.  He  was  born  at  North 
Washington,  Washington  township,  Westmore- 
land county,  Pennsylvania,  December  14, 18 — , 
and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Mary  (Byerly)  Kirk-  : 
wood.  On  the  paternal  side,  his  grandfather, 
Hugh  Kirkwood,  was  in  all  probability  a  na- 
tive of  what  is  now  Washington  township, 
Westmoreland  county.  He  was  a  prosperous 
farmer,  an  ardent  whig  and  a  zealous  member 
of  Poke  Run  Presb^'terian  church,  which  was 
organized  in  1783,  and  is  by  far  the  largest,  most 
wealthy  and  harmonious  of  all  the  rural 
churches  in  the  Blairsville  presbytery.  He  , 
was  a  man  of  high  standing  and  great  influ- 
ence in  his  community.  He  married  Mary 
Thompson,  a  member  of  the  old  and  well- 
known  Thompson  family  of  Westmoreland  j 
county,  whose  father,  William  Thompson, 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  was  a 
son  of  Samuel  Thompson,  an  early  settler 
and  large  land-holder  in  his  section  of  West- 
moreland county.  One  of  their  sons,  Wil- 
liam Kirkwood  (father),  was  born  within  two 
miles  of  North  Washngton,  that  county,  in 
January,  1820.  He  received  a  good  educa- 
tion, excelled  in  mathematics,  and  was  a 
very  fine  penman.  At  fourteen  years  of  age 
he  commenced  teaching,  which  he  retired  from 
in  a  few  years  to  engage  in  mercantile  busi- 
ness. In  1855  he  came  to  Apollo,  where 
he  accepted  a  position  with  the  mercantile 
firm  of  Chambers  &  Crawford,  which  he  left 
in  a  few  years  to  remove  to  Natrona,  Pa. 
He  was  there  engaged  with  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Salt  Manufacturing  company  until  Sep- 
tember 3,  1864,  when  he  enlisted  in  Battery 
H,  204th  regiment.  Pa.  Vols.,  or  5th  Heavy  ' 
Artillery,  and  served  until  June  20,  1865, 
when  the  regiment  was  mustered  out  at  Pitts- 
burgh, Pa.  He  then  returned  to  Apollo, 
and  became  book-keeper  at  Rogers  &  Burch- 
field's  iron  works,  which  position  he  held  until 
his  death,  on  February  14,  1866.  He  was  an 
active    republican  and    an  earnest  member  of 


the  Presbyterian  church.  His  life  was  one  of 
industry,  integrity  and  patriotism.  He  married 
Mary  Byerly  and  reared  a  family  of  five  chil- 
dren, of  whom  four  are  living :  Hugh  (see 
sketch),  William  T.,  James  (see  sketch)  and 
Mattie. 

William  T.  Kirkwood,  on  his  maternal  side, 
traces  his  ancestry  back  four  generations  to 
Andrew  Byerly,  the  famous  Indian  scout  of 
Col.  Bouquet  at  the  battle  of  Bushy  Run,  and 
whose  name  is  inseparably  connected  with  the 
pioneer  history  of  western  Pennsylvania.  He 
was  a  native  of  Lancaster  county,  and  .settled 
on  Bush  creek  in  1759.  He  married  Beatrice 
Guldin,  a  native  of  Canton  Berne,  Switzer- 
land, who  was  a  brave  and  charitable  woman, 
and  who,  during  Pontiac's  war,  once  fled  from  her 
home  (at  night,  with  her  children,  through  the 
wilderness  to  give  the  alarm  of  an  Indian  in- 
vasion) to  Ft.  Ligonier,  a  distance  of  over  twenty 
miles. 

Andrew  Byerly  had  several  sons,  one  of 
whom  was  Andrew  Byerly,  Jr.,  who  was  born 
near  the  .site  of  Irwin,  Pa.,  about  1793.  He 
was  a  prosperous  farmer,  a  Jeffersonian  demo- 
crat and  a  member  of  Long  Run  Presbyterian 
church.  He  married  Anna  Smith,  who  was  a 
daughter  of  Robert  Smith,  of  Fayette  county, 
and  passed  away  shortly  before  her  husband's 
death.  They  had  five  children,  of  whom  two 
are  living :  Robert,  who  lives  near  Harrison 
City,  Pa.,  and  Mary,  who  married  William 
Kirkwood,  and  is  the  mother  of  William  T. 
Kirkwood. 

After  attending  the  public  schools  of  Apollo, 
William  T.  Kirkwood  became  a  workman  in 
the  iron-mills  of  Rogers  &  Birchficld.  In  a 
few  years  he  left  there  and  .served  successively 
for  some  time  as  a  clerk  in  the  stores  of 
Chambers  &  Co.,  and  Rogers  &  Birchfield. 
He  then  went  on  the  West  Penn.  R.  R.,  as  a 
passenger  conductor  on  an  express  train,  and 
at  the  end  of  five  years  left  the  railway  ser- 
vice to  accept  a  position  as  traveling  salesman 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


411 


for  the  firm  of  Richardson  &  Co.,  of  New 
York.  Since  1882  he  has  been  engaged  with 
the  Apollo  Iron  and  Steel  company  as  a  sheet 
roller. 

He  is  a  republican  in  politics.  In  Masonry 
he  has  passed  throngh  lodge  and  chapter,  and 
is  a  member  of  Tancred  Comraandery,  No. 
48,  Knights  Templar,  of  Pittsburgh. 


WB.  LAUFMAN.  The  rapid  growth  and 
•  great  value  of  the  manufacturing  indus- 
tries of  western  Pennsylvauia  during  the  la.st 
two  decades  is  one  of  the  astonishing  facts  in 
the  commercial  history  of  the  United  States, 
and  in  the  iron  industry  no  company  has  been 
more  successful  or  has  placed  superior  products 
on  the  market  than  P.  H.  Lanfman  &  Co., 
limited,  of  which  W.  B.  Lanfman  is  secretary. 
He  was  born  in  Pittsburgh,  Allegheny  county, 
Pennsylvania,  January  12,  1849,  aud  is  a  son 
of  P.  H.  and  Mary  Ann  (Berlin)  Laufman. 
His  paternal  great-grandparents  were  Philip 
and  Mary  (Spottswood)  Laufman,  both  natives 
of  Carlisle,  Cumberland  county.  They  settled 
at  Chaml>ersburg,  Pa.,  where  Mr.  Laufman  died 
at  eighty-seven  years  of  age  and  where  his  wife 
passed  away  in  1836,  when  in  the  sixty  second 
year  of  her  age.  Of  the  sons  born  unto  them 
one  was  David  Laufman  (grandfiither),  who 
was  born  in  the  first  year  of  the  present  century 
and  died  at  Southampton  furnace  when  only 
thirty-four  years  of  age.  He  had  served  as 
deputy  sheriff  of  Franklin  county,  was  an 
iron-master  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was 
one  of  the  proprietors  of  Southampton  furnace. 
He  married  Susan  Harrington,  who  died  in 
1854,  aged  fifty-three  years.  She  was  the  only 
child  of  Nicholas  and  Elizabeth  (Shriver)  Har- 
rington. The  father  of  Nicholas  Harrington 
was  the  second  son  of  Lord  Harrington  of 
England,  and  after  serving  as  a  captain  in  the 
English  army  came  to  this  country  where  he 
was  killed  in  Ohio,  in  St.  Clair's  defeat.     One 


of  David  Laufman's  sons  was  Philip  Harring- 
ton Laufman  (father),  who  was  born  at  Cham- 
bensburg  in  1822,  and  removed  in  1840  to 
Pittsburgh,  where  he  was  successively  a  mem- 
ber of  the  hardware  firms  of  Huber  &  Lauf- 
man and  Laufman  &  Brother.  During  his 
residence  in  Pittsburgh,  he  was  a  member  of 
the  select  council  and  board  of  education  as 
well  as  being  one  of  the  five  commissioners  who 
erected  the  present  system  of  water-works  of 
that  city.  He  came  to  Apollo  in  1876  where 
he  purchased  an  interest  in  the  Apollo  rolling- 
mill.  It  was  built  in  1856  and  manufactured 
nails  until  1861,  when  it  commenced  the  produc- 
tion of  sheet-iron  and  after  changing  ownersliip 
several  times  was  purchased  by  Messrs.  Lauf- 
man &  Co.,  in  1876.  The  iron  made  is  of  ex- 
cellent q^uality  and  finds  a  ready  sale  in  all  the 
markets.  The  mill  has  seven  puddling  furnaces 
and  five  charcoal  fires  for  sinking  wrought  scrap 
iron;  two  trains  of  rolls;  one  steam  hammer 
striking  a  fifteen  ton  blow ;  one  set  of  bar  rolls, 
and  one  pair  of  cold  rolls.  In  1880  the  full 
capacity  of  the  mill  was  65  tons  of  fin- 
ishetl  iron  per  week  and  has  now  risen  to  300 
tons  per  week.  Equipped  with  all  the  recent 
appliances  and  possessing  al)undant  railroad 
facilities,  their  prudent  and  intelligent  manage- 
ment has  made  their  iron  a  staple  article  in  the 
market.  In  1886  the  firm  of  P.  H.  Laufman 
&  Co.  erected  their  present  sheet-iron  and  sheet- 
steel  works  and  became  manufacturers  of  a  fine 
sheet-iron  and  decarbonized  sheet  steel  which 
are  well-known  for  their  superior  qualities  and 
which  sell  readily  aud  in  large  quantities  in 
New  York  and  St.  Louis,  where  a  continuous  de- 
mand exists  for  them.  These  works  (Apollo 
Sheet  Iron  mills)  cover  one  and  one-half  acres 
of  ground  and  the  company  employs  one  hun- 
dred and  fifly  men,  of  whom  over  one  hundred 
are  Americans.  Their  yearly  business  aggre- 
gates three  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Mr. 
Laufman  has  just  completed  his  copper  plating 
works  at  a  cost  of  ten  thousand  dollars.     In 


412 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


1848  he  married  Mary  A.  Berlin,  daughter  of 
Philip  aud  Mary  (Cover)  Berlin.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Laufmau  were  born  two  sons,  Wilmer 
B.  and  Philip  H.,  and  six  daughters. 

W.  B.  Laufman  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Pittsburgh  aud  engaged  at  an  early  age  in  busi- 
ness, for  which  he  showed  a  decided  aptitude. 
He  came  with  his  father  to  Apollo  in  1876  aud 
they  are  the  principal  stock-holders  in  the  iron 
manufacturing  company  of  which  they  are 
members.  The  oiEcers  of  the  com^jany  are  P. 
H.  Laufmau,  chairman;  Gen.  S.  M.  Jackson, 
treasurer;  and  W.  B.  Laufman,  secretary. 

On  May  25,  1 876,  W.  B.  Laufman  united  in 
marriage  with  Beatrice  Lawson,  of  Pittsburgh. 
To  this  union  have  been  born  four  children, 
three  sons  and  one  daughter:  Harry  B.,  CliflFord 
L.,  Wilmer  S.  and  Trixie. 

To  conduct  an  extensive  business  successfully, 
as  Mr.  Laufman  has  conducted  his,  requires 
good  mental  and  physical  qualifications  and  a 
strong  and  active  mind  with  practical  common 
sense.  He  is  a  thorough  business  man.  He 
and  his  father,  by  the  establishment  and  opera- 
tion of  their  extensive  iron  mills,  have  con- 
tributed largely  to  the  prosperity  of  Apollo. 


WILLIAM  McBRYAR,  M.D.  A  physi- 
cian who  has  attained  deserved  distinc- 
tion within  the  sphere  of  his  profession  is  Dr. 
William  McBryar,  of  Apollo.  Of  Scotch-Irish 
descent  he  has  inherited  the  sturdy  independ- 
ence, high  sense  of  honor  and  tireless  energy  of 
that  determined  race.  He  was  born  in  Wash- 
ington township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, November  29,  1822,  and  is  a  son  of  James 
and  Elizabeth  (Dickey)  McBryar.  Nathaniel 
McBryar,  paternal  grandfather  of  Dr.  McBryar, 
was  one  of  those  sturdy,  upright  and  intelligent 
Scotch-Irish  presbyterians,  who  came  from 
county  Down,  Ireland,  to  the  northern  part  of 
Westmoreland  county  during  the  closing  dec- 


ades of    the   last    century,  when  wolves   and 
Indians  infested  that  section  of  the  country. 

He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Poke  Run 
Presbyterian  congregation,  and  donated  to  it 
the  ground  (five  acres)  upon  which  its  fir.st 
church  building  was  erected,  for  the  privilege 
of  occupying  forever  a  specified  pew  in  the 
church.  He  served  as  a  teamster  in  the  west- 
ern army  during  the  war  of  1812.  He  was  a 
whig  in  politics  after  that  party  came  into  ex- 
istence. He  married  a  widow  Thompson,  by  • 
whom  he  had  three  children :  David,  a  daugh- 
ter, who  died  in  infancy,  and  James.  James 
McBryar  (father)  was  born  July  18,  1784,  and 
died  Oct.  3,  1870.  He  helped  his  father  to 
build  the  first  grist-mill  ever  erected  in  the 
northern  part  of  Westmoreland  county,  and 
toward  the  close  of  his  long  and  useful  life  he 
removed  from  his  farm,  in  1868,  to  Apollo, 
Armstrong  county.  He  was  a  man  of  incor- 
ruptible integrity,  and,  like  his  father  before 
him,  was  an  old-line  whig  and  a  strict  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church.  On  June  20,  1811, 
he  married  Elizabeth  Dickey,  who  was  born  in 
Franklin  county,  April  22,  1788,  and  died  in 
1872,  when  in  the  eighty-fifth  year  of  her  age. 
To  them  were  born  four  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters, of  whom  four  are  living :  Samuel,  Dr. 
William,  Mary  and  Sarah,  wife  of  J.  D.  Mc- 
Quilkin.  Those  deceased  are:  N.  L.  Mc- 
Laughlin, Margaret,  Watson  and  David  D. 

William  McBryar  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  desiring  a  better  education  than  that 
which  was  aflbrded  by  the  schools  of  his  neigh- 
borhood, he  entered,  on  May  1,  1844,  Rich- 
mond Classical  institute,  of  Jefferson  county, 
Ohio,  from  which  he  was  graduated  iu  Septem- 
ber, 1847.  On  November  1st  of  that  year 
he  commenced  reading  medicine  under  Dr.  John 
Dixon,  of  Allegheny  city  (afterwards  of  Pitts- 
burgh), with  whom  he  remained  until  October 
18,  1849,  excepting  one  winter  spent  in  teach- 
ing. He  then  attended  a  course  of  lectures  in 
the  medical  department  of  the  University  of 


$ 


^>-^c^  ^^ 


(/ ,/  .J^. 


^/^ 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


All 


the  cit\'  of  New  York,  and  in  July,  1S50,  en- 
tered into  partnership  with  Dr.  John  McNeal, 
of  New  Salem,  Westmoreland  county,  where  he 
practiced  until  April  1,  1852.  He  then  went 
to  near  Congruity  church,  which  location  he 
left  in  June  to  become  a  partner  of  Dr.  Allison, 
of  Saltsburg,  Pa.  In  September,  1852,  he  re- 
turnal  to  the  University  of  New  York, 
and  was  graduated  from  the  medical  depart- 
ment 'n  1853.  On  April  19th  of  that  year 
he  came  to  Apollo,  where  he  has  been  in 
active,  continuous  and  successful  practice  ever 
since. 

Octoljer  4,  1855,  he  married  Sarah  J.  Callen, 
daughter  of  Matthew  and  Jane  (Paul)  Callen. 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  McBryar  have  been  the  parents 
of  five  children:  Lizzie  J.  (deceased);  James 
C.  (deceased);  Ada  M.,  William  Lyle,  who 
married  Margaret  J.  Johnson,  October  25, 
1888;  and  Hattie  Dickey.  Mrs.  McBryar's 
maternal  grandparents  were  Squire  Samuel  and 
Jane  (Porterfield)  Paul ;  the  former  a  native  of 
Ireland  and  the  latter  of  Cumberland  county, 
and  both  of  Scotch-Irish  descent. 

Dr.  McBryar  is  a  republican  in  politics. 
While  never  neglecting  the  duties  of  his  large 
practice,  he  has  always  been  interested  in  the 
progress,  growth  and  prosperity  of  Apollo.  He 
was  prominent  in  organizing  the  Apollo  Sav- 
ings bank,  of  which  he  has  always  been  a  di- 
rector. He  has  also  been  identified  with  edu- 
cational interests  beyond  his  town,  serving  at 
one  time  as  president  of  the  board  of  trustees 
of  Kittanning  academy,  and  likewise  in  finan- 
cial affairs  he  is  interested  beyond  this  county, 
having  served  as  president  of  the  Dubois 
Savings  bank,  of  Clearfield  county,  which  he 
took  an  active  part  in  organizing  in  1880.  At 
home  he  has  given  much  of  his  time  in  the 
interests  of  the  material  prosperity  of  his  town. 
He  was  largely  instrumental  in  securing  the 
present  iron  bridge  at  Apollo,  and  was  also 
prominently  identified  with  its  construction. 
Dr.  McBryar  is  president  of.  the  Westmoreland 
-25 


and  Armstrong  county  Mutual  Fire  Insurance 
company,  and  is  medical  examiner  for  the  Penn 
Mutual  Life  Insurance  company,  of  Philadel- 
phia, and  the  Equitable  Life  A.ssurance  society, 
of  New  York.  Dr.  William  McBryar  has 
always  been  obliging,  kind  and  affable,  yet  firm 
and  decided  in  character,  and,  like  his  fore- 
fathers, a  stanch  presbyterian,  taking  an  active 
part  in  church  affairs,  as  a  member  of  session 
and  also  of  the  board  of  trustees  in  Apollo 
Presbyterian  church. 


T)  S.  McMULLEN,  a  rising  young  architect 
-^  •  and  builder,  and  president  of  a  leading 
builders'  and  contractors'  company  of  Apollo,  is 
a  son  of  George  H.  and  Salome  (King) 
McMullen,  and  was  born  in  Manor  township, 
Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  3, 1861. 
His  father,  George  McMullen,  was  born  in 
Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  carpenter 
by  trade.  He  removed  to  Apollo,  and  was  a 
clerk  in  a  store  there  for  a  short  time,  but  dur- 
ing most  of  his  life  has  followed  his  trade.  He 
has  always  been  a  prominent  democrat,  and 
taken  an  active  part  in  local  iwlitics.  He  has 
served  several  terms  as  overseer  of  the  poor. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
and  is  as  energetic  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties 
incumbent  upon  him  as  a  member  of  the  church, 
as  he  is  in  the  transaction  of  his  business  affairs. 
He  married  Salome  King,  daughter  of  Henry 
King,  of  Kittanning,  by  whom  he  had  seven 
children  :  H.  D.,  a  carpenter  of  Pittsburgh  ;  J. 
H.,  who  is  in  the  railway  service;  P.  S.,  of 
Apollo;  Kate,  Hannah,  Eliza  and  Susie. 

P.  S.  McMullen  received  a  good  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  Westmoreland  county, 
Salem  academy  and  a  seminary.  He  afterwards 
took  a  special  course  of  training  in  polytech- 
nics in  the  Western  University,  of  Allegheny 
city,  Pa.,  in  order  to  fit  himself  for  his  voca- 
tion as  an  architect.  He  taught  school  seven 
terms,   the   last   two   terms,  a  teacher's  select 


418 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


school  in  Apollo.  In  1886  he  opened  a  store 
in  Apollo  for  the  sale  of  hardware  and  build- 
ers' supplies,  in  connection  with  which  he  runs 
a  planing-mill,  aud  has  built  up  a  good  trade. 
In  1890  he  was  elected  president  of  a  company 
then  organized  as  contractors  and  builders.  He 
is  also  the  archite<3t  for  the  company,  and 
although  this  organization  has  just  been  com- 
pleted, they  have  already  contracted  to  put  up 
buildings  which  will  cost  forty  thousand  dollars. 
He  is  secretary  of  the  National  Saving  and 
Loan  association,  of  Apollo. 

On  July  5,  1887,  he  married  Martha  Wil- 
lard,  a  native  of  Westmoreland  county.  Their 
union  has  been  blest  with  one  child,  a  daughter: 
Beatrice. 

For  several  years,  Mr.  McMuUeu  has  been 
actively  and  successfully  engaged  in  his  profes- 
sion as  an  architect.  In  the  different  buildings 
which  he  has  planned,  he  has  displayed  fine 
taste,  as  well  as  artistic  skill  and  good  judgment. 


ROBERT  EMMETT  McCAULEY,  M.D. 
One  of  the  most  useful  and  profound  of 
human  pursuits  is  the  medical  profession,  and 
of  Armstrong  county's  progressive  and  success- 
ful physicians,  one  is  Dr.  Robert  Emmett 
McCauley,  of  Apollo.  He  was  born  in  Wayne 
township,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania, 
June  15,  1844,  and  is  the  seventh  and  young- 
est son  of  William  and  Patience  (Smith) 
McCauley.  William  McCauley  was  a  native 
of  Ireland,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  brick- 
layer. He  came  in  early  life  to  Virginia, 
where  he  located  at  Petersburg,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  few  years  acquired  quite  a  number 
of  slaves  and  a  considerable  amount  of  prop- 
erty. He  met  with  a  reverse  of  fortune 
through  some  extensive  contracts  in  which  he 
was  largely  interested,  and  in  order  to  retrieve 
his  financial  condition  he  came  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  eventually  settled  in  Wayne 
township,  this  county.     He  was  born  in  1795 


and  died  in  1866,  when  in  the  seventieth  year 
of  his  age.  He  received  a  first-class  education 
in  one  of  the  best  schools  of  Ireland  aud 
although  working  continuously  at  bricklaying 
during  his  lifetime,  yet  always  kept  himself 
well  informed  upon  all  religious  and  political 
subjects  of  interest.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  church,  aud  in  the  field 
of  politics  was  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  prin- 
ciples and  policy  of  the  Republican  party.  He 
married  Patience  Smitli,  a  granddaughter  of 
Col.  Richard  Smith,  a  native  of  England,  who 
was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Long  Island, 
New  York.  Mrs.  McCauley  was  born  in  1801 
and  passed  away  in  December,  1889,  when  rap- 
idly Hearing  her  eighty-ninth  milestone  on  the 
pathway  of  life. 

Robert  E.  McCauley  was  reared  on  a  farm 
until  he  was  ten  years  of  age,  when  his  par- 
ents removed  to  Kittanuing,  where  he  attended 
the  academy  of  that  place  until  he  was  eighteen 
years  of  age.  In  1863,  he  enlisted  in  Co. 
C,  Burdan's  2d  United  States  Sharjjshootera, 
and  served  two  years.  His  company  were 
sharpshooters,  and  he  participated  in  the 
Wilderness  fights,  in  one  of  which,  on  May 
5,  1864,  his  brother  Charles  (Co.  B,  105th  Pa. 
Vols.)  was  killed.  After  passing  safely 
through  the  terrific  struggles  of  the  Wilder- 
ness, he  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Cold  Harbor, 
Mine  Run,  Spottsylvania  and  the  engagements 
in  front  of  Petersburg.  When  the  war  closed 
he  returned  to  Kittanuing,  resumed  his  literary 
studies  and  attended  Dayton  academy  for  one 
year.  He  then  read  medicine  with  Dr.  Banks 
of  Long  Island,  and  entered  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  New  York,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  with  high  standing  in 
the  class  of  1871.  Immediately  after  gradu- 
ation he  came  to  Apollo,  where  he  opened  an 
office,  and  has  been  actively,  continuously  and 
successfully  engaged  ever  since  in  the  practice 
of  his  profession. 

January  11,  1872,  he  united  in  marriage  with 


4 


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aJHIp 


(^/^/^^^  ^-^^^ 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


423 


Mattie  Carjienter,  daughter  of  Samuel  Carpen- 
ter, of  AVestmorelaud  county,  Penna.  To  their 
union  have  been  born  five  children :  Patience, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  six  years;  Elizabeth, 
Mary  Ivy,  Roberta  and  William  Wallace. 

In  politics  he  is  a  republican.  He  is  presi- 
dent of  the  school  board  of  his  borough,  for 
whose  schools  he  has  labored  earnestly,  faithfully 
and  successfully.  Dr.  McCauley  is  a  member 
of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  has 
been  a  past  commander  in  that  organization. 
He  has  always  had  the  houor,  welfare  and  use- 
fulness of  his  jtrofession  at  heart,  and  has 
always  given  the  closest  of  attention  to  the 
numerous  cases  of  his  practice.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Armstrong  County  Medical  society, 
and  has  always  commanded  the  respect  and 
good-will  of  the  members  of  his  profession. 
Dr.  McCauley  has  ever  been  active  in  all  move- 
ments for  the  improvement  of  his  profession  in 
the  county,  and  has  always  endeavored  to  keep 
pace  with  the  progress  and  development  of 
medical  science. 


JAMES  D.  McQUILKIN,  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent,  and  one  of  the  well-known  and 
highly  respected  citizens  of  Apollo,  is  a  son  of 
Daniel  and  Martha  (Patterson)  McQuilkin,  and 
was  born  two  miles  from  Delmont,  in  Salem 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
February  14,  1823.  The  McQuilkins  were 
originally  from  Scotland,  but  went  over  into 
the  historic  north  of  Ireland,  and  were  among 
the  sturdy  Scotcii-Irish  who  became  early  set- 
tlers of  Westmoreland  county.  James  McQuil- 
kin (grandfather)  was  born  near  Edinburgh, 
Scotland,  came  from  Ireland  to  America  in 
1780,  and  settled  in  Salem  township,  Westmore- 
land county,  at  the  head  of  Beaver  run.  He 
wa-s  a  prominent  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  church 
of  that  denomination  at  Salem,  and  was  largely 
instrumental  in  the  formation    of   the  congre- 


gation and  erection  of  the  church  edifice.  He 
settled  the  estates  of  scores  of  the  people,  and 
for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century  did  the  principal 
part  of  the  conveyancing  for  that  section  of  his 
county.  He  was  a  stanch  democrat  in  politics, 
a  stern  presbyterian  in  religious  faith,  and  a 
man  whose  public  and  private  life  was  unsullied 
by  a  dishonorable  act.  He  died  in  1802.  In 
1780  he  married  Ann  Robinson,  who  was  born 
in  the  "  Big  Cove  "  of  Pennsylvania.  They  had 
ten  children.  The  third  sou,  Daniel  McQuil- 
kin (father),  was  born  in  1787,  and  married 
Martha  Patterson,  daughter  of  Henry  Patter- 
son, a  native  of  Ireland,  by  whom  he  had  seven 
children,  three  of  whom  are  living :  Jane, 
Martha  N.  and  James  D.  He  was  a  successful 
farmer,  a  strong  democrat  and  a  consistent  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  died  in 
1831,  in  the  forty-fifth  year  of  his  age. 

James  D.  McQuilkin  was  born  on  the  farm 
where  his  father  died,  and  received  a  good  edu- 
cation. He  was  successfully  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  until  March,  1875,  when  he 
sold  his  homestead  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
forty-eight  acres  and  came  to  Apollo.  He  is  a 
fitting  representative  of  that  wonderful  Scotch- 
Irish  race  known  all  over  the  world  for  its  in- 
tegrity, thrift  and  uprightness.  He  possesses, 
seemingly,  some  of  the  power  of  Midas,  of  whom 
it  is  recorded  in  mythology  that  everything  he 
touched  turned  to  gold,  and  every  enterprise  in 
which  he  embarketl  was  crowned  with  success. 

His  marriage,  too,  was  as  fortunate  as  his 
business  ventures.  In  October,  18(39,  he  mar- 
ried Sarah  P.,  daughter  of  William  McBryar, 
and  sister  to  Dr.  William  McBryar,  one  of  the 
most  prominent  citizens  and  successful  physi- 
cians of  Apollo.  She  was  graduated  from 
Blairsville  seminary,  was  successfully  engaged 
in  leaching  for  several  terms,  and  is  a  woman 
of  rare  culture  and  refinement.  During  the 
last  fifteen  years  they  have  occupied  a  beau- 
tiful home  at  Apollo,  surrounded  by  all  the 
comforts  of  life  that  wealth   aad  refined  taste 


424 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


can  provide.  He  is  a  consistent  member  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  church,  while  Mrs.  Mc- 
Quilkin  holds  membership  in  the  Presbyterian 
church,  where  she  is  highly  esteemed  for  her 
usefulness  as  a  Christian  worker. 


HENRY  ABSALOM  RUDOLPH.  In  the 
political,  as  well  as  in  social  and  business 
circles  in  Apollo,  Henry  Absalom  Rudolph  is 
known  as  a  stirring,  energetic  man — a  citizen  of 
honor,  worth  and  stability.  He  is  a  son  of 
Abraham  and  Elizabeth  (Willyard)  Rudolph 
and  was  born  near  Salina,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  November  11,  1831.  John  G. 
Rudolph  (grandfather),  who  was  born  in  Hol- 
land in  1748,  came  to  America  in  1771,  to- 
gether with  his  brothers,  George  and  Jacob. 
George  located  first  in  Berks  county,  afterward 
in  Butler  county.  Jacob  went  to  Ohio,  settling 
in  the  Western  Reserve,  and  one  of  his  grand- 
daughters is  Mrs.  James  A.  Garfield.  John  G. 
Rudolph  located  in  the  extreme  northwestern 
section  of  Westmoreland  county,  taking  up  one 
thousand  acres  of  government  land  on  the  east 
bank  of  Beaver  run.  He  was  fearless  and 
courageous,  as  became  a  pioneer,  yet  withal  an 
accomplished  scholar,  having  been  educated  for 
the  ministry,  was  well  versed  in  both  German 
and  English  classical  literature.  He  brought 
with  him  from  Germany  various  fruit  seeds 
which  he  planted  on  his  farm.  In  1771  he 
married  Christina  Myers,  whose  father,  two  sis- 
ters and  a  brother  were  killed  by  the  Indians 
in  1782  while  young  Rudolph  was  trying  to 
make  his  way  to  Hannastown  to  warn  the  in- 
habitants of  the  coming  of  the  Indians.  He 
died  and  left  nine  children.  His  eldest  son, 
Abraham  Rudolph  (father),  was  born  in  Salem 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  December  11, 
1773,  on  the  old  Rudolph  homestead  and  lived 
all  his  life  within  one-half  a  mile  of  where  he 
was  born.  He  learned  the  trade  of  shoemaker 
at  East  Liberty,  Pa.,  when  there  were  but  three 


houses  in  the  village,  which  trade  he  followed 
until  1836,  when,  losing  his  right  arm,  he  went 
to  farming.  He  measured  six  feet  three  inches 
in  height  and  was  of  commanding  appearance. 
He  was  a  road  supervisor  of  Salem  township 
for  many  years.  He  was  a  democrat  until  after 
Polk's  election,  when  he  became  a  whig,  and 
when  that  party  went  down  he  affiliated  with 
the  Republican  party.  While  always  interested 
in  politics,  he  was  no  politician.  He  died  of 
typhoid  fever  in  1851.  He  married  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Frederick  Willyard,  who  came  to 
this  country  early  in  life  from  Alsace  Lorraine, 
France,  settling  on  Bushy  run,  in  Hempfield 
township.  Mr.  Willyard  was  a  cooper  by 
trade,  but  left  his  occupation  to  enter  the 
American  army  during  the  war  of  1812,  enlist- 
ing in  Capt.  McConan's  company.  He  was  a 
man  of  colossal  proportions  and  immense  phys- 
ical strength,  and  was  considered  the  most  ath- 
letic man  in  the  county.  His  wife  lived  to  be 
one  hundred  and  four  years  old. 

Henry  Absalom  Rudolph,  after  having  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  subscription  schools 
of  the  county,  learned  the  trade  of  shoemaker 
with  John  C.  Rochester,  at  New  Alexandria, 
Westmoreland  county,  and  has  followed  the 
business  ever  since,  first  at  Saltsbui'g,  but  for 
the  last  thirty-one  years  at  Apollo. 

He  married  Susau  E.,  daughter  of  CoK  Jo- 
seph Bower,  of  Mifflin  county,  an  old  Revolu- 
tionary soldier.  They  had  two  sons  and  one 
daughter:  George  Law,  now  employed  with  his 
father;  Joseph  B.,  a  book-keeper  in  Missouri ; 
Rose  A.,  who  married  John  Rodgers,  and  dying 
left  two  sons:  Harry  R.  and  Guy.  After  her 
death  he  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Henry 
Owens.  By  this  second  marriage  he  has  six 
children :  Alice  G.,  wife  of  Joseph  Murphy ; 
Harry  G.  Lomisou,  Susan  E.,  B.  F.  Butler, 
Lottie  L.  and  Sarah  J. 

He  is  an  ardent  republican,  always  taking  an 
active  part  in  local  politics.  He  was  in  the  secret 
service  of  the  U.  S.  during  the  rebellion.     In 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


42& 


former  years  he  acted  as  fireman  and  engineer 
on  the  P.  R.  R.  between  Altoona  and  Harris- 
burg.  H.  A.  Rudolph  has  been  a  member  of  the 
I.  O.  O.  F.  since  1853,  and  has  represented  his 
lodge  frequently  in  the  Grand  Lodgeof  that  order 
of  Pennsylvania.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church. 


HR.  SISIELTZER,  a  well-established  mer- 
•  chant  of  Apollo,  and  a  descendant  of  two 
old  pioneer  families  of  western  Pennsylvania, 
is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Carnahan)  Smelt- 
zer,  and  was  born  in  Bell  township,  Westmore- 
land county,  Pennsylvania. 

The  Smeltzer  family  came  originally  from 
Germany,  and  one  of  their  number,  Jacob 
Smeltzer  (grandfather),  was  an  early  settler  of 
Westmoreland  county.  He  was  also  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church, 
in  Bell  township,  and  in  1803  was  one  of  a 
committee  of  two  to  co-operate  with  a  similar 
committee  from  the  Reformed  church  to  decide 
upon  a  grave-yard  to  be  used  by  the  families  of 
the  two  church  organizations.  They  selected  a 
plot  of  ground  a  short  distance  above  the  once 
famous  village  of  "  Old  Town."  The  commit- 
tee was  also  instructed  to  build  a  church  upon 
the  same  lot  and  the  timbers  were  dressed  and 
drawn  to  the  place,  the  foundation  was  laid 
and  the  first  two  or  three  courses  of  logs  were 
placed  in  position  when  the  question  arose 
among  the  members  of  the  two  churches,  who  had 
gathered  from  far  and  near  to  the  "raising,"  "to 
whom  shall  the  church  and  land  be  deeded  ?  "  As 
that  important  question  could  not  be  satisfac- 
torily answered,  work  ceased,  and  to-day  heaps 
of  hewn  but  decayed  timber  and  the  four  logs 
that  were  placed  in  position  still  remain  to  mark 
the  site  of  the  proposed  church.  Josejih  Smelt- 
zer (father),  was  born  on  his  father's  farm  in  Bell 
township,  and  was  an  active  member  of  the  Luth- 
eran church,  holding  the  office  of  deacon  for  many 


years.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  St.  James 
Union  church,  which  was  built  in  1838,  by  the 
Lutheran  and  Reformed  denominations  of  Bell 
township.  He  was  a  successful  farmer  and  sup- 
ported the  democratic  party  until  his  death. 

He  married  Mary  Carnahan,  daughter  of 
David  Carnahan,  of  Westmoreland  county. 
They  had  three  children:  Benton,  living  at 
Paulton;  Albert,  a  resident  of  Jeannette ;  and 
H.  R.,  of  Apollo.  John  Carnahan  (maternal 
great-grandfather),  was  one  of  the  earliest  set- 
tlers of  Bell  town.ship,  where  he  built  a  log 
block-house  in  1774,  which  was  the  refuge  of 
his  neighbors  when  threatened  by  an  invasion 
of  the  Indians  during  that  year.  His  son, 
Capt.  James  Carnahan  (maternal  grandfather), 
commanded  the  1st  Independent  company  of 
Riflemen  at  Valley  Forge  and  fought  under 
Gen.  Wayne  at  Stony  Point,  and  served  under 
Arnold  and  Morgan  in  the  battle  of  Saratoga. 
He  was  accidentally  drowned  in  the  Allegheny 
river  in  the  winter  of  J  786. 

H.  R.  Smeltzer  attended  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  township.  Early  in  life  he  engaged 
in  the  general  mercantile  business,  which  he  has 
followetl  ever  since.  Soon  after  coming  to 
Apollo  he  opened  his  present  mercantile  estab- 
lishment. He  has  a  complete  stock  of  dry- 
goods,  groceries,  hardware  and  all  the  articles 
called  for  in  a  first-class  store.  Although  he 
has  been  a  resident  of  Apollo  but  for  a  short 
time,  yet  he  has  succeeded  in  establishing  a  sub- 
stantial and  rapidly  increasing  business. 

He  married  a  Miss  Johnson,  daughter  of 
William  Johnson,  of  Westmoreland  county, 
who  died  in  a  few  years,  and  for  his  second 
wife  he  married  Matilda  Jockey,  daughter  of 
Matthew  Jockey.  To  this  second  union  has  been 
born  one  child. 

In  politics  Mr.  Smeltzer  is  a  democrat.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church, 
and  for  the  last  six  years  has  been  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  Lutheran  Sunday-school  ol 
Apollo. 


426 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


GEORGE  W.  STEELE,  a  descendant  of 
the  old  and  substantial  Steele  family  of 
Westmoreland  county,  and  the  proprietor  of 
the  Steele  livery  stables,  of  Apollo,  was  born  in 
Washington  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  ^L^rch  1,  18.58,  and  is  a  son  of 
Absalom  and  Susan  (Kistler)  Steele.  The 
Steele  family  became  residents  of  Westmoreland 
county  at  an  early  day  and  were  among  the 
most  industrious  and  thrifty  families  of  western 
Pennsylvania.  The  paternal  grandfather  of 
George  W.  Steele  was  Joseph  Steele,  who  was 
born  in  Mount  Pleasant  township,  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  that  county.  Like  the  most  of  farm- 
ers' sons  of  that  early  day,  he  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  farming,  which  he  followed  until  his 
death.  He  married  Barbara  Blystone,  by  whom 
he  had  six  sons  and  three  daughters  of  whom 
the  eighth  child  was  Absalom  Steele  (father), 
who  was  born  in  Franklin,  township  in  1820, 
and  settled  in  AVashington  township,  West- 
moreland county,  where  he  has  been  engaged  in 
farming  for  many  years.  He  is  a  republican 
in  politics,  has  been  successful  in  farming  and 
stock-raising,  and  is  a  deacon  of  the  Reformed 
church,  of  which  he  has  been  a  useful  member 
for  many  years.  He  married  Susan  Kistler, 
daughter  of  Michael  Kistler,  who  was  an  old 
settler  and  highly  respected  citizen  of  West- 
moreland county.  To  them  were  born  eleven 
sons  and  one  daughter,  of  whom  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  the  seventh  child. 

George  W.  Steele  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm.  He  attended  the  common  schools  and 
Salem  academy  and  obtained  a  good  English 
education.  After  farming  for  several  years  he 
went  from  Westmoreland  to  the  oil  regions  of 
McKean  county,  where  he  remained  for  one 
year  at  Bradford  and  then  (1882)  came  to 
Apollo.  From  1882  to  1884  he  was  engaged 
as  a  clerk  in  his  brother's  shoe  and  gents'  fur- 
nishing goods  store,  and  in  the  latter  year  em- 
barked in  his  present  successful  livery  business 
on  Warren  avenue. 


September  29,  1885,  he  married  Mary  Jones, 
daughter  of  Robert  Jones,  of  Apollo.  They 
have  two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter :  Walter 
Raymond  and  Olive  Grace. 

In  politics  Mr.  Steele  has  always  supported 
the  republican  party.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  church  of  Apollo  and  the 
common  council  of  the  borough.  For  the  past 
six  years  he  has  been  building  up  a  good  pa- 
tronage in  his  livery  business.  His  stables  are 
well-filled  with  a  large  and  well  selected  assort- 
ment of  carriages,  buggies  and  carts  and  a  fine 
stock  of  riding  and  driving  horses.  He  never 
keeps  less  than  fifteen  head  of  horses  and  always 
has  experienced  and  trusted  drivers.  He  is  a 
respected  citizen  and  a  prominent  member  of 
Branch  No.  245,  Order  of  the  Iron  Hall,  and 
Darling  Council,  No.  250,  Junioi  Order  of 
United  American  Mechanics. 

The  Steele  family  is  one  of  the  old  families 
of  Ireland  from  which  James  Steele  (the  great- 
grandfather of  George  W.  Steele)  came  to 
Westmoreland  county,  this  State,  where  he  set- 
tled in  Mount  Pleasant  township,  and  after- 
wards served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary 
war. 


HENRY  UNCAFER.  By  thrift  and  in- 
dustry Henry  Uncafer  has  pushed  his 
way  to  the  front  rank,  in  spite  of  all  opposing 
difficulties,  and  now  is  numbered  among  the 
loading  business  men  of  Apollo.  He  is  the 
eldest  son  of  John  and  Matilda  (Boartz)  Un- 
cafer, and  was  born  in  Salem  village,  West- 
moreland county,  Pennsylvania,  in  October, 
1845.  The  Uncafer  family  is  of  German  de- 
scent. Peter  Uncafer  (grandfather)  was  born 
in  Westmoreland  county,  where  he  lived  nearly 
all  of  his  life.  He  was  a  quiet,  peaceable  farm- 
er, and  esteemed  by  his  neighbors  as  an  honest, 
industrious  man.  He  married  a  Miss  Shoe- 
maker. His  son,  John  Uncafer  (father),  was 
born  near  Saltsburg,  Indiana  county,   Pa.,  in 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


429 


1823.  Early  in  life  he  followed  the  trade  of 
blacksmith,  but  afterwards  entered  upon  a  mer- 
cantile life,  keeping  a  dry-goods  store.  He  was 
one  of  the  fortunate  business  men,  with  whom 
everything  prospered.  The  latter  years  of  his 
life  he  spent  at  Apollo.  He  was  an  active  poli- 
tician, always  voting  the  democratic  ticket.  He 
was  a  man  of  strong  convictions  and  always 
endeavored  to  act  as  his  conscience  directed. 
He  inherited  from  his  German  forefathers  those 
sturdy  and  commendable  qualities  of  persever- 
ance, energy  and  determination  which  tend  so 
much  to  make  a  business  man  successful.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Ldtheran  church.  He 
was  married  to  Matilda  I^oartz,  daughter  of 
Peter  Boartz,  by  whom  he  had  four  children, 
all  of  whom  are  still  living. 

Henry  Uncafer  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Apollo,  and  was  well  trained 
for  mercantile  pursuits  in  his  father's  store 
He  afterwards  entered  the  store  of  I'aul  Hacke, 
on  Sixth  avenue,  Pittsburgh,  as  a  clerk,  where 
he  remained  imtil  October,  1879,  when  he  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business  at  Apollo,  where 
he  has  since  resided.  From  a  small  beginning, 
his  business  has  increased,  until  now,  in  proper 
tions  it  ranks  second  to  none  in  Apollo.  He 
occupies  a  fine  establishment  40x100  feet,  the 
upper  part  of  which  is  filled  with  carpet  and 
clothing.  He  has  one  of  the  largest  general 
stores  at  Apollo  and  carries  a  well-selected  stock 
of  dry-goods,  groceries  and  all  articles  usually 
found  in  a  first-class  mercantile  establishment. 
He  is  always  atteutive  to  the  interests  of  his 
business  and  receives  a  liberal  patronage. 

In  October,  1872,  he  married  Julia  M.  Ross, 
daughter  of  Samuel  Ross,  of  Beaver  county,  Pa. 
They  have  two  children  living :  Herbert  Henry 
and  Howard  Ross,  both  of  whom  assist  their 
father  in  his  business. 

In  politics  Mr.  Uncafer  is  a  man  of  inde- 
pendent views,  and  votes  for  whichever  candi- 
date he  considers  the  worthier  man  and  the  bet- 
ter fitted  for  the  office.     He  is  a  member  of 


Apollo  Council,  No.  168,  Royal  Arcanum. 
Henry  Uncafer's  success  in  business  is  an  ex- 
emplification of  the  old  Scotch  adage:  Take 
care  of  the  pence  and  the  pounds  will  take  care 
of  themselves. 


OIMOX  S.  WHITLINGER.  Upon  honesty 
^  and  industry  as  a  foundation,  Simon  S. 
Whitlinger  has  built  for  him.self  not  only  a 
moderate  fortune,  but  a  reputation  for  honor 
and  integrity.  He  is  a  son  of  .lohn  and  Mary 
C.  (Shearer)  Whitlinger,  and  was  born  Decem- 
ber 28,  1816,  in  Westmoreland  county,  Penn- 
sylvania. His  father,  John  Whitlinger,  a  na- 
tive of  Germany,  came  to  the  United  States 
when  a  young  man,  and  settled  in  Westmore- 
land county.  By  occupation  he  was  a  farmer. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and 
adopted  the  tenets  of  the  democratic  party. 
He  married  Mary  Catherine,  a  daughter  of 
Louis  Shearer,  a  farmer  in  what  was  formerly 
Allegheny  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
and  who,  during  the  war  of  1812,  served  in 
the  United  States  army.  They  had  five  chil- 
dren :  John,  Jr.,  who  was  killed  by  the  Con- 
federates in  Missouri ;  Margaret,  wife  of  Samuel 
Harb  (now  deceasetl)  ;  Anna,  also  deceased ; 
Peter,  living  at  Saltsburg,  and  Simon  S.  Whit- 
linger. John  Whitlinger  was  a  sturdy,  honest 
German,  frugal  and  industrious,  as  was  becom- 
ing a  son  of  the  Fatherland. 

Simon  S.  Whitlinger  attended  the  schools  of 
Allegheny  township  and  of  Leechburg.  At  the 
age  of  fourteen  he  went  to  learn  the  trade  of 
tanner  with  David  Kuhns,  of  Leechburg.  Afler 
working  with  Mr.  Kuhns  for  five  years,  he 
bought  his  employer's  tannery,  and  conducted 
the  tanning  business  for  about  ten  years,  when 
he  sold  it  and  removed  to  Apollo.  Here  he 
started  a  new  tiinnery,  and,  after  operating  it 
for  ten  years,  transferred  it  to  his  eldest  son, 
J.  F.  Whitlinger,  who  still  carries  on  the  tan- 
ning business.    In  connection  with  his  tannery, 


430 


BIOOBAPHIES  OF 


he  was  engaged  in  harness  and  shoemaking, 
and  also  managed  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  acres.  After  he  disposed  of  the 
tiinnery  in  1858,  he  gave  his  whole  attention  to 
his  store,  adding  to  his  stock  a  full  line  of 
ready-made  clothing  and  furnishing  goods.  In 
spite  of  a  serious  loss  which  he  sustained  by 
fire,  he  has  steadily  added  to  his  fortune,  little 
by  little,  until  he  has  acquired  a  competency. 

He  married  Violet  Taylor,  daughter  of  INIat- 
thew  Taylor,  of  Leechburg.  She  died  in  1879. 
Tiiey  had  five  children :  J.  F.,  engaged  in  the 
tanning  business ;  Anna,  married  to  William 
AV^orthingtou ;  Louis,  who  is  now  a  plumber 
and  gas-fitter;  Sarah  Belle,  wife  of  Henry 
Druby,  and  Priscilla  Jane,  wife  of  George 
Brush. 

Although  a  republican  in  politics,  and  inter- 
ested in  the  success  of  his  party,  Mr.  Whitlinger 
is  no  politician  nor  office-seeker.  He  has  been 
steward  and  trustee  in  the  Methodist  church 
for  many  years,  and  is  highly  esteemed  among 
all  classes. 


JAMES  S.  WHITWORTH,  a  member  of  the 
Pittsburgh  and  the  Kittanniug  bar,and  now 
in  successful  practice  at  Apollo,  is  a  son  of  Smith 
and  Henrietta  (Ford)  Whitworth,  and  was  born 
at  Apollo,  Armstrong  county,  Peuusylvania 
March  13,  1857.  The  Whitworth  family  can 
be  traced  back  in  England  to  an  early  period  in 
its  history,  and  many  of  its  members  were  pro- 
fessional men  and  manufacturers.  Samuel  Whit- 
worth (great-grandfather)  was  a  civil  engineer. 
Samuel  Wiiitworth  was  the  father  of  Ricliard 
Whitwoi'th  (grandfather),  who  was  a  manufac- 
turer of  woolen  goods  in  England  and  afterwards 
in  the  United  States.  After  he  had  beeu  in 
business  for  some  years  in  England  lie  came 
to  Maryland,  where  he  erected  and  operated 
two  large  woolen-mills,  both  of  which  were 
burned  about  1888.  He  died  in  Baltimore  city 
after  he  had  been  in  this  country  for  some  years. 


Before  he  left  England  he  married  a  Miss  But- 
terworth,  whose  father  was  a  prominent  squire 
of  the  county  in  which  he  resided,  and  whose 
brother  fell  in  the  battle  of  Coruna,  in  Spain, 
under  the  celebrated  Sir  John  Moore.  They 
had  five  children :  Smith,  Richard,  Samuel, 
Alice  and  Samuel.  Mrs.  Whitworth  died  and 
Mr.  Whitworth  married  for  his  second  wife  a 
Miss  Grant,  who  bore  him  three  daughters. 
The  eldest  son.  Smith  AYhitworth  (father),  was 
born  in  Lancashire,  England,  and  about  1840 
came  to  Apollo,  where  he  was  engaged  exten- 
sively for  some  years  in  the  boating  business. 
He  then  turned  his  attention  to  grain  dealing 
and  the  mercantile  business,  and  in  1858  became 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  McCliutock  &  Co.,  who 
purchased  the  works  of  the  Kiskimiuetas  Iron 
company  and  manufactured  nails  for  several 
years.  In  1885  Mr.  Whitworth  retired  from 
active  business  life.  He  is  a  stanch  republican, 
a  strong  temperance  man  and  never  would  accept 
of  any  office  except  that  of  school  director,  which 
he  held  for  many  years.  His  business  life  was 
a  very  successful  one,  and  he  still  keeps  well 
informed  on  commercial  matters.  He  is  a  great 
reader,  has  a  retentive  memory  and  is  well 
versed  in  history  and  literature  and  reads  closely 
the  current  news  of  the  day.  He  is  one  of  the 
oldest  members  of  Apollo  Lodge,  No.  437,  F. 
and  A.  M.,  in  which  he  takes  a  deep  interest. 
He  married  Henrietta  Ford,  daughter  of  John 
Ford.  Their  children  are :  Dr.  Richard  S.,  of 
Allegheny  City,  Pa.;  John  F.,  a  lawyer  at  Kit- 
tanning;  Alice,  wife  of  Rev.  D.  K.  Nesbit,  a 
Presbyterian  minister  of  Peoria,  111. ;  James  S. 
and  ]\Iary  Whitworth,  who  died  Sept.  5,  1890. 
James  S.  Whitworth  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Apollo  and  entered  Vermillion  college, 
Ohio,  in  which  he  took  a  tlu-ee  years'  course. 
In  1878  he  became  principal  of  tiie  Apollo 
schools,  whicli  position  he  held  until  1880,  when 
he  registered  as  a  law  student  with  John  Gilpin, 
a  lawyer  of  Kittaiining.  On  May  1,  1882,  he 
was  admitted  to  the  Armstrong  county  bar  and 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


431 


soon  thereafter  went  to  Pittsburgh,  where  he 
practiced  for  two  years  in  partnership  with 
Charles  Taylor,  of  that  city.  In  1884  he  came 
to  Apollo,  where  he  has  been  in  the  successful 
practice  of  his  profession  ever  since.  He  has 
been  solicitor  for  the  borough  since  1885,  is 
attorney  for  the  Apollo  Iron  &  Steel  company 
and  solicitor  for  the  Apollo  Building  and  Loan 
association.  He  is  attentive  and  careful  in  all 
business  matters,  and  his  clients'  aifairs  are 
never  neglected  in  any  particular.  He  is  a  re- 
publican in  politics,  but  devotes  his  time  to  his 
profession. 

October  23,  1888,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Caroline  Orr,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Jane 
(Fuller)  Orr,  of  near  Spring  Church,  this  county. 
They  have  one  child,  a  son,  named  Smith  Nesbit 
Whitworth. 


AIKENS  S.  WOLFE,  a  courteous,  successful 
and  enterprising  photographer,  of  Apollo, 
is  a  son  of  Wallace  E.  and  Katharine  (Miller) 
Wolfe,  and  was  born  in  Kiskiminctas  township 
Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  August  25 
1850.  His  grandfather,  George  Wolfe,  was 
born  ill  Cumberland  county,  this  State,  August 
15,  1772,  married  Agnes  Evans,  who  was  born 
in  Butler  county,  March  22,  1788,  and  died  in 
1867.  He  was  a  farmer  during  most  of  his 
life  and  died  in  1853,  in  the  eighty-second  year 
of  his  age.  Wallace  E.  Wolfe  (father)  was 
born  in  Allegheny  county,  April  6,  1824,  and 
in  1847  marrietl  Katharine  Miller.  His  second 
wife,  whom  he  marrietl  in  1869,  was  Elizabeth 
Miller,  a  sister  of  his  first  wife.  They  were 
the  daughters  of  Joseph  Miller,  of  Kiskiminetas 
township,  Armstrong  county.  On  August  27) 
1864,  he  enlisted  in  the  service  of  the  Unitefl 
States  as  a  private  in  Co.  D,  6th  Pa.  Heavy 
Artillery,  servetl  ten  months  and  was  discharged 
June  13,  1865.  He  participated  in  the  various 
battles  and  engagements  of  his  regiment,  and 
after  his  return  from  the  army  was  engaged  in 


farming  until  he  retired  from  active  life,  in 
1880.  He  was  a  man  of  sound  judgment  and 
unquestioned  integrity. 

Aiken  S.  Wolfe,  after  leaving  the  public 
schools,  in  which  he  received  his  education, 
learned  the  art  of  photography,  and  for  the 
pa.st  twenty-one  years  has  been  engaged  in  that 
business  at  Apollo.  He  is  affable  in  manner, 
progressive  in  spirit,  keeping  well  up  with  the 
times  in  his  business  and  is  deserving  of  the 
success  he  has  achieved. 

On  June  6, 1872,  he  married  Tillie  N.  James, 
daughter  of  Jesse  James,  of  Apollo,  Armstrong 
county.  Their  union  has  been  blest  with  three 
.sons  :  Charles  P.,  Edgar  F.  and  Clifford  J. 

Although  no  politician,  he  is  an  earnest  sup- 
porter of  the  Republican  party.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Darling  Council,  No.  250,  Junior  Order 
of  United  American  Mechanics,  Kiskiminetas 
Lodge,  No.  1993,  Knights  of  Honor  and  Apollo 
Camp,  No.  155,  Sons  of  Veterans.  An  affable, 
courteous  gentleman,  Mr.  Wolfe  is  admired  by 
his  patrons  and  by  following  the  rule  that  "  what 
is  worth  doing  is  worth  doing  well,"  he  has  estab- 
lished himself  firmly  in  the  photograjihic  busi- 
ness and  built  up  a  large  patronage.  His  gallery 
is  complete  in  all  of  its  appointments  and  his 
work  has  always  rendered  satisfaction.  His 
integrity,  business  capacity  and  skill  as  an  artist 
are  beyond  question,  and  he  fully  deserves  the 
many  encomiums  which  have  been  pa.ssed  upon 
him  as  a  first-class  photographer. 


FRANK  T.  WRAY.  The  progressive 
borough  of  Apollo  is  highly  favored  in 
having  several  first-class  drug  stores,  among 
which  is  the  establishment  of  Frank  T.  AVray, 
a  practical  and  experienced  druggist.  He  is  a 
sou  of  William  H.  and  Susan  (Town.send) 
Wray,  and  was  born  near  Olivet,  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania,  May  16,  1852.  William 
H.  Wray  was  a  son  of  Robert  Wraj",  who 
came  from  eastern  Pennsylvania  and  purchased 


432 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


the  farm  now  known  as  the  old  "  Wray  Home-  j 
stead  "  at  "  Shady    Plain."        On    this  farm  \ 
William    H.      Wray      was     born,    December 
2,    1821.       On     this     farm      he     was     also 
reared,    and    was     afterwards     employed     in 
farming  near  Oliphant,  Pa.,  until  1859,  when 
he  met  with  an  accident  which  necessitated  his 
retirement  from  physical  labor.     He  then  came  i 
to  Apollo,  where  he  successfully  engaged  in  the 
drug  business  until    1882,  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  son,  the   subject  of  this    sketch. 
After   retiring    from    business,    he   resided  in 
Apollo  until  his  death,  which    occurred    April 
15,  1890.     He    was    a  republicsm   politically,  a 
member  and  trustee  of  the  Presbyterian  church  | 
and  a  well  respected  man  by  all  who  knew  him. 
He  was  elected  justice  of  the   peace,  but  being 
unassuming  as  well  as  modest,  it  took  consider-  j 
able  urging  on  the  part  of  his  friends  before  he 
would  accept    that    oflSce,    which    he    held    for  ; 
several  terms.       Well    informed    and   of  good 
education,  he  was  a  useful  citizen  as  well  as  an 
efficient  magistrate.     He  married  Susan  Towu- 
send,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Robert  Towusend, 
and  died   August    5,    1888.      They    were   the  ] 
parents   of  five  children,  of  whom    three  are 
living  :  Harry  C,  Frank  T.  and  William  S. 

The  youngest  son,  William  S.,  was  born 
October  21,  1862,  and  has  been  in  the  drug 
ljusiness  ever  since  leaving  school ;  first  with 
his  father  and  now  as  a  clerk  for  his  brother. 
He  married  Agnes  Gumbert,  daughter  of 
Daniel  Gumbert,  of  Paulton,  Pa.  They  have 
two  children :  Glaphy  B.  and  Catherine  L. 
He  is  a  republican,  a  presbyterian  and  a  well- 
qualified  druggist.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Mystic  Circle.  i 

Frank  T.  Wray   received    his  education    in 


the  public  schools  of  Apollo  and  Leechburg, 
and  Elder's  Ridge  academies.  He  then  was 
successively  a  clerk  in  a  general  mercantile 
establishment  and  his  father's  drug  store,  until 
1870,  when  he  assumed  charge  of  a  drug  store 
at  Manor  Station,  Pa.,  which  he  conducted  for 
seven  months.  He  then  resigned  that  position 
to  become  a  traveling  salesman  for  W.  L- 
Jones  &  Co.,  of  Pittsburgh.  Five  years  later 
he  accepted  a  similar  situation  with  Harris  & 
Ewing,  now  the  L.  H.  Harris  Drug  Co.,  and 
traveled  for  them  until  1882,  when  he  pur- 
chased his  father's  drug  store  at  Apollo,  where 
he  has  continued  successfully  in  the  drug  busi- 
ness ever  since.  He  also  has  a  stationery  store 
in  connection  with  his  drug  house,  and  carries  a 
large  stock  of  books  and  a  very  fine  class  of 
goods  in  the  line  of  stationery,  fancy  goods  and 
wall-paper. 

August  11,  1881,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Harriet  J.  Birch,  a  daughter  of  Hon.  John 
Birch,  of  Claysville,  Washington  county,  Pa., 
late  member  of  the  Honse  of  Representatives  of 
Pennsylvania.  To  their  union  have  been  born 
three  children  :  George  Birch,  born  August  15, 
1882;  Susie  T.,  born  September  20,  1885; 
and  James  McCarrell,  born  July  14,  1889. 
Mrs.  Wray  is  a  sister  of  the  Rev.  G.  W.  F. 
Birch,  D.  D.,of  New  York  City.Hou.  John  M. 
Birch,  of  Wheeling,  late  U.  S.  Consul  at 
Nagasaki,  Japan,  and  T.  F.  Birch,  an  attorney- 
at-law,  of  Washington,  Pa. 

In  politics  Mr.  Wray  has  always  been  n 
republican,  although  in  local  matters  he  votes 
for  the  most  suitable  and  best  qualified  man- 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and 
has,  by  his  diligence,  industry  and  capacity, 
become  one  of  the  most  expert  and  best  quali- 
fied druggists  in  the  county. 


LEECHBURG. 


Historical  and  Descriptive. — Situated  in  a 
deep  beud  of  the  Kisiviminetas  river,  five  miles 
above  its  conflueuce  with  the  Allegheny  and 
sixteen  miles  south  of  Kittanning,  is  Leech- 
burg,  one  of  the  progressive  and  manufacturing 
towns  of  the  lovel}'  Kiskiminetas  Valley. 
Leechburg  is  twenty-eight  miles  from  Pitts- 
burgh and  is  situated  in  one  of  the  finest  agri- 
cultural districts  and  richest  mineral  regions  of 
Armstrong  county.  The  site  of  the  town  is  on 
the  "John  Vanderen  tract,"  afterwards  called 
"  Friendship "  and  at  a  later  date  known  as 
"  White  Plains."  Leechburg  was  laid  out 
about  1828  by  David  Leech,  a  native  of  Mercer 
county,  who  erected  a  saw-mill  and  grist-mill. 
The  earliest  settlers  were  INIichael  Moorhead 
and  Joseph  Hunter. 

The  growth  of  Leechburg  commenced  with 
the  construction  of  the  canal,  was  checked  when 
the  railway  succeeded  the  canal  and  revived 
with  the  establishment  of  its  present  iron  in- 
dustries. It  was  laid  out  in  1828,  incorporated 
March  22,  1850,  and  has  a  population  of  over 
twenty-five  hundred. 

On  May  18, 1838,  thesteamboaf'New  Castle" 
arrived  at  Leechburg  from  Pittsburgh.  The 
first  school  was  taught  by  John  Foulk  prior  to 
1830,  and  in  1858  the  Leechburg  institute  was 
established.  The  first  resident  physician  was 
Dr.  George  W.  Marchand  and  its  leading  pliy- 
sicians  now  are:  Dr.  J.  A.  Armstroncr  and  Dr. 
R.  P.  Hunter.     The  Leechburg  cemetery  was 


incorporated  September  5,  1864.  The  first 
church  was  the  Presbyterian,  which  was  organ- 
ized April  24,  1844.  The  Hebron  Lutheran 
church  was  formed  November  21, 1844,  and  the 
Methodist  in  1846,  while  the  Baptist  church  was 
not  organized  until  1873.  Natural  gas  was  dis- 
covered in  1871,  at  twelve  hundred  and  fifty  feet, 
in  a  well  on  the  Westmoreland  side  of  the  river 
and  was  first  used  in  the  rolling-mill  in  1874. 

The  present  successful  iron  industries  had 
their  origin  in  1872,  when  Rogers  &  Burch- 
field  erected  extensive  iron  and  tin  works  and 
gave  employment  to  one  hundred  and  fifty 
hands.  Their  works,  including  the  Siberian 
rolling-mill,  subsequently  became  the  prop- 
erty of  Kirkpatrick  &  Beale.  The  West 
Penn  steel  works  comprise  an  open  hearth  steel 
furnace  at  Allegheny  and  have  their  sheet- 
iron  and  finishing  mill  at  Leechburg,  where 
they  employ  nearly  150  men.  Their  mill  ranks 
as  one  of  the  best  of  its  class  in  the  United 
States,  and  has  largely  added  to  the  prosperity 
of  the  town.  The  Leechburg  Foundry  and  Ma- 
chine company  of  Pittsburgh  have  an  extensive 
plant,  which  has  also  added  to  the  prosperity  of 
the  borough. 

Leechburg  is  lighted  by  natural  gas  and  con- 
tains steel  works,  a  sheet-iron  mill,  and  foundry 
and  machine  shop,  a  bank,  eight  churches,  two 
hotels,  two  flouring-mills  and  two  newspapers. 
Its  volume  of  business  is  constantly  increasing 
and  it  is  rapidly  growing  in  size  and  population. 

433 


434 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


TOHN  A.  ARMSTRONG,  A.M.,  M.D.,  of 
^  Leechbiirg,  has  been  the  arbiter  of  his  own 
good  fortune  iu  life  and  his  talent  and  labors 
have  wrought  out  marked  success  for  him  in 
the  field  of  his  chosen  profession.  He  was  born 
in  Allegheny  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  August  18,  1838,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Sarah  (Armstrong)  Armstrong.  His 
paternal  grandparents,  Robert  and  Ellen 
(McKee)  Armstrong,  were  natives  of  Ireland 
and  settled  in  Westmoreland  county  about  1828. 
They  reared  a  family  of  eight  children,  four 
sons  and  fonr  daughters.  One  of  these  sons, 
John  Armstrong,  was  the  father  of  Dr.  Arm- 
strong and  first  beheld  the  light  of  day  in  Ire- 
land, in  1799.  He  married  Sarah  Armstrong, 
of  Scotch  descent,  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1826  and  two  years  later  purchased  a  farm 
in  Allegheny  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
which  he  paid  for  with  his  earnings  as  a  con- 
tractor for  excavations  on  the  old  Pennsylvania 
canal. 

He  was  a  man  of  fair  education  and  a 
member  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  church 
and  gave  his  children  the  benefit  of  a  better 
education  than  what  he  had  obtained.  He  was 
bitterly  opposed  to  human  servitude  and  be- 
cause slavery  was  tolerated  in  the  United  States 
and  sanctioned  by  both  of  the  two  great  politi- 
cal parties  of  that  day,  he  would  never  connect 
himself  with  either  of  them.  He  died  iu  1872, 
aged  seventy-six  years  and  his  widow  passed 
away  in  1877,  when  in  the  seventy-fifth  year  of 
her  age.  To  their  union  were  born  ten 
children :  Adam  C,  who  was  killed  in  Ken- 
tucky ;  Ellen,  wife  of  Hugh  McElroy  ;  Robert, 
a  Westmoreland  county  farmer;  David,  an 
artist  by  profession;  Elizabeth,  who  married 
Hiram  Steele ;  Dr.  John  A.,  Sarah  A.,  wife  of 
James  D.  Boal;  Samuel,  who  resides  on  the 
old    homestead;    Mary   J.,    widow   of    Milton 


Free;  and  Margaret,  widow  of  William 
Sproull,  of  Parnassus. 

John  A.  Armstrong  attended  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  township,  pursued  his 
academic  studies  at  Ijcechburg  and  in  Pitts- 
burgh and  entered  Jefferson  college,  from  which 
institution  he  was  graduated  in  June,  1862. 
Leaving  college,  he  commenced  the  study  of 
medicine,  but  in  1863  became  a  member  of  Co. 
K.  of  a  regiment  of  Pa.  Militia.  On  August  29, 
1864,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  I,  205th  regiment.  Pa. 
Vols.,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  being 
honorably  discharged  on  June  13,  1865,  at 
Vienna,  Va.  Returning  home,  he  resumed  his 
medical  studies,  and  in  September,  1865,  entered 
Jefferson  Medical  college  of  Philadelphia,  Pa., 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1867.  In 
May  of  that  year  he  opened  an  office  in  Leech- 
burg,  where  he  soon  built  up  the  extensive  and 
lucrative  practice  which  he  now  enjoys. 

On  April  1,  1868,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Amanda  C.  McKallip,  daughter  of  Henry 
McKallip,  of  Ijeechburg.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Arm- 
strong have  four  children  :  Mary  Blanche,  wife 
of  Harry  Beale;  Anna  Orr,  Grace  Irwin  and 
Nellie  Caldwell. 

Dr.  John  A.  Armstrong  is  a  member  of  the 
Reformed  Presbyterian  church  and  is  a  republi- 
can in  politics.  He  has  a  fine  literary  educa- 
tion, received,  recently,  the  degree  of  A.M., 
from  his  Alma  Mater  and  has  served  his  bor- 
ough for  the  last  twelve  years  as  school  director 
with  good  purpose  and  to  the  benefit  of  the 
schools.  After  graduating  from  Jefferson  Medi- 
cal college  he  took  the  i'ull  course  of  one  of 
Philadelphia's  leading  hosjjitals,  from  which  he 
was  also  graduated.  He  is  an  esteemed  citizen 
of  his  borough  and  a  successful  physician  whose 
skill  has  jjlaced  him  among  the  foremost  physi- 
cians in  his  section  of  the  county. 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


435 


JAMES  J.  ARTMAN,  a  well-known  citizen 
of  Leechburg,  a  wounded  veteran  of  the 
grand  old  Pennsylvania  Reserves,  and  a  prom- 
inent member  of  the  Grand  Array  of  the  Re- 
public, was  born  in  Allegheny  township,  West- 
moreland county,  Pennsylvania,  February  12, 
1841,  and  is  a  son  of  Michael  and  Catherine 
(Kepple)  Artman.  The  Artmans  are  of  Ger- 
man descent.  His  paternal  grandfather,  John 
Artman,  was  a  native  of  Westmoreland  county, 
a  farmer  by  occupation  and  an  active  member 
of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  churcii.  Indus- 
trious and  frugal,  he  reared  a  respectable  family 
of  ten  children.  One  of  his  sons  was  Michael 
Artman  (father),  who  was  born  on  the  Alle- 
gheny township  farm  of  his  father,  in  1806, 
and  died  in  1888.  He  was  an  active  and  suc- 
cessful farmer,  a  worthy  member  of  the  Lu- 
theran church  and  a  conservative  democrat  in 
politics.  Although  non-active  in  political  af- 
fairs, yet  he  was  elected  by  his  fellow-citizens 
to  all  of  his  township's  various  offices.  He  was 
a  very  large  man,  of  plain,  unassuming  manners 
and  industrious  habits.  He  married  Catharine 
Kepple,  daughter  of  John  Kepple,  of  his  own 
neighborhood,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children, 
of  whom  but  one  is  dead. 

James  J.  Artman  was  reared  on  the  farm 
and  attended  the  common  schools  until  the 
commencement  of  the  late  civil  war.  On  June 
3,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  G,  11th  regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Reserves,  and  served  in  the  army 
of  the  Potomac  for  three  years,  during  which 
time  he  participated  in  innumerable  skirmishes 
and  many  hard  battles.  At  Fredericksburg 
he  was  shot  through  the  thigh,  taken  prisoner 
and  held  for  some  time  by  the  Confederates. 
After  being  exchanged  he  returned  to  his  com- 
pany, and  in  one  of  the  peninsular  fights  was 
again  taken  prisoner,  but  was  fortunate  enough 
to  be  paroled  in  a  few  days  after  his  second 
capture.  He  was  honorably  discharged  from 
the  United  States  service  on  June  5,  1864,  at 
Pittsburgh.     After   the   close   of  the   war   he 


engaged  in  carpentering,  which  he  has  followed 
until  the  present  time.  In  1884  he  came  to 
Leechburg,  where  he  has  resided  ever  since, 
and  is  now  engaged  in  millwrighting.  In  1890 
he  attended  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
encampment  at  Boston,  as  a  delegate  from  his 
post. 

On  September  17,  1866,  he  married  Jacobina 
Fowler,  daughter  of  Austin  Fowler,  of  Alle- 
gheny county,  a  relative  of  Gen.  Fowler.  To 
their  union  have  been  born  four  children : 
Christina  H.,  Katharine,  who  died  at  five  years 
of  age,  Laura  I.  and  Austin  J.,  who  is  attend- 
ing school. 

James  J.  Artman  is  an  active  republican  in 
politics  and  has  served  as  an  elder  and  trustee  in 
the  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  he  is  a  useful 
member.  He  is  a  member  of  Lodge  No.  241, 
A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  Post  No.  123,  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic. 


JOHN  S.  BOLE,  a  substantial  citizen  of 
^  Leechburg,  is  a  .son  of  David  and  Eliza- 
beth (ShaefFer)  Bole,  and  was  born  in  South 
Buffalo  township,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, September  6,  1822.  His  grandfather, 
James  Bole,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1752,  came 
to  America  early  in  life  and  settled  in  West- 
moreland county.  Pa.  He  afterwards  removed 
to  South  Buffalo  township,  this  county,  where, 
on  the  12th  of  April,  1815,  he  bought  a  farm 
of  two  hundred  and  one  acres,  called  "  Plom- 
biers,"  belonging  to  the  e.state  of  Claudius  An- 
tonious  Berter,  a  Frenchman,  lying  partly  in 
Butler  county,  for  seven  hundred  dollars,  on 
which  he  erected  a  saw-mill.  On  November 
26,  1818,  he  purchased  the  farm  called 
"  Union,"  containing  one  hundred  and  seven 
acres;  on  January  27,  1828,  he  purchased  a 
large  tract  of  land  on  which  stood  a  saw  and  a 
grist-mill,  for  five  thousand  dollars.  While  he 
may  not  have  been  a  wonderfully  rich  man,  he 
evidently  had  means  at  his  command.     He  was 


436 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


an  influential  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Slate 
Lick  Presbyterian  church,  iu  1802.  He  was  a 
drummer  in  the  United  States  army  in  the  war 
of  1812,  and  married  Mary  Painter,  by  whom 
he  had  a  large  family.  He  died  in  1834,  in 
the  eighty-third  year  of  his  age.  His  son, 
David  Bole  (father),  was  born  near  the  bound- 
ary line  of  Westmoreland  and  Armstrong  coun- 
ties, in  1798.  He  was  a  stone-cutter  by  trade, 
but  followed  farming,  first  in  Butler  county, 
some  three  miles  from  the  village  of  Freeport, 
and  afterwards,  for  the  remainder  of  his  life,  in 
Allegheny  township,  this  county,  near  Leech- 
burg.  His  death,  which  occurred  in  1865,  was 
the  result  of  injuries  received  from  being 
knocked  off  a  railroad  bridge  in  Johnstown, 
Cambria  county.  In  politics  he  was  what  is 
known  as  a  war-democrat;  he  attended  the 
Presbyterian  church  and  contributed  liberally 
to  its  support.  He  was  married  to  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  John  Shaeffer,  by  whom  he  had 
ten  children,  seven  sons  and  three  daughters. 
Six  of  these  sons  served  in  the  late  war.  His 
widow  is  now  in  her  ninety-third  year. 

John  S.  Bole  received  his  education  in  the 
subscription  schools  near  Freeport,  and  after- 
wards learned  the  trade  of  stone-mason.  In 
1872  he  came  to  Leechburg,  where  he  has  fol- 
lowed his  trade  ever  siuce.  He  owns  a  large 
stone  quarry  near  Leechburg,  and  a  farm  in  (he 
vicinity  of  that  place.  He  is  an  uncompro- 
mising republican  and  a  member  and  formerly  a 
trustee  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

On  June  30,  1846,  he  married  Jane  Carna- 
han,  a  daughter  of  Robert  Carnahan,  by  whom 
he  has  had  seven  children  :  Nancy  E.,  wife  of 
John  P.  Klingensmith,  who  has  four  chil- 
dren— Leota  L.,  Edna  M.,  Homer  J.  and  Earl 
C;  Mary,  who  married  B.  F.  Hill,  and  died 
in  Johnstown,  January  24th,  1889;  Robert, 
David,  Anna,  who  married  E.  K.  Sober,  and 
has  three  children — M'^illavene,  Jean  and  Mary 
(married  B.  F.  Hill,  and  has  had  five  children 


— Harry  W.,  John  K.,  Frank  L.,  and  Myrtle 
and  Ivy  (twins),  who  were  lost  in  the  Johns- 
town flood);  George,  who  married  Alma 
Louks ;  and  Lilian,  wife  of  Frank  Critsor. 

John  S.  Bole  is  possessed  of  great  energy  of 
character.  Industrious,  patient  and  persever- 
ing, he  has  succeeded  in  acquiring  a  compe- 
tency, and,  what  is  to  be  prized  more  highly, 
the  esteem  of  all  who  know  him. 


DANIEL  BOWERS.  An  old  established 
and  responsible  furniture  and  undertaking 
house  is  the  popular  and  highly  patronized  es- 
tablishment of  Daniel  Bowers.  It  is  the  oldest 
and  only  establishment  of  the  kind  at  Leech- 
burg, and  its  proprietor,  Daniel  Bowers,  stands 
high  as  a  man  of  intelligence,  integrity, 
eneigy  and  extended  business  experience.  He 
is  the  eldest  son  of  Samuel  and  Mary  A.  (Wan- 
amaker)  Bowers,  and  was  born  on  the  Bowers 
farm,  on  the  old  canal,  three  miles  below  Leech- 
burg, in  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  on 
Christmas  Day,  1846.  Samuel  Bowers  (father) 
was  born  at  Wilkinsburg,  Allegheny  county, 
August  10,  1815.  At  an  early  age  he  came  to 
this  county  and  settled  on  his  present  farm, 
below  Leechburg.  He  quarried  stone  exten- 
sively for  much  of  the  masonry  work  along  the 
old  canal,  and  then  for  many  years  furnished  the 
rock  for  many  of  the  large  banking  buildings 
and  business  establishments  of  Pittsburgh.  By 
prudence  and  industry  he  has  acquired  a  com- 
petency. Originally  a  vvhig,  and  now  a  repub- 
lican, he  takes  an  active  interest  in  political  af- 
fairs. He  married  Mary  A.  Wanamaker,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  Henry  Wanamaker,  of  near 
Leechburg,  and  died  in  April,  1890.  They  had 
three  children  :  Daniel,  Sylvester,  who  died  at 
nine  years  of  age,  and  Lucetta. 

Daniel  Bowers  was  reared  on  the  farm.  He 
attended  the  common  schools  and  entered  Leech- 
burg academy,  where  he  fitted  for  the  sopho- 
more class  in  college.    Leaving  the  academy,  he 


ARMSTMONO  COUNTY. 


437 


taught  one  term  of  school  at  Leechburg,  another 
at  Salem  Cross  Roads,  in  Westmoreland  couuty, 
and  then  was  principal  of  Brady's  Bend  public 
schools  for  twenty-one  months.  He  relinquished  ' 
teaching  to  become  book-keeper  of  Brady's 
Bend  iron-works,  at  that  time  one  of  the  largest 
iron  plants  in  the  State.  At  the  end  of  five 
years'  faithful  and  well-appreciated  service  in 
charge  of  the  books  of  the  iron  company,  he 
resigned  in  order  to  serve  as  assistant  door-  | 
keeper  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of 
Pennsylvania,  during  the  session  of  1872.  In 
1873  he  registered  as  a  lasv  student  with  Hon. 
E.  S.  Golden,  of  Kittanning,  but  during  the 
same  year,  upon  solicitation,  he  became  cashier 
of  the  then  newly  organized  Leechburg 
Banking  company,  and  held  that  position  for 
five  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  became 
partner  in  the  general  mercantile  house  of  John 
Schwalm,  and  continued  in  partnership  respec- 
tively with  Mr.  Schwalm's  successive  partners, 
R.  B.  Care  &  W.  J.  Steele,  until  September, 
1885,  when  he  retired  from  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness and  purchased  the  interest  of  Fred.  Grob- 
heiser,  in  the  Leechburg  furniture  factory.  In 
1887  he  purchased  the  interests  of  the  remaining 
partners, and  added  to  his  business  that  of  under- 
taking and  embalming.  In  the  disastrous  fire  of 
November,  1889,  his  house  and  store-room  were 
burned,  but  upon  their  ruins  he  has  just  erected 
a  fine  dwelling.  He  now  owns  the  only  furni- 
ture and  undertaking  establishment  at  Leech- 
burg. He  carries  a  large  and  splendid  stock  of 
furniture  of  different  grades,  and  an  unusually 
fine  line  of  burial  caskets  and  funeral  goods. 
He  understands  thoroughly  the  latest  and  most 
approved  methods  of  embalming  as  well  as 
being  an  efficient  funeral  director.  He  was  one 
of  the  prime  movers  in  the  organizatiou,  and  is 
now  president  of  the  Indiana,  Armstrong, 
Westmoreland  and  Butler  county  Undertaking 
association.  In  polities  Mr.  Bowers  is  an  active 
and  aggressive  republican,  and  has  been  for 
three  years  a  member  of  the  State  central  com- 


mittee of  that  party.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
I.  O.  O.  F.  and  Royal  Arcanum.  Ever  since 
he  began  life  for  himself  his  march  has  been 
steadily  ouward  in  the  line  of  business,  until  he 
has  attained  to  important  and  prominent  stand- 
ing among  the  leaders  of  commercial  enterprise 
at  Leechburg. 

On  June  27,  1876,  he  married  Lottie  E. 
Foab,  daughter  of  William  Foab,  of  Pittsburgh, 
formerly  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Foab,  Ever- 
son  &  Co.  They  have  iiad  six  children,  of 
whom  five  are  living  :  Everson,  William  Foab, 
Mollie,  Hannah  Foab  and  Judson. 


EZEKIEL  BREDIN,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Leechburg,  and  a  descendant  of  a  long- 
lived  race,  was  born  on  the  old  Bredin  home- 
stead, in  coimty  Londonderry,  Ireland,  Febru- 
ary 24,  1836,  and  is  a  son  of  Ezekiel  and 
Margaret  (Thomson)  Bredin.  The  Bredin 
homestead  is  situated  some  three  miles  west  of 
the  city  of  Londonderry,  aud  has  been  in  the 
possession  of  the  Bredin  family  for  several  gen- 
erations. James  Bredin  (grandfather)  was  an 
Irish  laud-holder  and  a  member  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church.  He  married  a  Miss 
Montgomery,  and  lived  to  be  over  ninety  years 
of  age.  One  of  his  sons,  Ezekiel  Bredin,  Sr. 
(father),  was  born  on  this  farm,  and  after  his 
father's  death,  succeeded  him  as  owner  of  the 
old  homestead.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  church,  in  politics  belong- 
ing to  the  Liberal  party,  and,  like  his  father, 
lived  to  be  over  ninety  years  of  age.  He  mar- 
ried Margaret  Thomson,  a  daughter  of  Henry 
Thomson,  of  county  Donegal,  Ireland.  To 
their  union  were  born  eight  children,  four  sons 
and  four  daughters,  six  of  whom  are  living. 
Five  of  these  children  are  still  in  Ireland, 
while  Ezekiel,  the  youngest,  is  at  Leechburg. 

Ezekiel  Brediu  received  his  education  in  a 
private  school  in  Londonderry,  and  in  1853 
entered  a  grocery  store  aud  served  an  appren- 


438 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


ticeship  of  six  years.  In  1869  he  engaged  in 
mercantile  life  for  himself,  but  the  next  year 
disposed  of  his  grocery  store  and  emigrated 
from  Ireland  to  the  United  States.  Upon  land- 
ing at  New  York,  he  came  to  Pittsburgh, 
where  he  was  'engaged  for  several  years  as  a 
clerk  in  commercial  houses,  and  then  with  a  feed 
and  grain  firm  on  Penn  avenue.  On  May  31, 
1877,  he  removed  to  Leechburg  and  rented  a 
store-room  at  the  steel  mill,  where  he  engaged 
in  business.  In  1884  he  erected  his  present 
building  on  the  corner  of  Third  street,  in  one 
part  of  which  he  put  his  grocery,  while  the 
other  part  he  rented  for  a  restaurant.  In  1889 
he  sold  out  his  business  to  his  son  and  a  Mr. 
Creery.  He  has  been  very  successful  in  busi- 
ness, has  invested  largely  in  real  estate,  and  is 
now  among  the  largest  property-holders  of 
Leechburg. 

September  29,  1859,  he  married  Georgiana 
Kirkpatrick,  a  daughter  of  John  Kirkpatrick, 
of  Londonderry.  To  their  union  have  been 
born  three  children,  only  oneof  whom  is  living: 
John  C.  Bredin,  a  merchant  of  Kittanning. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Bredin  is  an  active  republi- 
can, and  has  served  several  terms  as  a  member 
of  the  borough  council.  To  his  quick  percep- 
tion, good  judgment  and  great  energy  must  be 
attributed  his  financial  success,  as  he  has  made 
his  way  in  life  by  his  own  unaided  efforts. 


WILLIAM  ROBERT  DUFF,  one  of  the 
old  and  highly  respected  citizens  and  suc- 
cessful business  men  of  Leechburg,  has  aided 
largely  in  securing  the  material  development  of 
southern  Armstrong  county.  He  is  one  of  that 
class  of  men,  in  every  county,  whose  integrity, 
industry  and  usefulness  give  prosperity  to 
business  in  all  of  its  many  branches.  William 
R.  Duff  was  born  near  the  old  Poke  Run 
Presbyterian  church,  in  Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  January  26,  1815,  and  is  a  son 


of  James  and  Jane  (McGeary)  Duff.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  Robert  Duff,  was  a  native 
of  county  Armagh,  Ireland,  and  became  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  the  northern  part  of  West- 
moreland county.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation and  afterwards  removed  to  the  southern 
part  of  Butler  county,  where  he  purchased  a 
large  farm  on  Bull  creek  and  planted  the  first 
apple  orchard  in  all  that  section  of  country. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  U.  P.  church  and  was 
married  in  Westmoreland  county,  to  Ann  Duff, 
a  native  of  Scotland,  and  who  bore  him  several 
children.  One  of  his  sons  was  James  Duff 
(father),  who  was  born  near  the  old  Poke  Run 
church,  October  14,  1789,  and  died  in  1818. 
He  was  a  hatter  by  trade,  a  member  of  the  U. 
P.  church  and  a  democrat  in  politics,  as  was 
his  father  before  him.  Active  in  church  work 
and  successful  and  honorable  in  business,  he 
was  cut  down  by  death  when  entering  upon 
what  promised  to  be  a  long  and  pi'osperous  life- 
career.  He  married,  on  March  11,  1814,  Jane 
McGeary,  daughter  of  William  McGeary,  by 
whom  he  had  two  children  :  William  R.  and 
Ann,  who  was  born  in  1817,  and  is  the  wife 
of  Hugh  Robinson,  of  Kansas  City.  Two  years 
after  Mr.  Duff's  death  his  widow,  who  was 
born  November  5, 1789,  and  died  in  1867,  mar- 
ried Nathaniel  Miller,  by  whom  she  had  eight 
children.  Her  father,  William  McGeary,  served 
as  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812. 

William  R.  Duff  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
attended  the  subscription  schools  of  his  day, 
which  were  taught  in  the  old  log  school -houses 
on  Bull  creek.  At  seventeen  years  of  age  he 
left  the  farm  and  learned  the  trade  of  tailor,  which 
he  followed  for  nearly  fifteen  years  in  Pitts- 
burgh and  at  Tarentum,  Pa.  In  1858  he  came 
to  Leechburg,  where  he  opened  and  conducted  a 
merchant  tailoring  establishment  for  several 
yeai-s  and  then  engaged  in  the  general  mercan- 
tile business  on  Canal  street,  which  he  continued 
until  1875.  Since  then  he  has  been  extensively 
engaged  and  largely  interested  in  real  estate  and 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


439 


especially  in  coal  lands  in  southern  Armstrong 
and  northern  Westmoreland  counties. 

February  15, 1838,  he  married  Elizabeth  Miles, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Miles,  of  Allegheny  county. 
They  had  six  children  :  Jane  A.,  who  married 
Samuel  Sober,  of  Westmoreland  county,  and  has 
ten  children  living,  six  sons  and  four  daughters  : 
Miles,  a  machinist,  who  served  in  the  12th  Ohio 
and  123d  Pa.  Vol.  regiments,  and  was  discharged 
once  on  account  of  his  wounds;  Charles,  who 
lived  in  Tennessee  and  was  killed  at  Dalton, 
Georgia,  where  he  was  serving  as  a  soldier  in  a 
Confederate  regiment;  John  T.,  a  prominent 
lawyer  of  Allegheny  county,  who  filled  one  of 
the  first  appointments  made  in  the  Freedmeu's 
Bureau,  in  Tennessee,  and  who  for  several  years 
has  been  prominent  and  active  in  State  and 
National  politics  in  the  anti-prohibition  party, 
of  whose  last  campaign  in  Pennsylvania  he  had 
entire  charge ;  Willie,  who  died  young ;  and 
one  who  is  deceased.  Mrs.  Duff  died  in  1850, 
and  Mr.  Duff  married  for  his  second  wife, 
Lavina  Dougherty,  daughter  of  Jesse  Dough- 
erty, by  whom  he  has  two  children :  Mary 
Belle,  wife  of  John  W.  Frew  ;  and  Frank  C, 
a  graduate  of  Utica  Business  College. 

William  E..  Duff  is  a  republican  from  princi- 
ple, but  was  a  whig  during  the  existence  of  that 
party.  He  has  served  as  justice  of  the  peace 
for  over  thirty  years,  serving  in  Allegheny 
county  for  five  years  and  at  Leechburg  for 
twenty-six  years.  In  addition  to  serving  as  jus- 
tice he  has  filled  all  the  other  offices  of  his  borough 
and  was  a  member  of  the  school  board  when 
the  present  handsome  public  school  building 
was  erected.  He  is  a  deacon  and  trustee  of  the 
Leechburg  Baptist  church,  of  which  he  is  one 
of  the  founders.  He  is  a  charter  member 
of  Lodge  No.  577,  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons, at  Leechburg.  Although  not  enjoy- 
ing the  best  of  health  for  several  years,  yet  he 
has  always  kept  up  his  busine.ss  affairs  in  the  best 
shape.  Squire  Duff  is  of  Scotch-Irish  descent. 
Although  constantly  engaged  in  the  manage- 
26 


ment  of  his  business  interests,  yet  he  is  always 
active  and  progressive  in  church  matters  and 
never  neglects  the  cause  of  temiierance,  which 
has  enlisted  his  warm  support  and  earnest 
labors  for  over  half  a  century.  He  never  made 
any  use  of  liquor,  has  always  been  upright  iu 
his  business  dealings  and  is  now  in  the  vigor  of 
well-preserved  old  age. 


THOMAS  JEFFERSON  ELWOOD,  ex- 
county  treasurer  of  Armstrong  county  an<l 
present  assistant  manager  of  the  West  Pemi 
Steel  work.s,  has  been  prominently  identified 
with  the  business  life  and  material  prosperity  of 
Leechburg  for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century.  He 
is  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Patterson)  Elwood, 
and  was  born  at  Apollo,  Armstrong  county, 
Pennsylvania,  March  4,  1840.  The  Elwood 
family  of  this  county  traces  its  American  ances- 
try back  to  James  Elwood,  the  grandfather  of 
Thomas  J.  Elwood,  who  came  from  the  north  of 
Ireland  to  Pennsylvania  with  a  brother,  who 
settled  near  Philadelpliia.  James  Elwood 
pushed  westward  to  Westmoreland  ccnuity, 
where  he  located  and  livetl  to  the  ripe  old  age 
of  ninety-six  years.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation and  a  strict  presbyteriau  in  religious 
faith.  One  of  the  sons  born  to  him  in  his 
We.stmoreland  county  home  was  John  Elwood 
(father),  who  was  born  in  1796,  three  miles 
from  Oakland  X  Roads,  and  died  in  1878.  He 
was  a  cabinet-maker  and  house  building  con- 
tractor, who  erected  many  of  the  houses  at 
Apollo  and  elsewhere  iu  the  southern  part  of 
this  county.  He  came  to  Apollo  about  1830, 
where  he  was  one  of  the  three  men  who  voted 
for  Kimber  Cleaver,  the  free  soil  candidate  for 
governor  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a  man  of 
decided  views  and  opinions,  was  a  decided  aboli- 
tionist and  held  various  township  offices.  He 
was  one  of  the  early  methodists  in  this  section 
of  the  county.     He  married  Mary  Patterson, 


440 


BIOOBAPUIES  OF 


whose  father,  Robert  Patterson,  was  lost  at  sea 
while  on  the  way  to  Europe.  They  had  four 
sons,  of  whom  three  are  living  (see  sketch  of  W. 
J.  Elwood).  Mrs.  Elwood  survived  her  hus- 
band two  years  and  died  in  1880. 

Thomas  J.  Elwood  was  reared  at  Apollo, 
where  he  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  and  learned  the  trade  of  harness-maker. 
When  the  late  war  broke  out  he  enlisted  in  the 
17th  regiment,  Pa.  Vols.,  but  was  assigned  to 
duty,  by  the  secretary  of  war,  at  harness-making 
in  the  Allegheny  arsenal,  where  he  served  out 
his  term  of  enlistment.  After  the  war  he  came 
to  Leechburg,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  salt  for  several  years.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  he  went  into  the  grain  and 
flour  business,  which  he  followed  successfully 
until  he  purchased  the  Leechburg  flouring- 
mill,  which  he  operated  until  1884,  when  he 
sold  it  to  Schwalm  &  Elwood  and  accepted  his 
present  position  with  the  West  Penn  Steel  com- 
pany as  assistant  manager  of  their  works.  He 
is  a  republican,  has  held  all  of  the  borough 
offices  except  that  of  burgess  and  in  1878  was 
elected  treasurer  of  Armstrong  county.  He  so 
well  performed  his  duties  of  treasurer  as  to 
secure  the  commeudation  of  all,  irrespective  of 
party.  He  carefully  protected  the  interests  of 
the  county  and  insisted  upon  a  due  and  just 
economy  in  all  public  expenditures. 

January  12,  1877,  he  married  Bella  Parks. 
They  are  the  parents  of  three  children :  John 
Bratten,  born  in  1878  ;  Thomas  Jefferson,  Jr., 
and  Robert  Parks. 

In  religious  belief  Mr.  Elwood  is  a  presby- 
terian  and  a  member  of  the  Leechburg  church 
of  that  denomination.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Royal  Arcanum,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons, 
and  Kittanning  Chapter,  High  Royal  Arch 
Masons.  He  is  a  republican  from  principle. 
Intelligent,  prominent  and  useful  as  a  citizen, 
his  career  as  a  business  man  has  been  remark- 
ably successful,  and  his  services  in  his  present 
responsible  position  have  been  alike  creditable 


to  himself  and  profitable  to  the  important  manu- 
facturing company  with  which  he  is  engaged. 


TAMES  T.  ENWER,  a  man  of  many  years' 
^  successful  mercantile  experience  and  the 
proprietor  of  one  of  the  leading  mercantile  estab- 
lishments of  Leechburg,  is  a  .son  of  John  and 
Priscilla  (Douthett)  Enwer,  and  was  born  in 
Allegheny  city,  Pennsylvania,  May  5,  1856. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  Robert  Enwer,  was 
born  in  Ireland  and  came  with  his  parents  to 
Westmoreland  county,  Pa.  One  of  his  sons, 
John  Enwer  (father),  was  born  at  the  village  of 
North  Washington,  Westmoreland  county.  At 
an  early  age  he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  the 
retail  dry -goods  store  of  his  uncle  in  Pittsburgh. 
At  eighteen  years  of  age  he  entered  mercantile 
life  for  himself  and  did  business  for  several  years 
on  Federal  street,  in  Allegheny  city.  In  1872 
he  disposed  of  his  stock  of  goods  and  entered 
the  employ  of  the  well-known  firm  of  Boggs  & 
Buhl  and  is  now  their  head  salesman.  He  ranks 
as  one  of  the  leading  salesmen  of  the  State.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Third  United  Presbyterian 
church  of  Allegheny  city,  and  a  republican  in 
politics.  He  married  Priscilla  Douthett,  a 
daughter  of  William  Douthett,  of  Mercer  county, 
and  they  have  been  the  parents  of  four  children : 
James  T.,  Robert  A.,  John  and  Minnie. 

James  T.  Enwer  was  rearetl  in  Allegheny 
city  and  attended  the  third  ward  public  schools 
of  that  city  and  Oakdale  institute.  Early  in 
life  he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  his  father's 
store  for  two  years,  then  entered  a  store  on  the 
corner  of  Chestnut  and  Long  streets  as  a  sales- 
man aud  remained  two  years.  He  was  then 
successively  employed  in  the  mercantile  houses 
of  Bennett,  McKean  and  Caldwell,  of  Pitts- 
burgh. Leaving  Caldwell's,  he  was  a  salesman 
for  Boggs  &  Buhl,  of  Allegheny  city,  for  five 
aud  one-half  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he 
engaged  with  Jo.seph  Home  &.  Co.,  and  had 
charge  of  their  dress-goods  department  for  six 


A Ii^f STRONG  COUNTY. 


441 


years.  On  September  17,  1887,  he  purchased 
the  store  of  Joseph  Andersou,  of  Leechburg, 
and  eutereil  into  the  general  mercantile  business, 
which  he  has  pursued  successfully  ever  since. 
His  natural  good  taste  and  his  valuable  experi- 
ence in  the  leading  mercantile  establishments  of 
Pittsburgh  and  Allegheny  city,  enable  him  to 
select  the  latest,  most  fashionable  and  best  goods 
in  the  market.  His  mercantile  establishment  is 
on  the  corner  of  Market  and  Middle  streets  and 
is  constantly  filled  with  a  fine  stock  of  goods 
needed  to  meet  the  wants  of  his  many  patrons. 

November  30,  1882,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Mamie  Campe,  a  daughter  of  Henry  E. 
Campe,  of  Sharpsburg,  Pa.,  the  son  of  a  French 
nobleman,  who  came  to  Tarentum,  Pa.,  but 
soon  returned  to  his  native  land.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Enwer  have  three  children,  two  sons  and  .one 
daughter:  Henry  Campe,  born  February  11, 
1884 :  Edith  Mamie,  born  in  March,  1886  • 
and  James  T.,  Jr.,  born  in  November,  1888. 

James  T.  Enwer  is  a  member  and  trustee  of 
Leechburg  Baptist  church  and  the  efficient 
superintendent  of  its  Sunday  school.  He  always 
takes  an  active  part  in  the  work  of  the  church. 
He  is  a  republican  in  politics,  a  member  of  the 
Royal  Arcanum,  and  of  the  Junior  Order  of 
United  American  Mechanics.  Mr.  Enwer  is  a 
courteous  and  honorable  gentleman,  a  successful 
business  man,  and  is  especially  deserving  of  the 
success  he  has  achieved  and  the  esteem  in  which 
he  is  held. 


GEORGE  H.  GOODSELL,  one  of  the 
owners  and  the  general  manager  of  the 
West  Penn  steel-works  at  Leechburg,  is  a  po- 
tent factor  in  the  iron-producing  industries  of 
the  great  Allegheny  Valley  and  possesses  a  varied 
business  experience  acquired  in  many  different 
parts  of  the  world.  He  was  born  in  Broome 
county.  New  York,  September  27,  1839,  and  is 
a  son  of  Dr.  Isaac  and  Rachel  (Panna)  Good- 
sell.  According  to  the  accounts  handed  down  in 


the  family,  there  wei-e  two  brothers  by  the  name 
of  Goodsell  who  emigrated  from  England  to 
Massachusetts  long  prior  to  the  Revolutionary 
war,  and  from  one  of  them  is  descended  the 
Goodsell  families  of  New  York  and  Pennsyl- 
vania. A  descendant  of  the  New  York  family 
was  John  Good.sell  (grandfather),  who  was  a 
native  of  Duchess  county,  that  State,  where  he 
followed  farming.  He  served  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary struggle,  was  a  member  of  the  Methotlist 
church  in  the  early  days  of  its  existence  in  the 
United  States,  and  gave  to  his  children  the  best 
education  that  the  times  in  which  he  lived  al- 
lowed. He  had  three  sons  and  one  daughter. 
John,  the  eldest  .son,  was  president  of  a  college 
in  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y. ;  the  second  son,  Buell, 
a  prominent  minister  and  presiding  elder  in  the 
M.  E.  church,  wa,s  the  father  of  Bishop  Good- 
sell,  now  of  Texas,  and  the  youngest  son  was 
Dr.  Isaac  Goodsell  (father),  who  was  a  graduate 
of  a  leading  New  York  medical  scliool.  When 
about  thirty  years  of  age  he  removed  to  Broome 
county,  New  York,  where  he  practiced  his  pro- 
fession successfully  until  about  1845.  He  died  in 
1852  and  left  behind  him  the  record  of  a  well- 
spent  life.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the 
M.  E.  church,  a  strong  anti-slavery  advocate 
and  a  remarkably  successful  physician.  He 
married  Rachel  Panna,  who  was  a  daughter  of 
Isaac  Panna,  and  died  when  comparatively  a 
young  woman  and  left  eight  children,  all  of 
whom  grew  up  to  years  of  accountability  and 
of  whom  six  are  still  living. 

George  H.  Goodsell  was  reared  in  his  native 
county,  and,  after  leaving  school,  learned  the 
trade  of  machinist  in  the  Susquehanna  machine 
shops.  At  the  end  of  his  apprenticeship  he  de- 
sired to  see  something  of  sea-life,  and  shipped 
on  a  whaling  vessel,  which  sank  a  year  after- 
waixls  in  the  Indian  ocean,  and  from  which  he 
barely  escaped.  He  then  secured  the  position 
of  machinist  and  second  engineer  on  board  tlie 
British  ship  "  Sea  Snake,"  which  was  a  mail 
steamer,  and  ran   from  South  Africa  to  many 


442 


BIOQBAPHIES  OF 


different  points  in  India  and  along  the  Red  sea. 
At  the  end  of  eighteen  months  he  resigned  this 
position  and  returned  to  New  York,  where  he 
worked  at  his  trade  until  August,  1861,  when 
he  enlisted  in  Co.  F,  50th  regiment,  N.  Y. 
Vols.,  and  served  three  years  and  one  month  in 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  was  shot  in  the 
left  foot  in  the  last  fight  in  which  he  was  en- 
gaged, and  when  he  had  fully  recovered  from  his 
severe  wound  he  went  to  the  oil  region  of  Penn- 
sylvania as  the  agent  of  the  Coalville  Petroleum 
Oil  company,  and  while  there  he  also  secured 
the  agency  of  the  Eldorado  Oil  company  of 
Philadelphia.  In  addition  to  transacting  the 
business  of  those  companies  he  engaged  in  con- 
tracting and  sunk  several  wells.  In  1867-  he 
sundered  his  entire  connection  with  the  oil 
business  and  removed  to  Michigan,  where  he 
remained  for  two  years.  He  then  came  to 
Leechburg,  and,  after  three  months'  service  as 
an  engineer  at  Apollo,  he  became  master  me- 
chanic or  chief  machinist  of  both  the  Apollo 
and  Leechburg  iron-mills  (while  in  this  posi- 
tion he  was  the  first  person  to  apply  natural  gas 
in  the  manufacture  of  iron),  which  position  he 
held  for  some  time,  but  resigned  in  order  to 
superintend  the  erection  of  the  new  mill  of  the 
Apollo  Iron  and  Steel  company.  He  also 
superintended  the  building  of  the  present  mill 
of  the  ^yest  Penn  Steel  company  at  Leechburg, 
of  which  he  is  one  of  the  stock-holders  and  the 
general  manager. 

September  28,  1865,  he  married  Mary  Ann 
Trout,  daughter  of  Jacob  Trout,  of  Westmore- 
land county.  They  have  five  children  :  Jennie 
H.,  a  teacher,  and  attending  De  Pauw  university ; 
Homer  H.,  a  shearman  in  the  mill  ;  John  W., 
Mary  and  Charles,  who  are  attending  school. 

Politically  Mr.  Goodsell  is  a  republican,  who 
believes  in  the  tariff  as  being  essentially  necessary 
not  only  for  the  protection,  but  also  for  the  very 
preservation  of  American  industries.  The  West  j 
Penn  steel-works  comprise  an  open-hearth  steel 
furnace,  located  at  Allegheny,  and  a  sheet  and 


finishing  mill  at  Leechburg,  and  in  operating 
them  Mr.  Goodsell  employs  over  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  men.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  church,  tlie  Masonic  fraternity,  the 
American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers  and 
the  Gi-and  Army  of  the  Republic.  With  an 
aptitude  for  business  and  considering  its  various 
and  extensive  benefits,  George  H.  Goodsell  liaa 
come  to  look  upon  it  as  a  duty  and  a  pleasure. 
By  nature  fitted  for  the  bu.stle  of  the  world,  his 
plans  are  no  sooner  properly  matured  than  in- 
stantly put  into  execution.  He  po.ssesses  strong 
common  sense  to  adopt  the  right  view  of  a  sub- 
ject and  foresight  and  i)romptitude  to  avail 
himself  of  first  opportunities,  by  which  he  has 
often  won  success  over  seemingly  insurmounta- 
ble obstacles. 


ALBERT  M.  GOSSER,  a  resident  and  one 
of  the  leading  merchants  of  Leechburg, 
was  born  January  14,  1834,  at  Adamsburg, 
Westmoreland  county,  Penn.sylvania,  and  is  a 
son  of  William  and  Susan  (Kistler)  Go.sser,  a 
native  of  Northampton  county,  this  State,  who 
same  to  this  county  at  an  early  day,  and  was  a 
contractor  on  the  Greensburg  and  Stoystown 
pike.  One  of  his  .sons,  William  Gosser  (father), 
was  a  blacksmith,  and  prior  to  1840  worked  at 
his  trade  in  Adamsburg ;  but  in  that  year  he 
removed  to  Leechburg,  where  he  continued  at 
his  trade  until  some  twenty  years  before  his 
death,  when  he  retired  from  business.  He  died 
at  Leechburg  in  1888,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five 
years.  He  belonged  to  the  Lutheran  church, 
was  a  life-long  democrat  and  a  popular  man, 
serving  his  borough  as  a  burge.ss  and  council- 
man. Strong-willed,  honest  and  successful  in 
life,  he  was  highly  regarded  by  all  who  knew 
him,  and  had  hosts  of  friends.  His  wife,  who 
was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  died  in 
1838,  at  Adamsburg. 

Albert  M.  Gosser,  though   born  at  Adams- 
burg,   was   reared    at    Leechburg,    Armstrong 


^ 


ABhf STRONG   COUNTY. 


446 


county,  Pa.,  where  he  received  a  common-school 
education.  He  afterwards  learned  the  trade  of 
marble-cutting  at  Greensburg,  Pa.,  with  his 
cousin,  Capt.  Daniel  Kistler,  who -was  mortally 
wounded.  He  carried  on  the  marble  busine-ss 
for  several  years,  and  had  a  large  trade  in 
Westmoreland,  Armstrong  ami  Indiana  conn 
ties.  The  inhalation  of  marble  dust  so  im- 
paired his  health  that  in  1865  he  reliniiuished 
the  marble  business,  and  purchased  a  boat  called 
the  "  Spartan,"  which  plied  on  the  Allegheny 
river,  and  of  wliicii  he  was  captain.  This  w.as 
during  the  early  oil  excitement  in  Venango 
county,  where  he  sold  at  Pithole  City  seventy 
cargoes  of  coal  and  potatoes  at  %\  and  $1.25, 
respectively,  per  bushel.  Tlie  A.  V.  R.  R.  was 
soon  built  after  this,  and  destroyed  the  profita- 
ble river  trade.  Capt.  Gosser  then  disposed  of 
his  boat  in  1867,  and  returned  to  Leechburg, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness until  1871,  when  he  sold  his  store  and 
removed  to  Allegheny  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  where,  in  1872,  he  erected  his  present 
fine  residence  on  a  high  plateau  which  over- 
looks the  Kiskimiuetas  Valley  and  West  Penn- 
sylvania railroad  for  many  miles.  In  1883  he 
again  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business  at 
Leechburg,  which  he  has  pursued  successfully 
ever  since.  In  1883  he  erected  his  large  three- 
story  brick  mercantile  astablishment  on  the 
corner  of  Market  street  and  Bridge  alley.  He 
carries  a  large  stock  of  general  merchandise, 
including  special  lines  of  fine  dress  goods,  clo-  ; 
thing,  shoes  and  carpets.  He  has  always  been 
the  leading  merchant  of  his  borough,  and  in  ; 
1884  he  was  one  of  the  democratic  nominees 
for  a.ssenibly,  but  with  the  remainder  of  his 
party  ticket  was  defeated  by  a  small  majority. 

Albert  M.  Gosser  was  married  in  1858  to 
Susan,  a  daughter  of  Israel  Hill,  of  Armstrong 
county,  by  whom  he  has  four  sons  and  four  | 
daughters:  Newton  H.,  Emma  D.,  Homer  D., 
Franklin  T.,  Lydia  K..  Lottie  E.,  Grace  T;. 
and   William  .A..     Of  these  children,  Franklin 


I.  Gosser  is  a  graduate  of  the  law  department 
of  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor 
and  a  practicing  attorney  of  Pittsburgh.  New- 
ton H.  Gosser  is  engaged  in  the  furniture  and 
contracting  business  at  Apollo.  D.  Homer  is 
a  graduate  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  Commercial  col- 
lege and  clerk  in  his  father's  store;  and  the 
(ifliers  arc  yet  at  home. 

It  was  mainly  through  the  efforts  of  Mr. 
Gosser  that  the  bridge  across  the  Kiskimiuetas 
river  at  Leechburg  wa.s  made  free  to  the  inhab- 
itants of  Westmoreland  and  Armstrong  coun- 
ties. Mr.  Gosser  felt  that  it  was  a  great  impo- 
position  on  the  people  of  Allegheny  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  and  Leechburg  to  have 
to  pay  taxes  to  keep  up  the  bridges  in  the  other 
parts  of  their  respective  counties,  and  then  have 
to  pay  toll  on  their  own  bridge.  After  a  long 
and  persistent  contest,  Mr.  Gosser's  efforts  in 
l)ehalf  of  his  fellow-citizens  were  crowned  with 
success,  and  in  June,  1890,  the  bridge  was 
made  free.  This  event  was  hailed  with  great 
rejoicing  by  his  fellow-citizens,  who  were  pro- 
fuse in  their  thanks  to  him  for  havinjr  so 
ably  championetl  their  cause,  and  having  so 
successfully  secured  for  them  their  just  rights. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and 
enjoys  the  confidence  of  the  public.  He  is  an 
active  and  successful  business  man,  and  one  of 
the  best  and  most  enterprising  citizens  of  the 
countv. 


CAPTAIN  ALFRED  HICKS.  Among  the 
gigantic  industrial  enterprises  that  are  cen- 
tered in  western  Pennaylvania,  are  the  coal  and 
coke  industries,  and  in  the  development  of  their 
northern  fields  in  Westmoreland  and  Armstrong 
counties,  none  have  taken  a  more  active,  usefid 
and  prominent  part  than  Capt.  Alfred  Hicks, 
of  Leechburg.  He  was  born  near  Bristol,  Eng- 
land, July  21,  1841,  and  is  a  son  of  Nelson  and 
Cecelia  (^forgau)  Hicks.  The  Hicks  family  in 
England  have  been  practical   iron-workers  for 


446 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


the  last  two  centuries,  and  have  taken  a  justifi- 
able pride  in  their  superior  skill  and  workman- 
ship. Nelson  Hicks  was  born  near  Bristol, 
Auo-ust  29,  1803  and  came  in  1842  to  Duncans- 
ville,  Blair  county,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death,  May  22,  1882.  He  was  a  metal  refiner 
by  trade ;  but  metal  refining,  such  as  he  fol- 
lowed, has  now  passed  out  of  use.  Reared  in 
the  Quaker  faith,  he  was  a  fine  Bible  scholar 
and  a  great  student  of  history,  both  sacred  and 
profaue.  He  was  a  strong  anti-.slavery  man 
and  a  republican  in  politics,  but  conservative  in 
his  views.  Industrious,  thrifty  and  successful 
in  business,  he  was  a  zealous  and  true  Christian 
whose  walk  in  life  was  consistent  with  his  relig- 
ious profe.ssions.  He  married  Cecelia  Morgan, 
of  English  nativity,  but  German  descent,  and 
who  died  July  4,  1876,  when  in  the  .seventy- 
third  year  of  her  age.  To  them  were  born  six 
children,  of  whom  five  are  living:  Anna,  wife 
of  John  Hyle,  of  Blair  county;  Philemon  N., 
engaged  in  the  iron  business  in  Perry  county  ; 
Pauiel  B.,  an  iron-worker  in  Pittsburgh  ;  Sam- 
uel H.,  superintendent  of  the  Wilkesbarre  & 
Western  Railroad  ;  and  Alfred. 

Alfred  Hicks  was  but  one  year  of  age  when 
his  parents  came  to  Blair  county,  and  received 
his  education  in  the  common  schools.  His  first 
employment  was  with  his  father  in  the  iron 
business.  When  the  late  war  commenced,  he 
was  working  in  an  iron  works  at  Milesburg, 
Centre  county,  and  was  among  the  first  to  re- 
spond to  President  Lincoln's  call  to  arms.  He 
enlisted  on  April  16,  1861,  as  a  private  in  the 
2d  regiment,  Pa.  (three  months)  Vols.,  in  Co. 
H,  of  which  Gov.  James  A.  Beaver  was  first 
lieutenant.  The  following  letter,  written  by 
the  boy  soldier  to  his  parents,  three  days  after- 
wards, illustrates  better  than  a  volume  the 
motives  that  inspired  him  : 

Harrisburg,  Pa,  April  19.  1861. 
Dear  Father,  Mother  and  all  : 

I  hope  you  are  all  well,  as  I  am.     I  am  going  to 
Washington  to  help  to  defend  it  against  rebels  and 


traitors.  I  know  it  will  be  hard  for  you  to  hearof  my 
going  without  seeing  me;  but  it  is  country  or  no 
country.  Now  I  hope  you  will  take  it  calmly,  and  not 
let  mother  know  it.  I  am  in  Curtin's  Bellefonte 
company.  I  ^o  in  good  spirits,  and  all  the  boys  from 
the  works,  and  some  married  men,  are  along. 
Cousins  John  and  William  are  here  and  well.  Good- 
bye, but  I  hope  not  forever. 

Your  loyal  son, 

Alfred  Hicks. 

There  are  about  twelve  thousand  troops  here. 

At  the  expiration  of  his  term  he  enlisted  in  Co. 
C,  76th  regiment.  Pa.  Vols,  (or  Keyttone 
Zouaves)  as  private,  on  Augu.st  18,  1861,  and 
was  mustered  out  as  captain,  July  18,  1865. 
He  was  in  the  siege  of  Ft.  Pulaski,  the  unsuc- 
cessful attacks  on  Charleston  and  Ft.  Wagner, 
and  the  battle  of  Pocotaligo  Bridge,  .served 
under  Butler  in  some  heavy  fighting  on  the 
Weldon  R.  R.,  fought  under  Grant  at  Cold 
Harbor,  the  Mine  Explosion  and  Deep  Bottom, 
and  participated  in  the  capture  of  Ft.  Fisher. 
He  was  promoted  from  private  to  second  lieu- 
tenant October  17,  1861;  to  first  lieutenant, 
September  2,  1862,  and  commis.sioned  captain 
May  1,  1863,  to  succeed  John  W.  Hicks,  who 
was  promoted  from  captain  to  major  and  after- 
wards became  colonel.  Capt.  Alfred  Hicks 
commanded  the  76th  in  front  of  Petersburg, 
and  at  the  Explo.sion  of  the  Mine,  and  was 
highly  complimented  by  Generals  Butler  and 
Ord  for  "  gallant  and  meritorious  conduct  on 
tiie  field  of  battle."  He  was  in  Ford's  theatre 
at  Washington,  when .  President  Lincoln  was 
assassinated.  At  the  close  of  the  war  Capt. 
Hicks  went  into  the  service  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad  company  as  a  passenger  conduc- 
tor, and  served  as  such  for  ten  years  to  the  day, 
— two  years  on  the  Pittsburgh  division  and 
eight  years  on  the  West  Penn  division.  He 
then  became  station-agent  at  Leechburg,  which 
position  he  held  for  seven  years.  During  that 
time  he  developed  the  several  large  coal  enter- 
prises in  which  he  is  now  so  largely  interested. 
He  is  superintendent  and  one  of  the  heaviest 


Of. 


1 


A mf STRONG   COUNTY. 


4J7 


stockholders  of  the  Bagdad  Coal  and  Coke 
company,  whose  plant,  near  Leechburg,  con- 
tains six  hundred  aci-es  of  coal  land,  and  whose 
mines,  Nos.  1,  2  and  3,  have  a  daily  output  of 
four  hundred  tons.  He  is  president  and  princi- 
cipal  owner  of  the  Blackstone  Coal  company's 
plant,  which  is  some  two  miles  east  of  Alle- 
gheny Valley  Junction.  He  is  also  iarijely 
interested  in  the  Avonmore  Coal  company,  and 
the  Pine  Run  Coal  &  Coke  company.  There 
is  no  compau}'  store  in  connection  with  his  var- 
ious mines,  and  his  employees,  between  four  and 
five  hundred  in  number,  are  paid  off  every  two 
weeks.  He  is  also  opening  a  mine  on  the  A.  V. 
R.  R.,  for  the  purpose  of  shipping  coal  to 
Cleveland  and  Buffalo.  He  is  also  president  of 
the  Leechburg  Building  and  Loan  association, 
one  of  the  most  flourishing  associations  in  the 
Kiskiminetas  Valley,  which  was  started  to  help 
poor  industrious  people  to  get  homes  of  their 
own.  Through  the  efforts  uf  the  captain, 
Leechburg  has  an  abundant  supply  of  water 
running  through  every  street  in  the  town,  with 
pressure  enough  to  throw  the  water  over  the 
highest  buildings.  He  was  indefatigable  in  his 
efforts  to  have  the  railroad  run  tlirouufh  the 
town,  instead  of  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river.  It  is  said  that  the  railroad  company  had 
their  plans  all  made,  when  changing  the  grade 
in  1887,  to  keep  their  main  tracks  in  ^Yestmore- 
land  county,  and  build  one  bridge  east  of  town 
and  run  a  siding  over  to  accommodate  the  ship- 
pers. The  captain  made  a  trip  to  Philadelphia 
and  tried  to  .show  the  officials  of  the  railroad 
that  they  ought  to  run  their  main  tracks  through 
the  town,  which  they  finally  agreed  to  do; 
adding  a  great  deal  to  the  comfort  and  conveni- 
ence of  the  patrons  of  the  road,  and  the  citi- 
zens generally. 

When  developing  the  .Avonmore  coal  prop- 
erty, in  ]  889,  he  was  attracted  to  the  large  piece 
of  land  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  known 
a.s  the  ■'  Dnfch-flats"— some  nine  hundred 
acres,  which  he  bought  and  organized  the  Avon- 


j  more  Land  &  Improvement  company.  This 
beautiful  tract  is  on  the  Beaver  run  gas  belt, 
and  is  of  great  value  as  a  town  site.  A  win- 
dow-glass works  and  rolling-mill  have  already 
been  located  on  it.  The  gas  is  brought  from 
the  wells  through  a  twelve-inch  main,  and  the 
supply  is  abundant,  and  likely  to  be  durable. 
.\n  important  manufacturing  town  in  the  near 
future  will  grow  on  the  "  Dutcli-flat.s."  The 
captain  deserves  the  thanks  of  the  people  of 
this  ^^alley.  He  has  done  more  to  enlist  out- 
side capital  to  develop  its  resources  than  any 
man  in  either  Armstrong  or  Westmoreland 
counties. 

On  April  2,  1868,  he  married  Martha  E. 
Lewis,  daughter  of  L.  W.  Lewis,  of  the  firm 
of  Ivcwis,  Dalzell  &  Co.,  iron  manufacturers  of 
Sharpsburg,  Pa.  The}^  have  three  children, 
two  sons  and  one  daughter :  May,  wife  of  H. 
E.  Sheldon,  manager  of  the  Tjoechburg  Iron 
and  Steel  works;  Lewis,  superintendent  of  the 
J  Avonmore  coal  works;  and  Nelson,  superin- 
tendent of  the  Blackstone  Coal  (company. 

Capt.  Hicks  is  a  democrat  in  politics,  and  a 
'  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.     He  is  at 
present  serving  as  burgess  of  I./eechburg,  having 
been    elected    by   .seventy-two    of    a    majority, 
although   the  borough   is  regularly  republican 
j  by  a  majority  of  over  one   hundred   and   fifty 
•  votes.     He    takes   but   little    part   in    political 
affairs,    as    his  business  interests   demand    the 
j  most  of  his  time.    He  has  always  been  foremost 
'.  to  render  a.ssistance  in  any  case  of  suffering  or 
'  distress,  and  was  among  the   first  to  hasten  to 
Johnstown,  where,  with  a  force  of  one  hundred 
and    fifty  men,  he   labored   almost   inces.«antly 
j  for  the  benefit  of  that  flood-swept  city.     He  is 
I  a  past  master  in  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  a 
meml>€r  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  the  Union  Vet- 
eran Legion  and  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public.    He   has  been    throughout   his   life  a 
th<irough  business  man  of  unswerving  determi- 
nation and  untiring  industry.     He  is  pre-emi- 
nently a  self-made  man  in  the  true  sense  of  that 


448- 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


term,  and  his  honorably  achieved  success  is  the 
result  of  his  good  judgment,  caution,  energy, 
perseverance,  watchfulness  and  honesty. 


EDWARD  HILL,  one  of  the  young  pro- 
gressive members  of  the  Armstrong  county 
bar  and  tlie  popular  editor  of  the  Leechburg 
Advance,  was  born  opposite  Leejhburg,  on  the 
old  Hill  homestead,  in  Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  April  19,  1861,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Mary  Jane  (McC'auley)  Hill.  Of 
those  daring  fronliersinen  who  settled  south- 
western Pennsylvania,  was  the  Hill  family. 
They  located  near  the  site  of  Salem  in  West- 
moreland county.  Here  the  father  was  cap- 
tured by  Indians  and  carried  to  Hickory 
Flats  above  Oil  City,  this  State,  wiiere  he  was 
tortured  to  death.  He  left  three  children  :  John, 
Jacob  and  Hannah.  John  Hill,  the  eldest  son, 
was  born  in  1772,  and  erected  a  grist  and  saw- 
mill on  Beaver  run.  The  grist-mill  sujiplied 
the  settlement  with  grinding  for  a  radius  of 
twenty  miles,  and  was  often  run  on  Sunday  dur- 
ing low  water  to  accommodate  settlers  who  had 
camped  with  their  grists  to  await  their  turns. 
He  afterwards  built  grist-mills  on  the  Alle- 
gheny and  the  Kiskimiuetas  rivers,  and  in  1812 
came  to  Gilpin  township,  this  county,  where  he 
planted  an  orchard  of  one  thousand  apple  trees. 
He  manufactured  wooden  moldboard  plows,  and 
was  a  successful  farmer.  He  was  appointed  as 
a  commissioner  to  clear  out  the  Kiskimiuetas 
river.  He  was  a  lutheran,  and  an  honest  and 
upright  man,  and  died  .January  9,  1848.  He 
married  P^lizabeth  Waltz,  who  died  October  13, 
1817,  and  left  him  ten  children:  Mary,  Eliza- 
beth, John,  Jacob,  Levi,  Eli,  Daniel,  Hiram, 
Israel  and  Deborah.  He  married  for  his  sec- 
ond wife  Susan  Ammon,  who  lived  to  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  ninety  years.  Of  his  second 
marriage  were  born  nine  children  :  Hetty,  Leah, 
John,  Ammon,  Charlotte,  Philip,  Sarah,  Noah 
and   Salem.     Of  the  first  wife's  children,  Eli 


Hill  (grandfather)  became  a  prominent  salt 
manufacturer,  and  was  also  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  for  four  years  at  Leech- 
burg, in  connection  with  his  brothers,  Levi, 
Daniel  and  Hiram.  He  was  a  very  useful 
man  and  married  Susan  Ashabaugh,  who 
died  in  1878,  aged  sixty-two  years,  and 
left  four  children :  John,  Eveline,  Margaret 
(Barr)and  Priscilla  (Lytle).  John  Hill  (father) 
was  born  in  Allegheny  township,  Westmore- 
land county,  December  6,  1832,  and  received 
only  the  educational  advantages  of  the  rural 
districts  of  that  day.  He  learned  the  trade  of 
carpenter,  soon  became  an  extensive  contractor 
and  builder,  and  in  1872  embarked  in  the  lum- 
ber business  at  Leechburg.  In  1879  he  admitted 
his  son  Charles  as  a  partner  of  the  present  firm 
of  John  Hill  &  Son.  Mr.  Hill  was  one  of  the 
originators  of  the  Leechburg  Banking  com- 
pany and  served  as  a  director  uutil  1878,  since 
which  time  he  has  been  cashier.  He  is  a  re- 
publican in  politics  and  has  served  as  school 
director.  He  commenced  life  with  no  fortune 
but  his  own  hands,  energy  and  industry,  and 
has  honorably  achieved  succe.ss  and  a  compe- 
tency. January  8,  1857,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Mary  Jane  McCauley,  daughter  of  Charles 
and  Ann  (Mears)  McCauley,  and  who  was  born 
April  20,  1833.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hill  have  two 
children :  Charles  A.,  born  December  8,  1857, 
and  Edward. 

Edward  Hill  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  at 
Leechburg  where  he  has  lived  since  he  was 
twelve  years  of  age.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  and  entered  Pennsvlvania  college  at 
Gettysburg,  from  which  educational  institu- 
tion he  was  graduated  in  1884.  He  read  law 
with  the  firm  of  Buffi ngton  &  Buffington, 
of  Kittanning,  was  admitted  to  the  Armstrong 
county  bar  in  March,  1887,  and  has  been  en- 
gaged in  the  active  practice  of  his  profession 
ever  since  at  Leechburg.  In  December,  1887, 
he  became  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Leech- 
burg Advance,  which  is  a  live  and   independent 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


449 


weekly  paper  of  extensive  circulation  and  in- 
creasing influence.  Mr.  Hill  is  a  republican  in 
politics,  and  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church 
of  Leech  burg.  He  is  a  Free  and  Accepted 
Mason  and  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and 
Royal  Arcanum. 


ROBERT  P.  HUNTER,  M.D.  Among  the 
well-known  and  highly  esteemed  physi- 
cians of  Armstrong  county  is  Robert  P.  Hunter, 
M.D.,  of  Leechburg.  He  was  born  in  Black  Lick 
township),  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  Jan- 
uary 23,  1837,  and  is  a  son  of  John  M.  and 
Annie  Reese  (Banks)  Hunter.  Among  the 
pioneer  families  of  Westmoreland  county  was 
the  Hunter  family,  and  one  of  its  members  was 
Robert  Hunter,  the  grandfather  of  Dr.  Hunter. 
Robert  Hunter  was  born  in  1782,  became  one 
of  the  early  settlers  of  Indiana  county  and  died 
at  Jacksonville,  in  1861,  aged  seventy-nine 
years.  He  married  Mary  Lawrence,  who  was 
born  in  New  Jersey  in  1781,  and  passed  away 
in  1868,  when  in  the  seventy-.seventh  year  of  her 
age.  They  were  the  parents  of  fourteen 
children.  One  of  their  sons  was  John  M. 
Hunter  (fiither),  who  was  born  June  12,  1807, 
and  died  at  Blairsvilie,  March  28,  1868.  He 
followed  shoemaking  excepting  the  years  1854- 
55,  when  he  was  a  foreman  on  the  Pennsylva- 
nia canal,  of  which  hisson-iu-law,  W.  F.  Boyer, 
was  superintendent  at  that  time.  He  was  mar- 
ried on  May  30,  1830,  to  Annie  Reese  Banks, 
who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  October  10, 
1810,  and  died  at  Leechburg,  August  16,  1875. 
They  had  nine  children :  Joshua  Banks,  born 
November  5,  1832,  and  a  soldier  in  the  late 
war;  Mary  A.,  born  October  23,  1835,  who 
married  W.  F.  Boyer  and  is  dead;  Dr.  Robert 
P.,  William  I.,  born  September  29,  1839,  and 
now  deceased;  Ella  M.,  wife  of  Dr.  W.  H. 
Kern,  of  McKeesport,  Pa.,  born  August  16, 
1842;  Morgan  R.  (a  soldier  of  the  late  war), 
born  April  4, 1844;  Dr.  John  A.,  born  August 


20,  1846,  and  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  late 
war,  was  elected  as  a  member  of  the  Pennsylva- 
nia legislature,  by  the  republican  party  in  1874, 
died  shortly  after  his  election  and  the  J.  A. 
Hunter  Post,  No.  123,  G.  A.  R.,  was  named 
after  him;  Dr.  Milton  C,  born  August  7,  1850; 
and  J.  Irwin,  born  June  19,  1852. 

Robert  P.  Hunter  was  reared  in  Indiana 
county,  where  he  received  his  education  and 
taught  five  terms  of  school  besides  working  for 
two  years  on  the  Pennsylvania  canal.  He  then 
(1862)  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  with 
his  uncle,  Mr.  M.  R.  Banks,  of  Liverraore, 
Pa.  In  1864  he  took  a  course  of  lectures  at 
Jefferson  college  and  on  May  9,  1865,  opened 
an  office  at  Leechburg,  where  he  practiced  for 
four  years.  He  then,  by  the  combined  means 
of  his  limited  savings  from  teaching,  canal 
labor  and  medical  practice,  was  enabled  to  take 
the  full  course  of  Jefferson  Medical  college, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  with  high  stand- 
ing on  March  12,  1869.  Immediately  after 
graduation  he  returned  to  Leechburg,  where  he 
has  been  engaged  in  continuous  and  successful 
practice  ever  since. 

On  May  18,  1875,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Rebecca  Hill,  who  was  born  in  this 
county,  June  30,  1853,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Daniel  and  Eliza  (Kuhus)  Hill.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Hunter  are  the  parents  of  three  children :  John 
A.  H.,  born  June  18,  1876;  Anna  L.,  born  Jan- 
uary 10,  1878;  and  Robert  K.,  born  October 
19,  1879. 

Dr.  Hunter  is  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  is 
ever  willing,  although  ever  busy  with  a  large 
practice,  to  join  in  any  movement  for  the  benefit 
of  his  fellow-citizens  or  the  prosperity  of  the 
county.  He  was  active  in  organizing  the 
Leechburg  bank,  of  which  he  was  a  director 
and  stockholder.  In  1878  he  was  amonij  the 
first  to  bring  short-horn  cattle  into  the  county 
and  give  to  the  farmers  the  benefit  of  improved 
stock.  He  is  a  prohibit ioui';t  in  politics,  served 
two   terms  as  burgess   of  Leechburg   and    was 


450 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


commissioned  December  29,  1875,  by  Gov. 
Hartranft,  as  surgeon-in -chief  on  Gen.  Harry 
White's  staff,  9th  Division  N.  G.  of  Pa.,  in 
which  capacity*  he  had  served  during  the  Pitts- 
burgh railroad  and  labor  riots.  He  is  an  elder 
of  the  Leechburg  Presbyterian  church,  of  whose 
Sunday-school  he  has  been  superintendent  for 
several  years.  He  was  sent  by  the  Kittanning 
Presbytery  as  a  delegate  to  the  General  As- 
sembly of  the  Presbyterian  church  which  met  in 
Omaha,  Nebraska,  in  1887.  He  has  always  ■ 
been  a  strong  advocate  for  the  cause  of  temper-  ; 
ance.  Born  to  no  other  inheritance  than  that 
of  an  honorable  character  and  good  name,  Dr. 
Hunter  has  achieved  high  professional  standing 
and  is  recognized  as  a  public-spirited  citizen 
whose  labors  have  been  very  successful  in  the 
financial  and  agricultural  interests  of  the  county.  I 


THOMAS  M.  IRWIN,  the  pioneer  of  the 
livery  business  at  Leechburg  and  an  in- 
dustrious citizen  of  that  borough,  is  a  son  of 
Marshall  and  Ellen  B.  (McConnell)  Irwin,  and 
was  born  in  Coneraaugh  township,  Indiana  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  August  6,  1846.  His  grand- 
father, Isaac  Irwin,  was  for  many  years  a  pros- 
perous farmer  of  Indiana  county.  He  was  a 
soldier  of  the  war  of  1812,  was  an  old-line 
whig  and  afterwards  a  republican.  He  and  his 
wife  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
He  married  Margaret  Marshall,  who  bore  him 
six  sons  and  three  daughters.  One  of  these 
sons,  Marshall  Irwin  (father),  was  born  on  the 
old  homestead,  in  Conemaugh  township,  and 
lived  in  Indiana  county  until  1848,  when  he 
removed  to  Westmoreland  county,  where  he 
purchased  a  farm  some  two  miles  from  the  bor- 
ough of  Salem.  In  187-3  he  sold  his  farm  and 
came  to  Leechburg,  where,  for  several  years,  he 
kept  the  "  Irwin  Hotel."  He  afterwards  dis- 
posed of  the  hotel  and  purchased  {"''^pprty  on 
the  corner  of  Main  and  Pittsburgh  streets, 
where  he  has  since  lived  a  retired  life.      He  is  a 


member  of  the  Leechburg  Presbyterian  church, 
and  supports  the  Republican  party  in  political 
affairs.  He  married  Ellen  B.  McConnell,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  McConnell,  of  Congruity. 
To  their  union  have  been  born  five  children : 
Alexander  E.,  in  the  livery  business  at  Salts- 
l)urg;  Thomas  M.,  Catherine,  wife  of  W.  T. 
Richards,  of  Painesville,  Ohio;  and  Harry 
W.,  an  employe  of  the  West  Penn  Steel  com- 
pany. 

Thomas  M.  Irwin  attended  the  public  schools 
of  Westmoreland  county  and  assisted  his  father 
on  his  farm  until  1872,  when  he  came  to  Leech - 
l)nrg,  and  opened  the  first  livery  stable  of  that 
place.  In  1881  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
West  Penn  Steel  company  as  a  hammerman, 
which  situation  he  held  for  six  years,  when  he 
was  given  his  present  position  of  iron  weigher 
with  the  same  firm. 

In  December,  1870,  he  married  Emma  J. 
Ralston,  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  Rals- 
ton, of  Salem  township,  Westmoreland  county. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Irwin  have  four  children :  Ella 
.M.,  born  February  27,  1873;  Chalmers  Hardy, 
born  November  17,  1874,  a  worker  in  the  steel 
mill;  Lizzie  Olive,  born  June  11,  1876,  and 
Lulu  Kate,  born  January  3,  1879. 

Thomas  M.  Irwin  is  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church  and  a  republican  in  politics. 
He  is  a  self  made  man  and  is  in  every  way 
worthy  of  the  respect  which  is  accorded  him  in 
the  circle  of  bis  acquaintances  and  by  those 
with  whom  he  comes  in  business  contact. 


THOMAS  STEVENSON  IRWIN,  a  skilled 
mechanic,  and  a  descendant  of  a  long- 
lived  family,  is  a  son  of  William  D.  and  Matilda 
(Kidd)  Irwin,  and  was  born  near  East  Liberty, 
Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania,  March  22, 
1834.  The  Irwin  family  is  of  Scotch-Iri,sh 
descent.  One  of  their  number,  Jared  Irwin 
(great-grandfather),  was  born  in  the  north  of 
Ireland,  and  emigrated  from  that  country  to  the 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


451 


United  States,  bringing  with  him  his  two  young 
sons,  Jared  and  James.  He  settletl  in  Bedford 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  bought  a  large  farm 
on  which  Broad  Top  is  now  built.  He  was  a 
strict  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
His  son,  James  Irwin  (grandfather),  married 
Elizabeth  Beckwith,  of  North  Carolina,  whose 
father  and  brothers  were  Revolutionary  sol- 
diers. James  Irwin  lived  to  be  eighty-three 
years  of  age,  and  his  wife  died  at  the  age  of 
ninety-four  years.  To  their  union  were  born 
two  children,  one  of  whom  was  William  D. 
Irwin  (father),  who  was  born  in  Bedford 
county,  in  1810,  and  came  with  his  parents  to 
Allegheny  county.  In  early  life  he  was  a 
teamster  on  "  the  pike  "  between  Pittsburgh  and 
Philadelphia,  and  then  became  a  farmer.  He 
afterwards  purchased  a  farm  in  West  Virginia, 
on  which  he  died  in  1846.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  East  Liberty  Presbyterian  church,  and  a 
whig  in  politics.  In  1832  he  married  Matilda 
Kidd,  a  daughter  of  William  Kidd,  of  Alle- 
gheny county.  They  had  six  children. 
William  Kidd  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety-six  years,  and  his  wife  died  when  she 
was  in  the  eighty-fifth  year  of  her  age.  Wil- 
liam D,  Irwiu  was  of  colossal  proportions  and 
a  man  of  honor,  who  regarded  his  word  when 
given  as  binding  as  an  oath. 

Thomas  S.  Irwin  accompanied  his  mother, 
when  she  returned  to  East  Liberty  after  her 
husband's  death,  and  attended  the  public  schools 
of  that  borough.  Leaving  school,  he  learned 
the  trade  of  carpenter,  which  he  followed  until 
1864.  In  1860  he  removed  to  Allegheny 
township,  AVestmoreland  county,  where,  on 
September  15,  1864,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  H,  212th 
regiment.  Pa.  Vols.,  better  known  as  the  6th 
regiment,  Heavy  Artillery.  This  regiment  was 
sent  first  to  assist  in  the  defence  of  the  national 
capital,  then  to  Alexandria  and  Manassas,  with 
their  headquarters  at  Fairfax  Court-house ; 
then  in  November  were  ordered  back  to  defend 
Washington  city,   and  were  mustered  out  of  the 


United  States  service  on  June  19, 1865.  After 
leaving  the  army,  Mr.  Irwin  became  a  builder 
and  contractor,  and  as  such  has  built  some  of 
the  finest  houses  in  Westmoreland  county.  In 
1878  he  removed  to  Leechburg,  in  1872  helped 
to  build  the  Iron  mill  at  that  place,  During 
1880  he  worked  as  a  millwright,  and  in  the 
following  year  erected  the  West  Pennsylvania 
steel  works  for  Joseph  G.  Beale,  in  whose  em- 
ploy he  continued  for  six  years  as  master 
mechanic.  In  1886  Mr.  Beale  sold  out  to 
■Jennings  Brothers  &  Co.,  and  Mr.  Irwin 
entered  their  employ  as  shearman,  in  which 
capacity  he  has  served  ever  since. 

October  25,  1 860,  he  married  Margaret  B. 
Caldwell,  a  daughter  of  Robert  Caldwell,  of 
.\llegheny  county.  They  have  had  five  child- 
ren :  William  W.,  born  April  1 5, 1862,  a  shear- 
man in  the  West  Pennsylvania  .steel  works;  Anna, 
born  July  4,  1864;  Ella  Mary,  born  July  20, 
1866  ;  Elizabeth,  born  January  19,  1870  ;  and 
Charles  Albert,  born  April  20,  1873.  Of  these, 
Anna  and  Ella  Mary  are  dead.  The  eldest  son, 
William  W.,  married  Nettie  McCleary,  daugh- 
ter of  Levi  McCleary,  and  has  one  child  :  Mar- 
garet Wilda,  born  August  2,  1884. 

Thomas  S.  Irwin  is  an  elder  in  the  Leechburg 
Presbyterian  church,  in  whose  Sunday-school 
he  is  a  teacher.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Amal- 
gamated Association  of  Iron  and  Steel  workers, 
and  of  John  A.  Hunter  Post,  No.  123,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  He  is  a  stanch 
republican  and  has  served  twice  as  a  member  of 
the  borough  council. 


DAVID  LEECH,  the  founder  of  Leechburg, 
was  one  of  the  prominent  and  useful  men 
of  the  Kiskiminetas  Valley.  He  was  a  native 
of  Mercer  county,  Pennsylvania.  Beyond  the 
name  of  his  native  county  we  have  no  record  of 
his  ancestry  or  account  of  his  early  life.  We 
find  mention  of  him  in  this  county  as  early  a 
1827,   when    he   had    come    from    Sharpsburg 


152 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Allegheny  county,  where  he  had  a  canal  contract. 
In  1827  he  purchased  the  site  of  Leechburg 
and  laid  out  that  town  during  the  next  year. 
He  was  a  man  of  activity  and  energy  and 
erected  a  saw  and  grist-mill  at  his  new  town, 
where  he  also  prosecuted  successfully  and  exten- 
sively the  work  of  building  jjassenger  and 
freight  boats  for  the  canal.  He  was  also  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business,  and  from  1S53 
to  1856  was  an  active  member  of  the  fiim  which 
constructed  the  A.  V.  R.  R.,  from  Pittsburgh 
to  Kittanning. 

In  1857  his  vigorous  constitution  gave  way 
under  age,  cares  and  disease  and  he  passed 
away  November  3,  1858,  regretted  and 
esteemed  at  home  and  abroad. 


JAMES  A.  McKALLIP.  One  of  the  active, 
thorough-going  and  enterprising  business 
men  of  Leechburg  is  James  A.  McKallip, 
whose  large  mercantile  establishment  is  com- 
plete in  all  of  its  appointments.  He  was  born 
at  Shearsburgh,  in  Allegheny  township,  West- 
moreland county,  Pennsylvania,  July  21,  1853, 
and  is  a  son  of  Henry  K.  and  Mary  (Keely) 
McKallip.  Henry  K.  McKallip  (father)  was 
born  in  1809,  in  Allegheny  township,  West- 
moreland county,  where  he  was  reared  and 
where  he  followed  merchandising  for  several 
years.  He  then  came  to  Leechljurg,  where 
he  opened  and  conducted  a  general  mercantile 
store,  on  Canal  street,  until  1870,  when  he 
retired  from  active  life  and  was  succeeded  in 
the  proprietorship  and  management  of  the  store 
by  his  son,  James  A.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Henry  K.  McKallip  has  been  both  prominent 
and  successful  as  a  business  man.  He  was  the 
first  man  to  bore  for  oil  across  the  river  from 
Leechburg,  has  always  embarked  in  every  bus- 
iness enterprise  calculated  to  benefit  his  section 
of  the  county,  and  is  now  president  of  the 
Leechburg  Bridge  and  the  Leechburg  Banking- 
companies.     Prior  to  the  oil  excitement  he  was 


extensively  engaged  in  salt  manufacturing  be- 
sides being  interested  in  various  other  local 
business  enterprises.  He  was  originally  a 
whig,  but  is  now  a  republican,  and  has  always 
been  active  in  politics  although,  never  asking 
fur  any  office.  He  is  a  consistent  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  and  has  served  his 
borough  as  burgess  and  as  school  director.  In 
both  of  these  offices,  as  well  as  in  every  other 
public  position  which  he  ever  occupied,  he  ren- 
dered good  service  and  gave  the  best  of  satis- 
faction. Ever  since  he  came  to  Leechburg  he 
has  been  prominently  and  actively  identified 
with  its  various  iuterests  and  general  prosper- 
ity. He  married  Mary  Keely,  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  Keely,  of  near  Saltsburg,  Indiana 
county.  To  them  have  been  born  four  sons 
and  three  daughters.  Of  these,  Laban  S.  is 
engaged  in  business  in  Pittsburgh  ;  Amanda 
C,  wife  of  John  Armstrong;  Rev.  John  K., 
pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Beaver, 
Pa.;  Joanna  J.,  now  Mrs.  Robert  Pinkerton, 
of  Westmoreland  county ;  James  A,  and  Harry 
F.,  who  is  with  his  brother  in  Pittsburgh. 

James  A.  McKallip  was  reared  principally 
at  Leechburg,  and  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  that  place.  At  an  early  age 
he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  with  his 
father,  whom  he  succeeded,  in  1870,  in  the  pro- 
prietorship of  the  Canal  street  store,  which  he 
removed,  in  1882,  to  its  present  location  on  the 
corner  of  Market  street.  In  the  mercantile 
business  he  now  devotes  his  attention  to  carry- 
ing full  and  well  selected  lines  of  gents'  furnish- 
ing goods,  hats  and  caps  and  boots  and  shoes. 
His  stock  of  goods  covers  an  immense  number 
and  variety  of  articles,  which  are  absolutely 
necessary  to  all  who  have  any  regard  to  com- 
fort or  health.  He  gives  special  attention  to 
the  styles  and  material  most  in  vogue,  and  by 
his  courtesy  and  business  lact  has  gained  a  largo 
share  of  the  trade  of  his  borough  and  the  sur- 
rounding country.  He  is  a  rejiublican  in  polit- 
ical afiFairs  and  has  served  as  a  member  of  the 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


453 


town  council.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Leech- 
burg  Presbytei'lau  church  and  tiie  Jr.  O.  U.  A. 
M.  Carefully  trained  to  business  pursuits,  in 
which  he  ha.s  always  been  engaged,  it  is  but 
natural,  and  nothing  remarkable,  that  a  man  of 
Mr.  McKallip's  disposition,  native  ability  and 
energy  should  be  so  successful  in  mercantile 
life. 

James  A  McKallip  was  united  in  marriage, 
on  January  25,  1887,  with  Lillie  M.  Butler, 
daughter  of  James  M.  Butler,  of  Allegheny 
township,  Westmoreland  county.  Their  union 
has  been  blessed  with  one  child,  a  daughter, 
Jessie,  born  June  16,  1890. 


WILLIAM  MONTGOMERY,  a  leading 
druggist  of  Leechburg,  a  worthy  de-  | 
scendant  of  that  wonderful  Scotch-Irish  race  ; 
which  has  played  so  important  a  part  in  our 
National  history,  and  a  well-educated  man  of 
scientific  attainments  and  literary  tastes,  is  a 
son  of  William,  Sr.,  and  P]lizabeth  (Looka- 
baugli)  Montgomery,  and  was  born  on  the  old 
McAllister  farm,  six  miles  east  of  Leechburg, 
Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  October  10, 
1848.  On  his  paternal  side  his  grandfather, 
Willianv  Montgomery,  was  a  native  of  Ireland, 
where  he  owned  the  farm  on  which  the  fairs  of 
county  Derry  were  held.  He  came  to  Arm- 
strong county  in  1825,  and  located  on  the  old 
L.  N.  Graves  farm,  on  Crooked  run,  some  ten 
miles  from  Leechburg.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  M.  E.  church,  became  a  democrat  in  .poli- 
tics and  followed  farming.  He  was  an  intelli- 
gent man  of  good  education  and  pleasing  man- 
ners, and  lived  to  the  ripe  old  age  of  ninety- 
eight  years.  He  married  a  Miss  Bred  in,  who 
bore  him  four  sons  and  four  daughters.  One 
of  these  sons  was  William  Montgomery,  Sr. 
(father),  who  was  born  near  Dublin,  Ireland, 
about  1820,  and  was  brought  by  his  parents, 
at  five  years  of  age,  to  this  county,  where  he 
was  reared  on  Crooked  creek.    He  was  a  farmer 


by  occupation  and  united  with  the  M.E.  church 
during  its  pioneer  days  in  the  county.  He  was 
a  prominent  and  fearless  anti-slavery  man  prior 
to  the  late  war,  after  which  he  supported  the 
Republican  party.  He  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace  one  term,  fillet!  nearly  all  of  the  other 
township  offices  and  died  January  6,  1889,  aged 
seventy  years.  He  married  Elizabeth  Looka- 
baugh,  and  they  had  nine  children,  of  whom 
six  are  living :  William,  James,  an  oil  driller, 
of  Washington  county ;  Mary,  wife  of  W.  L. 
Wolf;  Harriet,  married  to  H.  L.  Wolf;  John 
T.,  residing  on  the  home  farm  ;  and  Harry, 
who  is  a  mine  boss  for  the  N.  Y.  and  Cleve- 
land Gas  Coal  company,  at  Turtle  creek.  Pa. 
Mrs.  Montgomery  was  killed  by  the  fall  of  her 
horse  while  out  riding,  in  1874.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Peter  Lookabaugh,  a  pious  mem- 
ber of  the  Lutheran  church,  who  celebrated  his 
hundredth  birthday  August  7,  1890.  He  is  a 
son  of  a  Mr.  Lookabaugh,  a  drummer  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  was  a  driver  on  the  old 
National  Pike,  married  Eveline  Bigler,  of 
Maryland,  and  soon  after  his  marriage  became 
an  early  settler  in  this  county.  Venerable  in 
appearance  and  well  preserved  physically,  Mr. 
Lookabaugh  retains  his  faculties  unimpaired  in 
a  wonderful  degree  for  his  great  age. 

William  Montgomery  attended  the  common 
.schools  and  Manorville,  Leechburg  and  Free- 
port  academies,  and  was  prevented  by  the  fail- 
ure of  his  health  from  entering  college.  His 
fii-st  employment  was  teaching,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  three  years.  He  next  engaged  in 
insurance,  which  he  quit  in  six  months  to 
embark  in  the  drug  business  at  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 
In  1873  he  disposed  of  his  .stock  of  drugs  and 
engaged  as  a  drug  clerk  with  H.  A.  Kepple, 
of  Leechburg.  The  next  year  he  purchased  a 
half-interest  in  Mrs.  Kepple's  drug  house,  and 
three  years  later,  in  1878,  he  became  sole  pro- 
prietor. Since  then  he  has  been  constantly 
increasing  his  stock  and  rapidly  adding  to  the 
number  of  his  patrons.     In  the  late  disastrous 


454 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


fire  at  Leechburg,  he  lost  his  dwelling-house 
and  a  very  fine  library,  but  he  is  now  erecting 
a  fine  brick  building  for  a  residence  and  drug- 
store. 

January  2,  1875,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Laura  Mcintosh,  daughter  of  John  Mcintosh 
a  retired   business   man  of  Wilitiusburg,   Pa. 
They   have   one   child,  a  daughter,  Winifred, 
who  was  born  September  14,  1879. 

In  addition  to  the  management  of  his  drug- 
house  he  is  manager  of  the  telegraph  and  tele- 
phone office  at  Leechburg,  a  position  which 
he  has  held  for  fourteen  years.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  M.  E.  church,  Leechburg 
Lodge,  No.  517,  F.  and  A.  Masons,  and 
Lodge  No.  250,  Knights  of  Pythias. 

In  politics  he  is  an  active  supporter  of  the 
Republican  party.  He  has  always  been  a  close 
student,  and  is  well  acquainted  with  the  stand- 
ard authoi's  of  ancient  and  modern  literature. 
He  learned  book-keeping  during  his  leisure 
evenings  while  at  Pittsburgh,  and  by  con- 
tinuous study  has  made  himself  conversant 
with  the  practical  sciences  of  the  nineteenth 
century. 


JOSEPH  D.  ORR,  M.D.  A  successful  phy- 
^  sician  who  unites  valuable  experience  with 
good  judgment  and  excellent  professional 
knowledge  is  Joseph  D.  Orr,  M.D.,  of  Leech- 
burg. He  is  a  son  of  James  and  Catherine 
(Clawsou)  Orr,  and  was  born  in  Kiskiminetas 
township,  Ai'mstrong  county,  Pennsylvania, 
October  16,  1856.  The  founder  of  the  Orr 
family  in  Pennsylvania  was  Joseph  Orr,  the 
paternal  grandfather  of  Dr.  Orr.  He  came 
from  Ireland  in  the  early  part  of  the  present 
century,  and  settled  in  Kiskiminetas  township, 
where  he  engaged  in  merchandising.  He  began 
business  with  but  small  means,  but  acquired 
a  large  and  valuable  estate  before  his  death. 
He  was  a  strict  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,   and   was   an   intimate  friend    of   Dr. 


Alexander  Donaldson,  of  Elder's  Ridge.  In 
politics  he  was  an  old-time  democrat,  and 
served  several  terms  as  a  justice  of  the  peace. 
He  married  a  Miss  Manners  and  had  four 
children,  all  of  whom  are  living.  His  life 
closed  on  this  earth  in  1877,  when  he  pa.ssed 
away  at  eighty-four  years  of  age.  One  of  his 
sons,  James  Orr  (father),  was  born  in  1836 
and  resided  continuously  in  this  county  until 
1875,  when  he  removed  to  his  pi'eseut  location 
in  Westmoreland  county,  opposite  Saltsburg, 
Pa.  During  the  last  thirty-five  years  he  has 
been  successively  engaged  in  merchandising, 
milling  and  farming.  He  has  always  been  a 
stanch  democrat,  served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace 
for  several  years  and  is  always  active  in  the  in- 
terests of  his  party.  He  is  a  large  man,  of 
rather  commanding  appearance,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He  married 
Catherine  Clawson,  who  was  a  daughter  of 
Peter  Clawson,  of  Westmoreland  county  and 
who  died  December  27,  1882,  when  in  the 
57th  year  of  her  age.  They  had  seven  children  : 
William  C,  Robert  M.,  Dr.  Joseph  D.,  Matil- 
da, Hallie,  Harry  D.  and  Luciau  C. 

Joseph  D.  Orr  received  his  elementary  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  and  fitted  for  college 
in  Elder's  Ridge  and  Saltsburg  academies. 
Leaving  college,  he  determined  upon  medicine 
i  as  a  life  vocation,  entered  Jefferson  Medical 
college  in  1882,  where  he  completed  a  fall  three 
years'  course  and  was  graduated  from  that  well- 
known  institution  in  the  class  of  1885,  taking 
first  honors  in  surgery.  Immediately  after 
graduation  he  came  to  Leechburg,  where  he  has 
remained  ever  since,  in  the  active  and  success- 
ful practice  of  his  profession.  He  is  P.  R.  R. 
surgeon  at  Leechburg. 

Dr.  Orr  united  in  marriage,  on  September 
29,  1885,  with  Belle  M.  McFarlaud,  daughter 
of  the  late  Dr.  John  McFarland,  of  Saltsburg, 
Pa.,  who  was  a  prominent  citizen  of  that  place. 

In  politics  Dr.  Orr  is  a  democrat,  who  always 
takes  an  active  part  in  the  interests  of  his  party, 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


455 


although  he  is  no  aspirant  for  oflSce.  He  fre- 
quently represents  his  borough  in  county  demo- 
cratic conventions,  and  was  a  delegate  to  the 
State  democratic  convention  of  1890,  which 
nominate<l  Robert  E.  Pattison  for  governor  of 
Pennsylvania.  He  is  a  member  of  Leechburg 
Lodge,  No.  654,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Council  No.  171, 
Jr.  O.  U.  A.  M.,  Lodge  No.  6-23,  A.  O.  U.  W., 
Council  No.  1045,  Royal  Arcanum,  and  Lodge 
No.  641,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  acts  as  medi- 
cal examiuer  for  each  of  these  orders  at  Leech- 
burg. He  takes  a  deep  interest  in  the  material 
prosperity  of  his  town,  being  an  active  member 
of  the  Leechburg  Foundry  and  Machine  com- 
pany. Dr.  Joseph  D.  Orr  is  a  member  of  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  a  well-respected 
citizen  and  popular  physician  of  extensive  and 
successful  practice.  He  is  also  au  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Leechburg  Electric  Light  company. 


JACOB  H.  PARKS,  a  descendant  of  one  of 
the  earliest  settlers  of  Armstrong  county, 
and  a  leading  druggist  of  Leechburg,  is  a  sou  of 
James  Bratton  and  Lucinda  C.  (Hill)  Parks, 
and  was  born  on  the  old  Parks  homestead  in 
Parks  township,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, April  11,  1847.  The  Parks  family  is 
of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  One  of  its  members, 
Robert  Parks  (grandfather),  was  born  in  1768, 
in  Mifflin  county,  from  whence  he  removed  to 
Armstroug  county  in  1814,  and  purcluised  Ironi 
John  Montgomery  a  tract  of  three  hundretl  and 
seventy-five  acres  of  land  lying  about  one  and 
three-quarter  miles  southeast  of  the  site  of  Leech- 
burg, and  known  as  "  Farmer's  Delight."  He 
afterwards  bought  one  hundred  and  thirty-five 
acres  adjoining  his  first  purchase,  making  in  all 
a  farm  of  over  five  hundred  acres,  for  which  he 
paid  but  seventy- five  cents  per  acre,  although  it 
contains  some  of  the  most  productive  land  in 
Armstrong  county,  and  is  partly  underlaid  by  a 
heavy  vein  of  coal.     He  was  a  shoemaker  by 


trade,  but  followed  farming  after  he  settled  in 
Armstrong  county.  He  was  a  strict  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  and  an  unyielding  ad- 
herent of  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party. 
He  was  a  man  of  large  .stature,  sober  and  indus- 
trious, occupying  so  prominent  a  position  in  that 
community  that  when  Allegheny  township  was 
subdivided  the  section  in  which  "  Farmer's  De- 
light "  was  situated  was  named  in  honor  of  him 
— Parks  township.  He  died  in  1857,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty-nine  years.  He  married 
Jane  Bratton,  daughter  of  James  Bratton,  of 
eastern  Pennsylvania,  by  whom  he  had  ten 
children,  three  sons  and  seven  daughters,  of 
whom  three  only  are  living.  (For  a  fuller  hi.s- 
tory  of  him  see  sketch  of  J.  B.  Parks,  of  Parka 
township.)  The  ninth  child,  James  Bratton 
Parks  (father),  was  born  November  11,  1810, 
in  Mifflin  county,  Pa.,  and  was  brought  by  hia 
father  to  Armstrong  county  when  he  was  four 
years  old,  where  he  has  siuce  lived.  He  has 
been  a  successful  farmer  all  his  life,  and  now 
owns  a  large  farm  with  a  fine  brick  residence. 
He  has  made  scientific  farming  a  study  and  has 
introduced  on  his  farm  most  all  of  the  modern 
improvements  in  farming.  He  is  well  known 
throughout  Armstrong  county  as  a  breeder  of 
thoroughbred  stock,  and  is  numbered  among  the 
substantial  citizens  of  Parks  township.  In 
earlier  years  he  was  ;'..ssistaut  surveyor  on  the 
construction  of  the  old  Pennsylvania  canal,  and 
aided  in  laying  out  the  town  of  Leechburg  He 
has  been  an  elder  in  the  Leechburg  Presbyterian 
church  ever  since  its  organization,  and  was  a 
liberal  contributor  to  the  building  fund  when 
both  the  old  and  the  new  church  edifices  were 
erected.  He  is  a  democrat  in  politics,  and  has 
been  a  school  director  for  many  years ;  was  also 
county  and  township  tax  collector  for  several 
years.  He  is  a  man  of  generous  impulses,  and 
is  one  of  the  most  prominent  farmers  in  Arm- 
strong county.  On  Dec.  19,  1840,  he  married 
Lucinda  C.  Hill,  daughter  of  Jacob  Hill,  of 
Parks   township.     To   them   have   been   born 


456 


BIOOBAPHIES  OF 


fourteen  children,  seven  sons  and  seven  daugh- 
ters, ten  of  whom  are  still  living  :  Robert  G.,  a 
farmer  in  Parks  township ;  Hannah,  Delia  C, 
wife  of  T.  J.  Elwood ;  Jacob  H.,  John  W.,  en- 
gineer in  the  West  Penn  steel-works ;  Phcebe  B., 
wife  of  S.  C.  Boal ;  Thomas  J.,  William  F.,  a 
dentist  in  St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  Sydney  Paul  and 
Edmiston  B.,  a  teacher.  Hon.  Jacob  Hill 
(maternal  grandfather)  was,  at  different  times 
in  his  life,  a  hotel-keeper,  a  merchant  and  a 
successful  farmer  of  Parks  township,  and  served 
two  terms  in  the  State  legislature,  to  which  he 
was  elected  by  the  Democratic  party.  He  died 
in  1876,  at  the  age  of  seventy -six  years. 

Jacob  H.  Parks  attended  Leechburg  academy, 
and  then  assisted  his  father  on  the  farm  for 
some  time.  In  1873  he  entered  the  drug- 
store of  Dr.  Lutz,  in  Allegheny  city,  asaclerk, 
and  in  1875  formed  a  partnership  with  Dr. 
John  Carson,  of  Leechburg,  under  the  firm- 
name  of  Parks  &  Carson.  They  engaged  in 
the  drug  business  and  owned  and  conducted 
two  drug-stores,  one  at  Leechburg  and  the 
other  at  Millerstown,  in  the  oil  region.  After 
the  death  of  Dr.  Carson,  in  1880,  he  became 
sole  proprietor  of  the  store  at  Leechburg,  and 
keeps  a  large  and  varied  stock  of  the  best 
and  purest  drugs,  while  his  constant  efforts  to 
please  have  been  the  foundation  of  the  large 
patronage  he  enjoys. 

On  September  30,  1875,  he  married  Mary 
C.  Taylor,  daughter  of  John  Taylor  (see  his 
sketch).  To  their  union  have  been  born  seven 
children,  five  of  wliom  are  living :  Ora  B., 
Lucy  Blanche,  Clarence  Carson,  Julia  Taylor 
and  John  Bratton. 

Jacob  H.  Parks  is  a  democrat  in  politics,  a 
member  of  the  Leechburg  Presbyterian  church, 
and  has  been  leader  of  the  church  choir  for 
several  years.  He  is  one  of  the  useful  and 
respected  citizens  of  Leechburg. 


JOHN  SCHWALM,  a  native  of  the  old 
world's  mightiest  empire,  who  has  carved 
out  for  himself  a  successful  and  honorable 
career  in  the  new  world's  greatest  republic  by 
industry,  energy  and  integrity,  is  recognized  as 
one  of  the  most  substantial  business  men  of 
Armstrong  county.  Prominently  identified 
with  the  industrial  life  of  Leechburg  since  the 
Centennial  year  of  American  Independence, 
Mr.  Schwalra  has  become  one  of  the  main 
factors  in  the  prosperity  of  that  live  borough. 
John  Schwalm  was  born  in  Hesse-Cassel,  Prus- 
sia, February  27,  1835,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
George  and  Catharine  Elizabeth  (Koehler) 
Schwalm.  His  father  came,  in  1852,  to  Parks 
township,  where  he  bought  a  small  farm  and  has 
been  engaged  in  its  cultivation  ever  since. 

John  Schwalm  received  his  education  at 
Marburg,  Hesse-Cassel,  and  was  intended  for  the 
ministry  by  his  parents.  He  came  to  America 
with  his  father  in  1852,  landing  at  New  York, 
August  14th,  and  coming  immediately  as  far  west- 
ward as  Leechburg.  Having  determined  to  win 
honorable  .standing  and  a  respectable  compe- 
tency in  the  land  of  his  adoption,  he  accepted  the 
first  honest  employment  which  came  to  his  hand 
and  engaged  as  a  laborer  on  the  Allegheny 
Valley  railroad.  He  next  worked  for  his 
father  a  few  years  and  in  1863  embarked  in 
the  mercantile  business,  which  he  followed  with 
increasing  success  until  1871,  when  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  W.  H.  Carnahan,  under  the 
firm-name  of  Schwalm  &  Carnahan,  and  pur- 
chased what  is  known  as  Cochran's  Mill,  in 
Burrell  township.  They  pursued  the  mercan- 
tile and  milling  business  until  the  fall  of  1876, 
when  Mr.  Schwalm  came  to  Leechburg  and 
purchased  the  Hill  mill  property  and  the  home- 
stead of  David  Leech,  the  founder  of  the  town. 
He  immediately  erected  a  new  mill  on  the  site 
of  the  old  one,  in  which  he  did  a  successful 
business  until  it  was  swept  away  by  ice  in  1881. 
In  1887  he  erected  his  present  large  two-story 
mercantile   establishment  and   somewhat   later 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


457 


purchased  and  rebuilt  the  Ulam  Hotel,  now 
known  as  the  Schwalm  House.  He  has  a  one- 
half  interest  in  the  Elwood  flouring-niill  (old 
Leech  mill),  is  part  owner  of  three  coal-mines 
in  Westmoreland  county  not  far  from  Leech- 
burg  and  owns  three  Armstrong  county  farms. 
In  addition  to  his  large  mercantile,  milling, 
hotel,  coal  and  farming  interests  he  has  invested 
in  various  other  business  enterprises.  In  poli- 
tics Mr.  Schwalm  is  a  democrat,  and  on  account 
of  his  strength  and  great  popularity  in  the 
county,  he  was  nominated,  in  1882,  by  his 
party  for  the  assembly.  Notwithstanding  the 
county  was  republican  by  six  hundred  majority, 
and  that  that  party  made  a  strenuous  effort  to 
secure  their  usual  vote,  yet  Mr.  Schwalm  lacked 
but  sixteen  votes  of  being  elected.  He  is  a 
member  of  Leechburg  Lodge,  No.  577,  F.  & 
A.  Masons,  Orient  Chapter,  No.  247,  R.  A.  M., 
Leechburg  Lodge,  No.  437,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and 
Burrell  Grange. 

In  1854  he  married  Sarah  Small,  who  was  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  Small,  an  early  settler  of 
what  is  now  Bethel  township  and  died  July  14, 
1883.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children  : 
Catherine  Elizabeth  (Carson),  Anna  Mary 
(Taylor),  John  Jr.,  who  read  law  with  Atty.- 
Gen.  Brewster;  Matthew,  Margaret,  Matilda, 
Sarah  Amanda,  Ida  Louisa,  Charles  Bismark 
and  Edward  Walter.  On  April  13,  1887,  Mr. 
Schwalm  united  in  marriage  with  Rebecca  A. 
Christy,  who  was  a  daughter  of  John  Christy, 
of  Manor  township,  and  died  January  14, 1890. 

John  Schwalm  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  for  many  years  and  is  a 
genial,  courteous  and  obliging  gentleman.  His 
life  has  been  one  of  constant  activity  and  contin- 
ned  success  and  his  character  is  above  the  breath 
of  suspicion.  Honest,  honorable,  just  and  charita- 
ble he  is  deservedly  popular.  Mr.  Schwalni's  ca- 
reer has  been  fittingly  described  by  one  who  is  well 
able  to  speak  from  personal  knowledge  and  who 
says:  "His  property  has  all  been  accumulated 
by  his  own   exertion  and    enterprise,  and   his 


quite  phenomenal  prosperity,  extending  and  in- 
creasing through  a  period  of  more  than  forty 
years,  marks  him  as  a  man  of  unusual  ability, 
judgment  and  industry.  He  is  in  all  respects 
worthy  of  the  success  he  has  achieved.  He  has 
done  a  great  deal,  directly  and  indirectly,  to 
advance  the  interests  of  Leechburg.  He  is 
liberal  and  public-spirited,  and  always  one  of 
the  foremost  in  any  enterprise  for  the  good  of 
the  community." 


WILLIAM  JOHN  STEELE.  Among  the 
'^  *  manufacturing  companies  which  are  emi- 
nently deserving  of  especial  notice  in  a  record 
of  the  great  industries  of  Pennsylvania  is  the 
Leechburg  Foundry  and  Machine  company, 
svhose  career  of  prosperity  has  been  remarkable 
under  the  management  of  its  experienced  busi- 
ness manager,  William  John  Steele, — a  man  of 
high  commercial  standing.  He  was  born  on 
the  old  Steele  homestead,  si.x  miles  south  of 
Oakland  X  Roads  in  Washington  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  Penn.sylvania,  October 
1,  1849,  and  is  a  son  of  Absalom  and  Susan 
(Kistler)  Steele.  The  Steele  family  is  among 
the  early  settled  families  west  of  the  AUeghc- 
nies.  James  Steele  (great-grandfather)  was  a 
native  of  Ireland,  and  came  to  Westmoreland 
comity  in  an  early  day.  His  son,  Joseph  Steele, 
was  born  in  that  county,  and  became  an  exten- 
sive land-owner  and  prosperous  farmer.  He 
married  Barbara  Blystone,  by  whom  he  had 
nine  children.  Their  youngest  child  was  Ab- 
salom Steele  (father),  who  was  born  south  of 
Oakland  X  Roads,  July  15,  1820,  and  is  still 
living  in  the  enjoyment  of  good  health.  He 
has  always  been  successfully  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising.  He  is  a  member  and 
officer  of  the  Reformed  church.  He  is  a  man 
of  strong  views  and  good  general  information, 
and  stands  well  in  the  community  where  he 
resides.  A  republican  from  conviction,  Mr. 
Steele  is  not  an  extremist,  and  has  held  the  var- 


458 


mOOBAPHLES  OF 


ious  offices  of  his  township.  He  was  a  soldier 
for  a  short  time  in  the  late  war.  He  married 
Susau  Kistler,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Michael 
Kistler,  and  died  December  23,  1886.  To 
them  were  born  twelve  sons  and  one  daughter, 
of  whom  twelve  are  living.  j 

William  J.  Steele  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  township  and  Del- 
mont  academy.  Leaving  the  academy,  he  taught  ; 
four  terms  in  the  common   schools, — three  in 
Washington,    and    one    in     Salem     township,  ^ 
Westmoreland    county.     In    March,    1874,   he  j 
became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Alcorn,  Lauf- 
fer  &  Steele.     Two  and  one-half  years  later  he 
withdrew,  and  was  a  clerk  for  one  year  for  G.  I 
L.  Pfeifer,  of  Apollo.     He  next  purchased  an  ^ 
interest  in  the  store  known  as  the  "  Mill  Store," 
which   he   conducted  for  a   time  with   H.  G. 
George  for  a  partner,  then  became  sole  proprie- 
tor, and   finally  disposed  of  his  building  and 
goods  to  jjurchase  the  large  Rugh  farm,  near 
Oakland  X  Roads,  in  Westmoreland  county. 
After  eighteen  months'   farming,  he   sold  his 
farm,  and  in  November,  1881,  came  to  Leech-  | 
burg,    where    he    foi-raed   a   partnership    with  ] 
Daniel  Bowers,  and  they  were  engaged  in  the 
general   mercantile   business   for  several  years. 
At   the   end  of   that   time    he  purchased   Mr. 
Bowers'  interest,  and  continued  to  conduct  the  ' 
store  with    the  best  of  success  until  April   1, 
1889,  when    he   sold,  in   order    to   accept    his 
present  important  position  as  business  manager  ] 
of  the  Leechburg  Foundry  and  Machine  com- 
pany, in  which  he  and  the  president,  W.  A. 
Cochran,   are   the   two   heaviest   stockholders. 
The  company   was   incorporated   October   11, 
1887,  and  enlarged  and  built  to  the  old  works, 
which  they  purchased.     In  March,  1888,  their 
entire  plant  was  destroyed   by  fire;  but   they 
soon  erected   their  present  fine  works,   which 
are  very  capacious,  covering  a  large   area  ol' 
ground  and  fully  equipped  with   all    modern 
improvements,  as   well    as  furnished  with   the 
latest  improved  machinery.     Their  mill,  blast 


furnaces  and  foundries  turn  out  principally 
heavy  work,  such  as  steel-works  and  rolling- 
mill  machinery,  rolls  and  ingot  molds.  The 
products  of  these  works  are  in  steady  and  ex- 
tensive demand,  owing  to  their  general  excel- 
lence, and  the  company  is  hard  pressed  to  fill 
the  orders  which  are  constantly  pouring  in 
upon  it.  This  company  have  a  capital  stock  of 
$100,000,  and  employ  from  one  hundred  to 
one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  and  its  unexpected 
prosperity  is,  in  a  considerable  degree,  attrib- 
uted to  the  clear-headed  and  successful  business 
management  of  Mr.  Steele.  The  office  of  the 
company  is  in  the  Lewis  block,  Pittsburgh, 
and  is  connected  with  the  works  by  telephone. 
The  officers  are  W.  A.  Cochran,  president; 
George  Mesta,  vice-president ;  W.  D.  Rowan, 
secretary,  and  R.  R.  Moore,  treasurer. 

October  23,  1875,  Mr.  Steele  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Jennie  Spear,  daughter  of  Armour 
Spear,  of  Oakland  X  Roads,  Westmoreland 
county.  They  have  had  seven  children, — four 
sous  and  three  daughters  :  Ethel,  Etta,  Cliffiird, 
Banks,  Maurice,  Edgar  and  Irma. 

W.  J.  Steele  is  a  member  of  the  Leechburg 
Presbyterian  church,  and  has  always  been  rec- 
ognized as  a  good  citizen  and  an  honorable, 
progressive  business  man.  In  politics  he  is  a 
protection  or  high-tariif  republican,  who  be- 
lieves in  a  strong  protective  tariff  as  being  the 
only  means  to  fully  develop  and  successfully 
maintain  American  industries  and  manufactu- 
ring interests. 


MILLARD  F.  TAYLOR,  a  leading  drug- 
gist of  Leechburg,  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Julia  Ann  (Bair)  Taylor,  and  was  born  at 
Leechburg,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania, 
December  24,  1856.  His  grandfather,  Mat- 
thew Taylor,  was  born  in  Lancashire,  England 
in  1793,  came  to  Westmoreland  county  in  1819 
and  ten  years  later  removed  to  Leechburg, 
where  he  followed  tailoring  for  many  years,  and 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


459 


where  he  died  April  24,  1881.  One  of  his 
sons,  John  Taylor  (father),  was  born  in  West- 
moreland county,  August  24,  1824,  and  has 
been  a  tanner  and  harness-maker  all  his  life. 
He  is  a  conscientious  and  liberal  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which  he 
has  been  Sunday-school  superintendent  and 
class  leader  for  many  years.  He  was  always  a 
strong  anti-slavery  man  and  has  served  as 
school  director  and  member  of  the  town  coun- 
cil. On  February  21,  1850,  he  married  Julia 
Ann  Bair,  a  daughter  of  Joiin  Bair,  of  West- 
moreland county.  To  them  were  born  seven 
children  :  George  B.,  an  employe  of  the  Passaic 
rolling-mill  of  Patterson,  N.  J. ;  Mary  C. 
wife  of  J.  H.  Parks ;  Millard  F. ;  Harriet  C 
wife  of  S.  M.  ilcCracken,  and  Charles  G. 
William  L.  and  John  S.,  who  are  employed  in 
the  rolling-mill  at  Leechburg.  Mrs.  Taylor 
died  in  1885,  at  the  age  of  fifty-two  years,  and 
Mr.  Taylor  married  for  his  second  wife,  Anna 
M.  Whitlinger,  of  Butler. 

Millard  F.  Taylor  was  reared  at  Leechburg, 
where  he  attended  the  public  schools  and  then 
learned  tiie  trade  of  tanner.  At  the  age  of 
fifteen  years  he  was  employed  in  the  drug  store 
of  John  P.  Ivepple  as  a  clerk  and  served  as  such 
until  1874.  During  the  next  year  he  was  em- 
ployed in  tiie  rolling-mill  as  engineer,  and  from 
1875  to  1877  he  followed  the  business  of  paint- 
ing. He  attended  the  public  schools  in  the 
winter  until  1877,  when  he  went  to  the  oil 
region  and  took  charge  of  a  large  drug  store  as 
manager.  This  position  he  held  until  1880, 
when  he  came  back  to  Leechburg,  where  he  was 
employed  as  a  clerk  in  the  general  mercantile 
store  of  Schwalm  &  Bowers  until  1882,  when 
he  became  a  partner  with  John  Schwalm  in  the 
general  mercantile  business.  In  1886  he  opened 
a  drug  store  on  the  corner  of  First  and  Market 
streets,  at  Leechburg,  where  he  has  continued 
successfully  ever  since.  He  carries  a  full  line 
of  drugs,  paints,  chemicals  and  druggists'  sun- 
dries, and  has  built  up  a  good  trade. 


On  September  20,  1878,  he  married  Anna 
Marie  Schwalm,  second  daughter  of  John 
Schwalm,  of  Leechburg  (whose  sketch  appears 
in  this  volume).  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  have 
three  children,  two  sons  and  one  daughter : 
Royal  and  Raymond,  born  in  1879,  and 
Helen,  born  April  5,  1885. 

He  is  one  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
Leechburg  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and 
was  chairman  of  the  building  committee  when 
the  present  church  edifice  was  erected.  He  is  a 
republican  and  has  been  a  clerk  of  tlie  borough 
council  lor  the  past  two  years.  lie  is  a  member 
of  Leechburg  Lodge,  No.  651,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Leechburg  Council,  No. 
221,  Junior  Order  of  United  American  Me- 
chanics, and  Allegheny  Council,  No.  27,  Amer- 
ican Lesrion  of  Honor. 


TOHN  TAYLOR.  Among  the  oldest  resi- 
^  dents  of  Leechburg,  if  not  perhaps  the 
oldest,  is  John  Taylor,  who  has  been  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  industries  of  that 
thriving  borough  since  1848.  lie  is  the  son  of 
Matthew  and  Elizabeth  (Crawford)  Taylor,  and 
was  born  near  "Burnt  Mills,"  in  AVestmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  August  1,  1824.  The 
Taylor  family  is  of  English  descent  and  its 
members  have  been  remarkable  for  their  long- 
evity. One  of  them,  John  Taylor  (grandfather), 
was  a  tall  man,  of  fine  physique,  and  lived  and 
died  in  Lancashire,  England.  His  son,  Mat- 
thew Taylor  (father),  was  born  in  1793,  and  in 
1819  came  to  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  had  learned  the  trade  of  weaver  and 
tailor  in  England,  and  followed  tailoring  diu-- 
iug  part  of  his  life-time.  In  1829  or  1830  he 
came  to  the  vicinity  of  Leechburg,  which  at 
that  time  contained  only  about  six  houses.  He 
came  on  one  of  the  first  freight  boats  which  ran 
on  the  Pennsylvania  canal,  and  after  settling  at 
Leechburg  worked  for  several  years  on  the 
canal   as  a   laborer.     In   1833   he  bought  two 


460 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


town-lots  at  Leechburg,  on  one  of  which  he 
built  himself  a  dwelling,  in  which  he  lived 
until  his  death,  on  April  24,  1881.  He  was  a 
genial  companion,  quick  at  repartee,  fond  of  a 
joke  and  possessed  of  a  natural  ability  for  rhym- 
ing. He  was  a  whig,  but  after  that  political 
party  was  disbanded  he  joined  the  republicans. 
He  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  He  married  Elizabeth  Craw- 
ford, who  was  a  daughter  of  Mathias  Crawford, 
of  Westmoreland  county,  and  lived  to  be  seven- 
ty-seven years  of  age.  To  their  union  were 
born  thirteen  children,  six  of  whom  are  living, 
and  two  of  whom,  David  and  Dallas,  .servetl  in 
the  Union  army  during  the  late  war. 

John  Taylor  was  reared  at  Leechburg,  attend- 
ed the  subscription  schools  of  that  town,  and 
then  learned  the  trade  of  tanner  and  harness- 
maker  with  S.  S.  Whitlinger,  who  owned  a 
large  tannery.  In  1848  he  purchased  Mr. 
Whitlinger's  property,  and  successfully  operated 
the  tannery  until  1888,  when  he  gave  up  tan- 
ning, and  since  that  time  has  given  his  whole 
attention  to  harness-making.  While  engaged 
in  tanning  he  carried  on  an  extensive  business, 
employing  several  journeymen  and  apprentices. 

He  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife, 
whom  he  married  February  21,  1850,  was  Julia 
Ann  Bair,  a  daughter  of  Joiin  Bair,  of  West- 
moreland county,  by  whom  he  had  seven  chil- 
dren. She  died  April  19,  1885,  when  in  the 
fifty-third  year  of  her  age.  (See  sketch  of  M. 
F.  Taylor.)  On  October  6,  1886,  he  married 
Anna  M.  Whitlinger,  daughter  of  John  Whit- 
linger, of  Butler  county. 

John  Taylor  is  a  prominent  and  useful  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodi.st  Episcopal  church,  and  was 
an  extremely  liberal  contributor  to  the  erection 
of  the  first  church  of  that  denomination  that 
was  built  at  Leechburg.  He  has  always  taken 
a  deep  interest  in  religious  matters  and  ha.s 
served  his  church,  at  different  times,  as  class- 
leader,  steward,  trustee  and  Sunday-school  su- 
perintendent.    In    politics   he  was  an  old-line 


whig  until  1856,  when  he  joined  the  republican 
party,  which  he  has  supported  ever  since.  He 
has  served  as  school  director  and  member  of  the 
borough  council.  No  man  takes  a  deeper  in- 
terest in  the  material  welfare  of  Leechburg  than 
Mr.  Taylor.  He  conducts  his  business  on  a 
cash  basis,  and  is  plain,  unpretending  and 
straightforward  as  a  man.  Honorable  and  hon- 
est in  business,  he  owes  his  success  in  life  to  his 
own  energy  and  industry. 


GEORGE  W.  THOMPSON,  the  active  and 
efficient  passenger  and  freight  agent  of  the 
W.  P.  railway,  at  Leechburg,  was  born  at  Circle- 
viile,  North  Huntingdon  township,  Westmore- 
land county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1854.  He  is  the 
eldest  son  of  Robert  and  Jane  (Mackrell) 
Thompson.  His  grandfather,  William  Thomp- 
.son,  was  born  in  Westmoreland  county.  He 
was  a  farmer,  living  near  Irwin.  He  was  an 
active  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and 
in  politics  was  a  democrat.  He  died  when  in 
the  seventy-eighth  year  of  his  age.  His  wife 
was  Anna  Pettigrew,  by  whom  he  had  three 
sons,  Robert,  and  Joseph  and  Alexander  (twins), 
all  of  whom  were  soldiers  in  the  civil  war. 
These  sons  have  all  left  the  political  faith  of 
their  father,  and  invariably  vote  the  republican 
ticket.  Mrs.  Thompson  died  July  24,  1890,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  Robert  Thomp- 
son (father)  was  born  at  Circleville,  North  Hun- 
tingdon township,  in  1823,  and  was  a  cabinet- 
maker and  undertaker  by  trade.  He  followed 
this  business  most  of  his  life.  Very  soon  after 
moving  from  Circleville  to  Blairsville,  Indiana 
county,  in  1863,  he  enlisted  in  a  regiment  of  Pa. 
Vols.,  and  served  until  1 865,  when  he  was  honor- 
ably discharged.  He  contracted  a  chronic  disease 
in  the  .service,  for  which  he  draws  a  pension. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  old  whig  part}',  and 
after  it  was  broken  up  joined  the  republican 
ranks.  He  is  now  serving  his  second  term  as 
justice  of  the  peace,  at  Blairsville,  and  is  highly 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


461 


respected  for  his  intelligence  and  good  judgment. 
He  is  a  sincere  member  of  the  United  Presby- 
terian church.  He  married  Jane  Mackrell, 
daughter  of  James  Mackrell,  of  Allegheny 
county,  who  was  compelled  to  leave  Ireland 
during  the  Irish  rebellion,  narrowly  escaping 
capture  on  several  occasions  while  trying  to  get 
out  of  the  country.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tiiompson 
have  had  eight  children,  of  whom  five  are  living. 
Of  these  are  :  Mary,  George  W.,  Jennie,  wife  of 
S.  J.  Robinsou,  of  Saltsbiu'g  ;  Elmer  E.,  in  the 
railway  service ;  and  Norval  N.,  assistant  weigh- 
raaster  at  Blairsville,  who  married  and  has  two 
children. 

George  W.  Thompson  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Blairsville,  Since  the 
age  of  thirteen  he  has  been  in  the  railway  ser- 
vice, most  of  the  time  in  Pennsylvania,  but  in 
1881  and  1882  he  was  in  the  west.  For  the 
past  twenty-one  years  he  has  been  in  the  employ 
of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  company  as  station 
agent  at  Saltsburg,  weighniaster  at  Blairsville, 
and  since  1886  passenger  and  freight  agent  at 
Leechburg,  an  important  .station  on  the  road. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and 
votes  the  republican  ticket. 

On  December  11,  1885,  he  married  Cecelia 
Clark,  daughter  of  George  W.  Clark,  a  hotel- 
keeper  of  New  Florence,  Westmoreland  county. 

By  retaining  George  W.  Thompson  in  their 
employ  so  many  years,  the  Pennsylvania  Rail- 
road company  has  thereby  shown  its  apprecia- 
tion of  his  fiithful  and  efficient  services  and  has 
indorsed  him  as  an  honest,  reliable  man. 


WILLIAM  PETER  TOWNSEND,  a  well- 
established  business  man  of  Leechburg 
and  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  early  settled  and 
most  substantial  families  of  Armstrong  county, 
is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Martha  (Ulam)  Town- 
send,  and  was  born  on  the  old  Townsend  home- 
stead   farm,  in    Kiskiminetas    township,  Arm- 


strong county,  Pennsylvania,  March  15,  1827. 
At  an  early  day  in  the  history  of  Northampton 
county  the  Townsend  family  came  from  England 
and  settled  within  its  borders.  Among  its  de- 
scendants were  three  brothel's,  Joseph,  Isaac  and 
John.  The  second  brother,  Isaac  Townsend 
(grandfather),  was  born  in  1761  and  came  to 
what  is  now  Kiskimineta.s  township  in  1786. 
He  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  that  section 
and  understood  tanning,  carpentering  and  cabi- 
net-making as  well  as  fiirming.  lie  worked,  as 
occasion  demanded,  at  each  of  his  different 
trades.  He  farmed  for  several  years  with  his 
gun  always  near  him,  frequently  went  with  his 
family  to  the  Hannastown  fort  on  account  of 
the  Indians,  and  suffered  all  tlie  privations  of 
frontier  life.  He  drilled  the  first  salt  wells  on 
the  Kiskiminetas,  became  the  wealthiest  man 
in  his  section  and  at  his  death,  left  a  large 
farm  to  each  of  his  seven  sons :  Isaac,  John, 
Robert,  AVilliam,  Henry,  Richard  and  Joseph. 
He  married  Rachel  King,  of  Northampton 
county,  who  was  born  in  1762  and  lived  to  be 
ninety-two  yeai-s  of  age.  They  had  thirteen 
children,  of  whom  six  were  daughters.  Polly, 
one  of  these  daughters,  was  the  wife  of  Simon 
Turney,  an  uncle  of  Hon.  Jacob  Turucy,  of 
Greensburg,  Pa. ;  and  another,  Susan,  married 
Daniel  Ulam.  Joseph  Townsend  (father)  was 
born  on  the  home  farm  August  30,  1707.  He 
followed  farming  besides  having  a  store  at  Dam 
No.  3,  on  the  river.  In  1860  he  removed  to 
Jackson  county,  Kansas,  where  he  died  Novem- 
ber 8,  1863.  He  was  a  successful  I)usiness  man, 
a  democrat  in  polities  and  an  elder  in  the 
Lutheran  church,  of  which  his  father  had  been 
a  prominent  member.  He  had  served  continu- 
ously for  many  years  in  the  most  important 
township  offices.  He  married  Martha  Ulam, 
daughter  of  Daniel  Ulam,  and  who  was  born 
May  16,  1800,  and  died  in  1865.  They  were 
the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  six  are 
living:  Laban,  a  merchant  of  Apollo;  W.  P., 
D.   U.,  and    S.   B.,  farmers   of  Kansas ;    and 


462 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Amanda  and  Hannah  E.,  wives  of  William  and 
Francis  Bedker,  of  Kansas.  Those  deceased 
were  Diana  E.  (Timms),  Catherine,  Amelia  and 
Laviua. 

William  P.  Townsend  was  reared  on  a  farm 
and  received  his  education  in  the  old  subscrip- 
tion and  early  free  schools  of  the  county.  Leav- 
ing school,  he  was  engaged  for  some  time  in 
farming  and  then  embarked  in  the  mercantile 
business  at  Dam  No.  3,  whicli  he  followed  for 
several  years.  He  left  merchandising  to  pur- 
chase the  packet-boat  "Indiana,"  which  he  ran 
two  years  and  then  re-embarked  in  the  mercan- 
tile business.  In  1880  he  came  to  Leechburg, 
where  he  engaged  in  his  present  grocery,  queens- 
ware  and  cutlery  business.  His  store  room  is 
commodious  and  well  arranged  for  the  large 
stock  of  goods  which  he  displays.  His  aim  has 
been  to  please  and  satisfy  his  customers,  and  how 
well  he  has  succeeded  is  attested  by  the  popular- 
ity of  his  house  and  the  large  trade  which  he 
enjoys.  He  is  a  democrat  in  political  opinion. 
He  is  conspicuous  for  promptness  and  energy 
and  is  well  qualified  for  the  business  in  which 
he  is  engaged. 

December  2.3,  1851,  he  married  Belle  Claw- 
son,  a  daughter  of  Peter  Clawson,  the  grand- 
father of  Sheriff  Lucian  Clawson,  of  Westmore- 
land county.  They  have  been  the  parents  of 
.seven  children  :  Thomas  T.,  born  October  19, 
1852,  an  excellent  machinist  and  in  the  employ 
of  the  Westinghouse  company,  of  Pittsburgh  ; 
Lucy  N.,  born  December  12,  1854,  and  wife  of 
Lewis  Clawson  ;  Daniel  H.,  born  December  27, 
1857;  Joseph  T.,who  died  in  1889;  Kate,  Eva, 
wife  of  Rev.  W.  J.  Miller,  pastor  of  the  First 
Lutheran  church  of  Leechburg;  and  William  S., 
who  was  born  February  16,  1869,  and  is  en- 
gaged witli  the  wholesale  grocery  house  of  R.  C. 
Orr,  of  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 


THOMAS  J.  VAN  GIESEN,  ex-sheriff  and 
ex-district  attorney  of  Forest  county  and 
a  successful  member  of  the  Armstrong  county 
bar,  now  resident  of  Leechburg,  is  a  self-made 
man  and  has  been  pre-eminently  the  architect 
of  his  own  fortune.  He  was  born  on  his  father's 
farm,  in  President  township,  Venango  county, 
Pennsylvania,  June  2,  1840,  and  is  the  son  of 
Thomas  J.,  Sr.,  and  Rhoda  (Crane)  Van  Giesen. 
The  family  traces  its  American  aucestry  to 
New  Jersey,  where  John  Van  Giesen,  the  pater- 
nal grandfather  of  Thomas  J.  Van  Giesen,  was 
born  and  reared.  He  served  in  the  war  of  1812, 
and  afterwards  removed  to  Venango  county, 
where  he  followed  farming  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  ^vhen  he  was  eighty-three  years  of  age. 
He  married  in  New  Jersey  and  had  two  chil- 
dren :  Thomas  J.,  Sr.,  and  Lettie,  who  mar- 
ried and  lived  in  New  Jersey  until  her  death. 
Thomas  J.  Van  Giesen,  Sr.  (father),  was  born 
in  Essex  county.  New  Jersey,  in  1797  aud 
removed,  in  1838,  to  President  township,  Ve- 
nango county,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  Allegheny  river  and 
resided  until  his  death,  in  1849.  He  was  an 
upright  and  God-fearing  man  of  Quaker  belief, 
who  was  of  unassuming  disposition,  but  firm  in 
his  convictions  of  right  and  duty.  In  political 
matters  he  affiliated  with  the  Whig  party.  He 
was  a  man  who  strictly  attended  to  his  own  busi- 
ness affairs.  He  married  Rhoda  Crane,  a  daugh- 
ter  of  Thomas  Crane,  of  New  Jersey,  and  reared 
a  family  of  six  sons  aud  seven  daughters.  Mi-s. 
Van  Giesen  died  in  1853,  aged  fif^y-two  years. 
Thomas  J.  Van  Giesen  was  reared  on  the 
home  farm  until  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age, 
when,  both  of  his  parents  being  dead,  he  went  out 
into  the  world  to  fight  the  battle  of  life  for  him- 
self. W^ithout  either  friends  or  influence,  he 
worked  at  whatever  a  boy  could  secure,  and 
after  beingemployedona  farm  two  or  three  years, 
he  went,  when  only  sixteen  years  ofage,  to  the  oil 
region,  where  he  became  an  oil  driller.  When 
the  late  war  commenced   he  left  that  busiuess^ 


AmrSTRONG  COUNTY. 


463 


enliste<l  as  a  private,  on  August  19,  1861,  in 
Co.  G,  83d  regiment,  Pa.  Vols.,  and  served 
until  1865,  when  he  was  mustered  out  as  first  lieu- 
tenant of  his  company.  He  was  twice  wounded, 
the  first  time  .severely  at  Malvern  Hill  and  the 
second  time  was  struck  in  the  head  by  a  bullet, 
in  front  of  Petersburg,  on  the  19th  of  June, 
1864.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to 
the  oil  region,' where  he  was  engaged  for  several 
years  in  the  oil  business.  In  1871  he  removed 
to  Forest  county, of  which  he  was  elected  sheriff 
in  1873.  At  the  end  of  his  term  of  office  he 
read  law,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1878,  and 
four  years  later  was  elected  district  attorney  of 
that  county.  He  discharged  the  duties  of  that 
office  in  a  very  acceptable  manner.  When  his 
term  expired  (1885)  he  removed  to  Edeuburg, 
Clarion  county,  where  he  practiced  his  profes- 
sion successfully  for  three  years.  He  then 
cameto  Ijeechburg,  where  he  is  rapidly  building 
up  a  good  practice. 

December  22,  1 868,  he  married  Cynthia  E. 
Sloan,  daughter  of  Samuel  S.  Sloan,  a  promi- 
nent contractor  of  Tionesta,  Pa.  They  have 
three  children  living :  Anna  Maud,  T.  Tjee, 
and  W.  R.  Dunn.  Mrs.  Van  Giesen  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  M.  E.  church.  She  is  an  active 
business  woman,  and  conducts  a  lai'ge  millinery 
store  at  licechburg. 

Tliomas  J.  Van  Giesen  is  a  member  and 
the  class  leader  of  the  M.  E.  church  of  Ijeech- 
burg.  He  is  a  republican  in  politics,  a  strong 
and  active  worker  in  the  cause  of  temperance, 
and  a  member  of  Forest  Lodge,  No.  184,  A.  O. 
U.  Vi.,  and  Leechburg  Council,  No.  1045, 
Royal  Arcanum.  He  is  one  of  the  many  veter- 
ans of  the  .\rmy  of  the  Potomac,  who  have  their 
names  on  the  roll  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic.  Three  of  his  brothers  were  in  the 
army  with  him  :  John  H.,  who  was  a  .sergeant, 
was  twice  wounded  and  died  in  a  Confederate 
prison  ;  Charles  C.  and  Ira.  Mr.  Van  Giesen 
is  a  plain,  nnas'^iiming  man,  a  good  lawyer  and 
ft  respected  citizen. 


MARTIN  LUTHER  WANAMAKER,  the 
proprietor  of  the  gas  fitters'  supply  store 
at  Leechburg,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Margaret 
(Wegley)  Wanamaker,  and  was  born  at  Leech- 
burg, Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  Febru- 
ary 12,  1849.  His  great-grandfather,  Wana- 
maker, was  born  in  (icrmany,  but  emigrated 
from  the  Fatherland  to  Westmoreland  county, 
wiiere  he  afterwards  died.  His  son,  Henry 
W^anamaker  (grandfather),  was  born  in  1792, 
and  in  1813  removed  to  Allegheny  township,  this 
county,  and  bought  a  farm  on  which  he 
remained  until  his  death.  He  was  a  quiet,  in- 
du.strious  farmer  and  wa.s  one  of  the  elders 
of  Zion  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  when  it 
wasorganized.  He  married  Susannah  Silves,and 
died  Augu,st  7,  1860,  in  the  .sixty-ninth  year  of 
his  age.  Mrs.  Wanamaker  was  born  in  1794, 
and  died  January  14,  1880,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty-six  years.  They  had  ten  children: 
John,  Elizabeth,  Annie,  Cyrus,  James,  Henry, 
Joseph,  George,  Esther  and  Caroline.  The 
eldest  son,  John  Wanamaker  (father),  was  born 
on  his  father's  farm,  about  four  miles  west  of 
Leechburg,  February  22,  1812,  and  during  his 
youth  worked  on  the  fiirm.  He  learned  the 
trade  of  cabinet-maker  and  about  1 840  engaged 
in  the  furniture  and  undertaking  business  at 
Leechburg.  In  I860  he  sold  his  furniture 
establishment  and  embarked  in  the  general  mer- 
cantile business,  which  he  followed  for  some 
time.  He  then  becsime  proprietor  of  a  drug 
store,  which  he  conducted  for  eight  or  ten  years. 
In  1870  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  son, 
M.  L.  Wanamaker,  and  engaged  in  the  furni- 
ture business.  Nine  years  later  he  retired  from 
the  business  and  for  the  last  ten  years  has  lived 
a  retired  life.  Some  twelve  years  ago  he  was 
bitten  by  a  dog  and  has  suffered  considerablv 
from  the  bite,  which  has  never  healed.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  general  council  of  the  Evangeli- 
cal Lutheran  church,  and  is  devoted  to  the 
interests  of  the  Democratic  party.  On  May  31, 
1 838,  he  married  Margaret  Wegley,  who  is  a 


464 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  ARMSTBONO   COUNTY. 


daughter  of  John  and  Catherine  (Beck)  Wegley,  ; 
and  was    born    January    25,    1814,  in    Burrell 
townsliip,    of    which   lier   parents    Mere  early 
settlers.     To  Mr.  and   Mrs.   Wanamaker    have  ' 
been    born    seven    children :  Mary   Ann,    born 
July  28,  1839,  and  died  May  11, 1863  ;  James,  ■ 
born  June  21,  1841,   and   died  the  same  year  ; 
Sarah,  born  July  2,  1842,   and  died    the  same  | 
year;  Eliza, born  June  23,1844,  and  married  to 
Henry    Byrer,  of  Shelbj',  Ohio ;  Emma,  born 
October  21,1847,   wife  of  Levi  Hill  ;  Martin  i 
Luther,    and    Elizabeth,  born    October  4,  1851, 
and  wife  of  Joseph  Bowers,  of  Leechburg,  now 
dealing  in  oil  in  Venango  county. 

Martin  L.  Wanamaker  attended   the  public 
schools  of  Leechburg,  and   then   engaged    with 
his  father   in   the  furuitui-e  business.      From 
1877  to  1879    he   conducted   a   photographic  ' 
gallery  in  connection  with  his  furniture  estab-  ' 


lishment.  In  1879  he  and  his  father  disposed 
of  the  furniture  store,  and  he  engaged  in  the 
confectionery  business,  on  Market  street.  On 
January  1,1889,  he  opened  a  general  gas  fitters' 
supply  store,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  gas 
fitting.  He  has  secured  a  large  patronage  and 
is  constantly  increasing  his  trade. 

February  4, 1880,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Sarah  Jane  Artman,  daughter  of  John  Artman, 
of  Armstrong  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wana- 
maker have  two  children  :  Emma  Irene  and 
Effii  Thirza. 

Originally  Mr.  Wanamaker  was  a  democrat, 
liut  joined  the  Republican  party  in  1884,  cast- 
ing his  first  republican  vote  for  James  G. 
Blaine.  He  is  a  good  business  man  and  fine 
mechanic,  being  fully  up  to  the  times  in  every- 
thing connected  with  liis  present  line  of  busi- 


ness. 


rHEEPORT. 


Historical  and  Descriptive. — Freeport  is  a 
prosperous  borough  situateil  on  the  west  bauk  of 
the  Allegheny  river,  twenty-eight  miles  north 
of  Pittsburgii,  at  the  confluence  of  Buffalo  creek 
with  the  above-named  river.  It  was  laid  out  by 
William  and  David  Todd  in  1796,  and  was  in- 
corporated as  a  borough  on  April  8, 1833.  It  is 
supposed  that  a  detachment  of  the  French  soldiers 
who  evacuated  Fort  Duquesne  in  1758  camped 
on  its  site  for  several  months.  Prior  to  1792 
Craig's  block-house  was  built  on  what  is  now 
Water  street,  and  but  a  short  distance  down  the 
river  stood  Reed's  Station,  near  which  the  In- 
dians captured  Mrs.  Massey  Harbison,  whose 
captivity  and  sufferings  have  so  often  been 
related  in  the  histories  of  the  frontier.  In 
1807  it  contained  but  eight  houses,  but  boat- 
building was  inaugurated  that  year  by  Captain 
Edward  Hart,  of  Boston,  and  by  1832  it  con- 
tained over  fifty  dwellings.  The  Pennsylvania 
canal  was  then  constructed  through  the  town, 
and  it  increased  rapidly  in  population  and 
wealth,  until  its  growth  was  checked  for  a  time 
by  the  closing  of  the  canal.  Its  present  pros- 
perity dates  from  the  building  of  the  West 
Pennsylvania  railroad  through  it,  and  the  con-  j 
struction  of  the  Butler  Branch  of  the  above- 
named  railroad.  In  1820  salt-water  and  oil 
were  obtained  in  a  well  sunk  on  the  Allegheny 
river  just  opposite  the  borough,  and  iu  1857 
J.  A.  McCullough  and  W.  S.  Ralston  shut  off 
the  salt-water  and  began  pumping  the  oil. 
From  1830  to  1855  ice-cutting  for  the  southern 
market  was  prosecuted  very  successfully.  The  i 
post-office  was  established  iu  1806,  with  Jacob  ■ 


Weaver  as  postmaster.  Its  population  from 
1850  to  1880  is  given  by  the  census  reports  as 
follows:  1,073,  1,701,  1,640,  and  1,614.  In 
1855  it  had  two  schools  running  five  and  one-half 
months,  with  four  teachers  and  an  enrollment 
of  four  hundred  and  sixty  five  pupils.  Free- 
port  w;is  the  prospective  ciipital  in  1845  of  the 
then  projected  county  of  Madison. 

Freeport  was  first  known  as  Toddstown,  but 
David  Todd,  its  founder,  had  intended  the  town 
to  always  be  a  free  port  for  all  river  craft,  and 
accordingly  named  it  Freeport,  under  which 
name  it  was  incorporated.  The  first  physician 
was  Dr.  C.  G.  Snowden,  who  came  in  1830,  and 
the  earliest  resident  lawyer  was  James  Stewart. 
In  1855  Williamson  &  Rhey  established  a 
distillery,  which  in  1866  passed  into  the  hands 
of  Guckenheimcr  Bros.,  whose  Freeport  distil- 
leries to-day  constitute  the  largest  manufactur- 
ing liquor  plant  in  the  United  States.  Their 
plant  covers  thirty  acres  of  ground,  and  has  a 
capacity  of  five  thousand  gallons  of  whiskey 
per  day.  They  employ  one  hundred  and  fifty 
men,  and  use  twelve  hundred  bushels  of  rye 
every  twenty-four  hours. 

The  Presbyterian  church  was  organized  prior 
to  1825.  The  Associate  Presbyterian  and  St. 
Mary's  Catholic  churches  were  formed  about 
1826.  The  Baptist  was  organized  December  11, 
1830.  The  Methodist  Episcopal  in  1833,  the 
Lutheran,  1835,  and  the  Associate  Reformed  in 
1850.  Freeport  numbers  among  its  prominent 
industries  the  Long  lumber  and  planing  mills, 
the  Freeport  planing  mill,  and  the  Freeport 
flouring  mills. 

465 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


JAMES  W.  CRAIG,  treasurer  aud  general 
manager  of  the  Buffalo  Milling  company, 
aud  one  of  the  energetic  business  men  of  Free- 
port,  was  born  in  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  Jan- 
uary 10,  1844,  and  is  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Mar- 
garet (Wolf)  Craig.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
Alexander  Craig,  was  born  and  reared  in  Ire- 
land, from  which  he  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  when  he  was  a  young  man.  He  lot;ated 
in  Venango  county,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
farming  until  his  death.  His  son,  Isaac  Craig 
(father),  was  born  in  1807.  After  he  grew  up 
to  manhood  he  removed  to  Westmoreland 
county  and  purchased  a  packet-boat,  which  he 
ran  for  many  years  between  Hollidaysburg  and 
Pittsburgh,  on  the  old  Pennsylvania  canal.  He 
was  a  life-long  democrat  and  died  at  Blairsville, 
Indiana  county,  on  May  28,  1866.  He  mar- 
ried Margaret  Wolf,  who  was  born  at  Blairs- 
ville in  1817.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  church,  and  resides  now  at 
Freeport.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Craig  were  born 
ten  children,  of  whom  six  are  living. 

From  two  years  of  age  until  manhood 
James  W.  Craig  was  reared  on  a  farm  near 
Chambersburg,  in  Franklin  county.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Chambersburg,  and  was  variously  employed 
until  1878,  when  he  came  to  Freeport.  He 
secured  a  position  on  the  telegraph  repair  line 
along  the  West  Pennsylvania  railroad.  At  tiie 
end  of  two  years'  service  in  that  capacity  he 
was  given  a  position  in  the  motive  power  de- 
partment, which  he  held  till  1886.  He  was 
then  employed  as  an  engineer  by  the  Buffalo 
Milling  company,  and  after  one  year's  faithful 
service  as  such  he  was  made  treasurer  aud 
general  manager  of  the  company,  which  posi- 
tion he  still  occupies. 

On  October  1,  1868,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Mary  C.  Shuman,  daughter  of  xidam 
Shuman,    of    Franklin    county,    Pa.     To    this 


union  has  been   born   one   child,  a  daughter  : 
Emma  U. 

James  W.  Craig  has  always  been  a  democrat, 
and  is  now  serving  as  treasurer  of  the  school 
board  of  South  Buffalo  township,  on  whose 
territory  he  really  resides,  although  he  is  in 
one  of  the  unincorporated  .suburbs  of  Freeport. 
He  is  a  member  and  deacon  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  church,  and  a  member  of  Freeport 
Lodge,  No.  379,  I.  O.  O.  F.  'He  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Buffalo  Milling  company,  which, 
under  his  successful  raauageraent,  has  acquired 
a  large  and  extensive  trade. 


JAMES  EDGHILL,  M.D.,  a  graduate  of 
the  University  of  Oxford,  England,  a  man 
of  intelligence  and  culture,  and  a  thoughtful, 
observant  and  successful  physician  of  Freeport, 
was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England,  November 
29,  18-50,  and  is  a  son  of  Rev.  James  and  Car- 
oline (McCaskey)  Edghill.  His  paternal  grand  • 
father  Edghill,  and  his  maternal  grandfather, 
McCaskey,  were  both  natives  of  England,  and 
fiirmers  by  occupation.  His  father.  Rev.  James 
Edghill,  was  born  and  reared  in  Yorkshire, 
where  he  received  his  education  in  the  Morav- 
ian training-.school.  He  then  fitted  himself  for 
the  work  of  tlie  Christian  ministry  in  the 
Moravian  church.  After  many  years  of  active 
pastoral  labors,  during  which  he  had  charge  of 
.several  important  churches,  he  retired  from 
regular  ministerial  work,  and  now  resides  in  his 
native  county.  He  married  Caroline  McCaskey, 
of  Yorkshire,  and  to  them  were  born  seven 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is 
the  third  in  order  of  age. 

James  Edghill  was  reared  in  Yorkshire, 
where  he  received  his  elementary  education  in 
the  Moravian  institute.  He  then  entered  the 
University  of  Oxford,  and  wa,s  graduated  from 
that  famous  and  grand  old  institution  of  learn- 
ing in  187.5.  .\fter  graduating  he  was  var- 
iously   employed    in.  his    native   country   until 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


467 


1884,  when  he  came  to  the  United  States  and 
entered  the  Homoeopathic  Medical  school,  of 
Cleveland,  Ohio.  He  took  the  full  three  years' 
course,  and  was  graduated  with  high  standing 
in  tlie  class  of  1887.  While  pursuing  his  med- 
ical studies  he  also  attended  the  hom(eopathic 
hospital,  and,  by  actual  practice  during  the  last 
year  of  his  course  as  au  assistant,  derived  much 
valuable  experience  in  the  treatment  of  diseases. 
The  next  year  after  graduating.  Dr.  Edgliill 
came  to  Freeport,  where  he  has  been  engaged 
ever  since  in  the  active  and  successful  practice 
of  his  profession.  He  is  an  affable  and  honor- 
able gentleman,  of  fine  education  and  good 
address.  He  is  a  member  of  tlie  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  t 


JAMES  S.  GALLAHER,  general  agent  for 
the  widely-known  Barnes  Safe  and  Lock 
company,  is  one  of  Freeport's  active  and  useful 
business  men.  He  is  a  son  of  James  J.  and 
Susan  (McCoach)  Gallaher,  and  was  born  near 
Dayton,  in  Wayne  township,  Armstrong  coun- 
ty, Peunsvlvania,  December  19,  1855.  Of  the 
farming  class  of  county  Donegal,  Ireland,  was 
James  Gallaher,  the  grandfatlier  of  James  S. 
Gallaher.  In  1825,  James  Gallaher  came  to 
Wayne  township,  where  he  died  on  his  farm,  in 
Dec,  1868,  aged  seventy-two  years.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church,  of 
which  his  wife  and  all  of  his  children  were 
members.  His  son,  James  J.  Gallaher,  was 
born  in  county  Donegal,  in  1821,  and  died  in 
Wayne  township,  Dec.  30,  1876.  He  was  an 
extensive  farmer,  an  active  worker  in  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  church,  and  was  an  ardent  sup- 
porter of  the  Democratic  party.  He  was  a 
prominent  man  in  his  community  and  township, 
and  married  Susan  McCoach,  who  was  born  in 
couhty  Donegal,  in  1830,  and  was  brought, 
when  six  months  old,  by  her  parents,  to  Wavnc 
township.  Sill!  is  an  epi.scopalian  in  religious 
faith,  and  resides  on  the  home  farm. 


James  S.  Gallaher  was  reared  on  the  farm, 
and  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  Dayton  academy.  Leaving  school, 
he  was  engaged  in  farming  until  1878,  when  he 
contracted  a  spell  of  sickness  from  exposure  in 
threshing  and  hulling  clover  seed.  He  was 
thus  unfitted  for  business  for  nearly  a  year.  In 
1870  he  opened  a  livery  stable  at  Kittanning, 
which  he  conducted  until  1886,  when  he  en- 
gaged as  a  general  agent  with  the  Barnes 
Safe  &  Lock  company,  of  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  and 
has  held  that  position  until  the  present  time. 
In  April,  1888,  he  came  to  Freeport,  where  he 
has  resided  ever  since.  He  owns  two  farms  in 
the  county,  upon  which  he  has  tenant  farmers. 
He  is  also  engaged  in  oil  production,  and  has  a 
number  of  paying  wells  besides  being  interested 
in  several  other  business  enterprises. 

He  united  in  marriage,  on  June  5,  1887, 
with  Sarah  A.  Jones,  daughter  of  Michael  and 
Sarah  Jones,  of  Kittanning,  this  county. 

James  S.  Gallaher  is  a  vestryman  of  Free- 
port  Protestant  Episcopal  church,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  Freeport  Lodge,  No.  379,  I.  O.  O.  F. 
He  is  a  good  business  man,  and  has  always 
been  popular  with  the  public  and  all  with 
whom  he  has  had  dealinsrs.  He  is  a  democrat 
politically.  In  1882,  Mr.  Gallaher  was  honored 
by  his  party  with  the  nomination  for  sheriff, 
and  such  was  his  popularity,  that  he  came 
within  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  votes  of 
being  successful,  when  Armstrong  county  was 
republican  by  fifteen  hundred  majority. 


TSAAC  GUCKENHEIMER,  one  of  the 
-■-  yoimg,  progressive  business  men  of  Pitts- 
burgh and  the  general  superintendent  at  Free- 
port  of  A.  Guckcuhcimcr  &  Bros.,  distilleries, 
the  largest  manufacturing  liquor  plant  in  the 
United  States,  is  a  sou  of  Asher  and  Ida  (Wise) 
Guckenheimer,  and  was  born  in  Allegheny, 
Allegheny  county,  Penn.sylvania,  May  4,  1862. 
Asher    Guckenheimer    was   born    in  1825,    in 


468 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Germany,  where  he  was  reared  to  manhood  and 
where  he  married  Ida  Wise.  In  1853  he  came  to 
Allegheny  city,  this  State,  where  he  was  engaged 
for  five  years  in  droving.  He  next  embarked  in  ' 
the  wholesale  grocery  business,  which  he  followed 
but  a  short  time  and  then  became  a  member  of 
the  present  firm  of  A.  Guckenheimer  &  Bros. 
They  engaged  in  the  jobbing  liquor  business 
and  their  trade  soon  became  so  extensive  that,  to 
fill  their  orders,  they  had  to  purchase  and  oper- 
ate a  distillery  at  Freeport.  As  their  trade 
increased  the  small  fivo-barrel.  distillery  was 
replaced  by  a  larger  distillery,  and  to  it  has  been 
added  several  more  distilleries  until  to-day  A. 
Guckenheimer  &  Bros,  are  the  largest  distillers 
of  rye  whiskies  in  the  United  States.  They 
have  increased  their  plant  until  it  covers  over 
thirty  acres  of  ground  and  has  a  capacity  of  five 
thousand  gallons  of  whiskey  per  day.  They 
employ  one  hundred  .and  fifty  men  and  use 
twelve  hundred  bushels  of  vye  every  tweuty- 
four  hours.  These  distilleries  consist  of  a  '< 
splendid  .series  of  buildings,  equipped  with  all  | 
the  latest  apparatus  and  machinery  used  in 
liquor  manufacturing,  and  including  five  pow- 
erful steam  engines.  The  finest  of  grain  is  used 
and  a  liquor  is  made  that  has  no  superior  in  the 
market  for  purity.  In  addition  to  this  plant 
they  have,  in  Butler  county  and  opposite  Free- 
port,  one  of  the  handsomest  distilleries  in  the 
United  States.  This  distillery  is  operated  un- 
der the  name  of  the  Pennsylvania  Distilling 
company.  A.  Guckenheimer  &  Bros,  have 
their  offices  at  Nos.  9-3  and  95  First  avenue, 
Pittsburgh.  Their  hou.se  has  a  well-established 
rejiutation  not  only  throughout  the  United 
States,  but  also  in  Europe  and  South  America, 
to  which  continents  they  export  va.st  quantities 
of  their  double  copper-distilled  pure  rye  whis- 
key. A.sher  Guckenheimer  is  a  democrat  and 
resides  in  Allegheny  city.  His  record  as  one 
of  the  leading  and  successful  liquor  Inisiness 
men  of  the  United  States  is  unparalleled  in  the 
historv  of  this  State. 


Isaac  Guckenheimer  was  reared  in  Allegheny 
and  received  his  education  in  the  Western  uni- 
versity of  that  city  and  the  New  York  college 
of  New  York  city.  Leaving  college,  he  en- 
gaged in  the  liquor  business  with  his  father  and 
has  worked  his  way  up  to  his  present  important 
position  of  general  superintendent  of  the  distil- 
leries at  Freeport. 

On  October  12,  1887,  Mr.  Guckenheimer 
unite<^l  in  marriage  with  Mamie  L.  Garson, 
daughter  of  Leopold  Garson,  of  Rochester,  N. 
Y.,  who  is  the  senior  member  of  the  firm  of 
Garson,  Kerngood  &  Cii.,  one  of  the  largest 
clothing  manufacturing  firms  of  the  Empire 
State. 

In  politics  Mr.  Guckenheimer  is  a  democrat 
and  has  served  twice  as  a  delegate  to  State 
democratic  conventions.  He  is  a  member  of 
Arm,strong  Lodge  No.  239,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
resides  in  Allegheny  city. 


NICHOLAS  ISEMAN,  one  of  the  proprie- 
tors of  one  of  Freeport's  large  flour  and 
feed  stores,  prospected  successfully  for  gold  in 
California  in  1856  and  served  faithfully  as  a 
Union  .soldier  in  the  late  war.  He  is  a  son  of 
George  and  Susan  Iseman,  and  was  born  in 
South  Buffalo  township,  Armstrong  county, 
Pennsylvania,  February  15,  1836.  Nicholas 
Iseman  (grandfather)  was  of  German  origin  and 
came,  at  an  early  day,  from  eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania into  what  is  now  South  Buffalo  township, 
where  he  died  on  his  farm,  in  1839,  at  sixty 
years  of  age.  George  Iseman  (Nicholas'  father) 
was  born  in  1801  and  died  July  23,  1861.  He 
was  a  life-long  resident  and  prosperous  farmer 
of  South  Buffalo  township.  He  was  a  lutheran 
and  a  democrat  and  married  Susan  Hollibaugh, 
a  native  of  South  Buffalo  township  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lutheran  church,  who  diet!  April  29, 
1861,  aged  55  years,  6  months  and  20  days. 
Their    familv  consisted  of  six    .sons   and    five 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


469 


dauglitei-s,  of  whom  two  daughters  and  three 
sons  are  living. 

Nicholas  Isemau  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm.  He  attended  the  common  schools  and  at 
twenty  years  of  age  he  went  to  California,  where 
he  was  one  of  the  few  who  were  successful  in 
gold-mining.  After  a  stay  of  two  years  in  the 
Golden  State  he  returned  home,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  farming  until  Feb.  28,  1864,  when 
he  enlistetl  in  Co.  Ti,  14th  Pa.  Cavalry.  He 
was  in  all  the  engagements  of  his  regiment  from 
the  time  he  enlisted  until  the  war  closed.  He 
was  honorably  discharged  at  Ft.  Leavenworth, 
Kansas,  July  31,  1865,  returned  home  and  was 
variously  employed  until  1879,  when  he  made 
a  second  trip  to  California,  but  remained  only 
eighteen  months.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
returned  home  again,  and  in  1883  engaged  in 
his  present  flour  and  feed  business  at  Freeport. 

October  19,  1858,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Eliza  Frantz,  daughter  of  Isaac  Frantz,  of  South 
Buffalo  township,  this  coiuity.  To  this  union 
were  born  seven  children,  two  sons  and  five 
daughters ;  Annie  E.,  Etta  E.,  Rebecca  M., 
William  A.,  Minnie  O.,  Maurice  E.  and  Hattie 
B.  Mrs.  Iseman  died  December  2,  1878,  aged 
thirty-eight  years,  two  months  and  twelve  days. 

Nicholas  Iseman  is  a  member  of  Henry  A. 
Weaver  Post,  No.  32,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Freeport. 
He  is  a  straight  republican  in  politics  and  has 
been  a  councilman  of  his  borough  since  1888. 
His  flour  and  feed  store  is  on  Market  street. 
He  does  a  good  business,  has  a  large  and  paying 
patronage  and  is  popular  as  a  business  man. 


T  LUTHER  LONG.  One  of  the  most  es- 
^  *  sential  industries  in  the  growth  of  a  town 
is  that  of  the  lumber  business,  and  a  leading 
and  representative  lumber  manufacturer  and 
dealer  of  Freeport  is  J.  Luther  Long.  He 
is  a  son  of  William  A.  and  Elizabeth  A. 
(Cunningham)  Long,  and  was  born  at  Freeport, 
Armstrong  county,   Pennsylvania,    April    15, 


1865.  His  paternal  grandfather,  John  Long, 
was  of  German  descent.  He  came,  about 
1840,  from  Westmoreland  county  to  Freeport, 
where  he  died  in  1868,  aged  seventy -three 
years.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lutheran  church.  His  son,  William 
A.  Long  (father),  was  born  in  Westmoreland 
county  in  1820  and  came  to  Freeport  in  1840. 
He  is  a  carpenter  and  contractor  of  many  years' 
successful  experience,  and  ranks  high  as  a 
skilled  workman.  He  is  a  republican  and  a 
lutheran  and  married  Elizabeth  Cunningham, 
of  this  county,  who  was  a  membor  of  the 
Lutheran  church  and  died  December  16,  1869, 
at  forty-nine  years  of  age. 

J.  Luther  Long  was  reared  at  Freeport,  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  schools  and 
learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  with  his  father. 
At  fifteen  years  of  age  he  began  to  work  at 
carpentering  for  himself  and  has  followed  it 
ever  since.  For  the  last  ten  yeare  he  has  also 
been  engaged  in  contracting.  In  1885  he 
started  a  planing-mill,  which  burned  down  on 
September  23, 1890.  In  the  fall  of  1889  he  de- 
termined to  embark  in  business  upon  a  larger 
scale,  and  accordingly  opened  at  first  a  feed 
store,  which  venture  was  succes.sful,  and  in  Sep- 
tember, 1890,  he  established  his  present  gro- 
cery. To  theseditfereut  lines  of  business,  which 
he  is  conducting  very  successfully,  he  gives  the 
most  of  his  time. 

In  politics  Mr.  Long  is  a  republican  of  liberal 
views  and  has  been  .serving  for  some  time  as  a 
member  of  the  borough  council.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Freeport  Lutheran  church,  of  which 
he  is  an  elder.  Mr.  Long  manufactures  and 
deals  in  doors,  sash,  frames,  mouldings,  brack- 
ets, flooring,  siding,  shingles,  lath,  standard 
wall  plaster,  calcined  plaster,  lime,  cement  and 
other  building  material.  He  also  deals  in  all 
kinds  of  country  produce,  grain,  flour,  mill 
feed,  seeds,  baled  hay  and  straw.  His  office 
and  ware-house  are  on  High  street  above 
Seventh,  while  his  general  office  and  mill  are  on 


470 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Seventh  street  and  the  W.  P.  R.  R.  Mr.  Long 
has  been  the  architect  of  his  own  fortunes  in 
life,  and  the  valuable  property  which  he  owns 
at  Freeport  has  been  honorably  acquired  by  his 
own  determined,  persistent  efforts. 


FRANK  MAXLER,  president  of  the  Bufialo 
Milling,  Freeport  Planiug-mill  and 
Scheuley  Ferry  companies  and  proprietor  at 
Freeport  of  one  of  the  leading  merchant  tailor- 
ing establishments  of  the  county,  ■  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Barbara  (Helbliug)  IMaxler,  and  was 
born  at  Freeport,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, November  4,  1844.  John  Maxler  was 
born  and  reared  in  Byron,  Germany,  where  he 
learned  the  trade  of  stone-mason.  He  came,  in 
1838,  to  Venango  county,  where  he  settled  at 
Cherry  Tree,  on  Oil  creek,  and  remained  one 
year.  He  then  came  to  Freeport,  which  he 
made  his  residence  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred March  4,  1886,  when  he  was  in  the 
seventy-sixth  year  of  his  age.  He  followed 
stone-masoning  during  the  summer  seasons, 
and  worked  at  coopering  during  the  winters.  He 
was  a  catholic  and  a  democrat,  and  was  married  in 
Pittsburgh  to  Barbara  Helbliug,  a  native  of  Ba- 
varia and  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church, 
who  died  November  27,  1888,  at  seventy-eight 
years  of  age.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Maxler  were  an 
honest,  industrious  and  well  respected  couple. 

Frank  Maxler  was  reared  at  Freeport  and  at- 
tended the  public  schools.  Leaving  school,  he 
entered  Fullerton's  woolen  factory  and  learned 
the  woolen  manufacturing  business,  at  which  he  | 
worked  for  several  years.  On  February  14, 
1865,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  E,  78th  regiment,  Pa. 
Vols.,  for  one  year  and  served  until  September 
11,  1865,  when  he  was  honorably  discharged 
at  Ilarrisburg.  After  the  war  he  worked  in 
woolen  factories  until  1872,  when  he  entered  J. 
H.  Shoop's  merchant  tailoring  establishment, 
of  Freeport,  and  served  as  a  clerk  for  five  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  went  to  Europe,  where 


he  traveled  through  England,  Belgium,  Ger- 
many and  Switzerland  and  spent  several  days  in 
London,  besides  visiting  the  birthplace  and 
early  home  of  his  parents.  After  returning 
from  the  old  world  he  entered  into  partnership 
with  his  former  employer,  under  the  firm-name 
of  Shoop  &  Maxler.  This  partnershijj  contin- 
ued until  1883,  when  Mr.  Maxler  withdrew 
and  built  his  present  large  two-story  brick  busi- 
ness house  on  Market  street.  He  then  engaged 
in  the  gents'  furni.shing  and  merchant  tailoring 
business,  in  which  he  has  continued  successfully 
ever  since.  His  exquisite  taste  and  good  judg- 
ment in  selection  of  cloths,  woolens  and  furnish- 
ing goods,  coupled  with  fashionable  tailoring 
done  at  reasonable  prices,  has  secured  him  his 
large  and  growing  patronage. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Maxler  is  a  democrat,  has 
served  as  assistant  burgess  and  is  a  member  of 
the  present  borough  council.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Catholic  church  and  a  popular  business 
man  who  has  ever  retained  the  confidence  of  the 
public. 


HENRY  N.  MILLER,  supervisor  of  Divi- 
sion No.  19,  West  Pennsylvania  railroad, 
is  a  resident  of  Freeport,  where  he  is  known  as 
a  reliable  citizen  and  an  efficient  business  man. 
He  is  a  son  of  Michael  and  Christina  (Burns) 
Miller,  and  was  born  in  Young  township,  In- 
diana county,  Pennsylvania,  February  6,  1835. 
The  Millers  are  of  German  descent,  and  settled 
in  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  the  early 
part  of  the  last  century.  Michael  Miller,  the 
paternal  grandfather  of  Henry  N.  Miller,  was 
a  native  of  Penn.sylvania,  where  he  was  born, 
in  Lancaster  county,  December  24,  1775.  He 
was  a  shoemaker  by  trade  and  died  in  Indiana 
county,  aged  seventy-five  years.  His  son, 
Michael  Miller  (father)  was  born  in  eastern 
Pennsylvania,  and  came,  in  an  early  day,  into 
Indiana  county,  where  he  now  resides,  in  Cone- 
maugh  township.    He  learned,  when  young,  the 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


471 


trade  of  shoemaker,  which  hefollowecl  for  several 
years  before  engaging  in  his  main  life  pursuit 
of  farming.  Within  the  last  few  years  he  retired 
from  all  active  business  pursuits,  and  resides  in 
a  pleasant  home  witii  comfortable  surroundings. 
He  was  born  Aug.  28,  1806,  and  has  passed 
his  eighty-fourth  milestone  on  the  pathway  of 
life.  He  is  a  republican  in  politics  and  a  member 
of  the  United  Presbyterian  church.  He  married 
Christina  Burns,  w4io  was  a  native  of  Scotland, 
and  was  brought  by  her  parents  to  the  United 
States  when  she  was  only  three  years  of  age. 

Henry  N.  Miller  was  reared  in  Indiana 
county  and  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  and  Jacksonville  academy,  which  he 
attended  during  four  summer  terms  between 
1850  and  1860.  He  commenced  life  for  him- 
self as  a  teacher  in  the  common  schools  of  In- 
diana county,  in  which  he  taught  eleven  term.s. 
In  April,  1863,  he  engaged  as  a  laborer  on  the 
Pennsylvania  railroad,  at  Blairsville,  but  was 
soon  promoted  to  track  foreman,  and  had  charge 
of  a  work-train  for  over  five  years.  On  March 
1,  1874,  he  was  appointed  a.s  a  supervisor  of 
the  road,  and  .stationed  at  Freeport,  where  he  has 
remained  ever  since  in  the  discharge  of  the  im- 
portant duties  of  his  responsible  position.  In 
1887,  1888  and  in  1890  he  built  twenty-two 
miles  of  the  second  track  on  the  West  Penn. 
R.  R.  east  of  Allegheny  city,  in  connection  with 
his  regular  duties  as  supervisor. 

On  April  "2,  1861,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Fannie  C.  Nesbit,  daughter  of  Nathaniel 
Nesbit,  of  Indiana  county.  Pa.  To  this  union 
have  been  born  four  children,  three  sons  and 
one  daughter :  Martin  E.,  ticket  and  express 
agent  and  telegraph  operator  at  the  W.  P.  R.  R. 
depot  at  Freeport ;  Thomas  G.,  a  brakeman  on 
the  W.  P.  railroad,  who  married,  in  Sept., 
1885,  and  resides  at  Freeport,  Pa.  ;  Wilbert  H. 
and  Jessie  E. 

Henry  N.  Miller  is  a  republican  in  politics, 
and  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church  of  Freeport,  in  which  he  has  served  for 


several  years  as  an  elder.  He  deals,  to  some 
extent,  in  real  estate,  and  owns,  at  the  present 
tiine,  a  very  good  farm  in  Conemaugh  town- 
ship. He  has  served  as  a  councilman  of  his 
borough,  and  is  a  member  of  the  school  board 
at  the  present  time.  Mr.  Miller  has  had  many 
years  of  practical  experience  iti  railroad  matters, 
and  has  always  rendered  good  satisfaction  in  the 
position  which  he  occupies. 


HON.  J.  A.  McCULLOUGH,  ex -member  of 
the  House  of  Representatives  of  Pennsyl- 
uauia  and  an  old  and  prominent  member  of  the 
Armstrong  county  bar,  was  born  in  Allegheny 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Penu.sylvauia, 
December  26,  1817,  and  is  a  son  of  Squire 
James  and  Margaret  (Patterson)  McCullough. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  James  McCullough, 
was  born  in  Scotland  and  came  to  what  is  now 
Allegheny  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
when  there  were  but  three  white  families  in 
that  section.  He  took  up  a  large  body  of  land 
and  often  had  to  flee  trom  Indians  to  the  fort 
below  the  site  of  Freeport.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Associate  Reformed  church,  had  a  large 
library  for  that  day,  was  a  great  reader  and  had 
quite  a  fund  of  religious  .  information.  He 
planted  the  first  apple-orchard  that  was  ever  in 
Allegheny  township.  Of  his  four  sons,  one  was 
Squire  James  McCullough  (father),  who  was 
born  in  1785.  He  was  a  successful  farmer  and 
a  strong  democrat,  and  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace  for  twenty  years  before  his  death. 
He  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Associate 
Reformed  church,  and  married  Margaret  Pat- 
terson, daughter  of  Thomas  Patterson,  of  Loyal- 
hanna  township,  that  county.  They  reared  a 
family  of  nine  children. 

J.  A.  McCullough  was  reared  and  received 
his  education  in  his  native  township.  Leaving 
school,  he  taught  six  terras,  one  of  which  was 
at  Greensburg,  Pa.  He  then  read  law  one  year 
with   Albert  Marchand,  and  then  for  another 


472 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


year  with  Noble  Nesbit.  Leaving  Greensburg 
in  1848,  he  came  to  Freeport,  and  during  the 
next  year  was  admitted  to  the  Armstrong  county 
bar,  of  whose  members  now  but  two  rank  him  in 
years  of  practice.  After  his  admission  to  the 
bar  he  returned  to  Freeport,  where  he  has  been 
engaged  ever  since  in  the  active  and  successful 
practice  of  his  profession.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Freeport  United  Presbyterian  church,  in 
which  he  has  been  a  trustee  for  twenty-one 
years.  He  is  a  democrat  in  politics,  was  for- 
merly very  active  in  political  aifairs,  and,  some 
years  back,  frequently  stumped  the  county  in 
the  interests  of  his  party.  In  1862  he  was 
elected  to  the  legislature  of  Pennsylvania  as  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  and 
served  very  creditably  during  the  session  of 
1862-63. 

June  17,  1848,  he  married  Caroline  E. 
Hagy,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Philip  Hagy,  of 
Adams  county.  To  their  union  were  born  three 
children :  John,  who  read  law  at  Greeusburg, 
Pa.,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  died  at  thirty- 
one  years  of  age ;  Dr.  James  T.,  and  William, 
who  died  when  nineteen  years  of  age. 

James  T.  McCullough,  A.M.,  M.D.,  the 
second  son,  was  born  at  Freeport  August  31, 
1851.  He  attended  the  Freeport  public  schools 
and  Westminster  college,  and  in  1872  entered 
Wooster  university  of  Ohio,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1874.  He  then  read  medicine, 
entered  Jefferson  Medical  college,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1877  and 
located  at  Parker  City.  In  September,  1881, 
he  came  to  Freeport,  where  he  has  built  up  a 
good  practice.  He  is  a  democrat  and  a  lutheran, 
and  married  Catherine  Evans,  daughter  of 
Lewis  Evans,  of  Parker  City.  They  have  two 
children  :  Caroline  and  Catherine. 


HERMAN  H.  SCHWIETERING,  a  well- 
established  and  prosperous  merchant  of 
Freeport,  and  one  of  the  survivors  of  the  old 


and  well-known  14th  Pennsylvania  Cavalry, 
was  born  at  BuflFalo,  Butler  county,  Pennsylva- 
nia, June  11,  1843,  and  is  a  son  of  Frederick 
D.  and  Elizabeth  (Walters)  Schwictering.  Fred- 
erick Schwietering  was  born  and  reared  in 
Germany,  where  he  received  his  education  in 
the  excellent  schools  of  that  country.  In  1831 
he  became  a  member  of  the  colony  that  was 
formed,  to  come  to  the  United  States,  by  the 
great  bridge  builder,  John  Roebling,  whose  son 
built  the  wonderful  Brooklyn  bridge.  When  this 
colony  arrived  in  this  country  Mr.  Schwieter- 
ing settled  at  Saxonburg,  Butler  county,  where 
he  remained  until  1863,  when  he  came  to  Free- 
port,  and  was  engaged  in  the  general  mercan- 
tile business  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
July  12,  1888,  at  eighty-one  years  of  age.  He 
opened  the  first  store  at  Saxonburg,  and  during 
his  long  career  of  forty- seven  years  as  a  mer- 
chant, he  so  conducted  his  business  as  not  only 
to  secure  good  success,  but  to  command  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  the  communities  in 
which  he  resided  at  different  times.  He  was 
a  consistent  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lu- 
theran church,  and  a  man  whose  word  was  as 
good  as  his  bond.  Straightforward,  reliable, 
generous  and  energetic,  he  possesssed  a  host  of 
friends  and  enjoyed  the  respect  of  all  who 
knew  him.  He  was  a  republican  in  politics, 
and  married  Elizabeth  Walters,  who  was  born 
iu  Butler  couuty  in  1812.  She  is  a  member  of 
the  Lutheran  church  and  resides  at  Freeport. 
They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  of 
whom  four  are  living. 

Herman  H.  Schwietering  was  reared  at  Sax- 
onburg and  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools.  Leaving  school,  he  assisted  his 
father  in  the  mercantile  business  until  Febru- 
ary 23,  1864,  when  he  enlisted  in  Co.  L,  14th 
regiment,  Pa.  Cavalry.  He  participated  in  the 
various  skinuishes  and  battles  of  his  regiment, 
and  was  honorably  discharged  at  Ft.  Leaven- 
worth, Kansas,  in  August,  1865.  Returning 
home  from  the  army,  he  became  a  paitner  with 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


473 


his  father  in  the  mercantile  business,  under  the 
firm-name  of  Schwietering  &  Co.  This  part- 
nership continued  from  1865  to  1885,  when  he 
withdrew  and  removed  to  his  farm,  in  South 
Buffalo  township,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
farming  for  five  years.  In  the  spring  of  1890 
he  returned  to  Freeport  and  opened  his  present 
general  mercantile  establishment.  He  has  a 
well-arranged  building  which  is  eligilily  located, 
and  carries  a  choice  stock  of  the  best  and  most 
desirable  goods.  His  trade  is  rapidly  assuming 
the  large  proportions  of  his  former  patronage 
of  five  years  ago. 

On  June  26,  1866,  Mr.  Schwietering  united 
in  marriage  with  Sadie  E.  Burtner,  daughter 
of  Philip  Burtner,  of  Allegheny  county,  this 
State.  Seven  children  have  ble.st  this  union, 
three  sons  and  four  daughters :  Lizzie  L.,  a 
talented  and  accomplished  musician,  had  a  music 
class  of  forty-seven  pupils  at  Freeport,  in  1890, 
when  she  was  cut  down  by  the  baud  of  death  ; 
Mary  E.,  who  died  in  infancy ;  Frederick  P., 
Walter  R.,  Minnie  C,  Herman  B.  and  Nina  A. 

Herman  H.  Schwietering  is  a  member  of  the 
Freeport  Lutherau  church  and  Henry  S.  Wea- 
ver Post,  No.  32,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 
He  is  a  republican  in  politics,  has  held  various 
borough  offices,  and  for  the  last  ten  years  has 
been  a  member  of  the  sciiool  board.  Reliable 
and  respected  as  a  citizen,  he  is  a  man  of  enter- 
prise and  business  merit. 


SAMUEL  TURNER,  senior  member  of  the 
furniture  and  undertaking  firm  of  S. 
Turner  &  Son,  is  one  of  the  old  and  substan- 
tial citizens  and  business  men  of  Freeport.  He 
was  born  near  Noblestown,  Allegheny  county, 
Pennsylvania,  July  8,  1828,  and  is  a  son  of 
Samuel  and  Charlotte  (McCarty)  Turner.  His 
father  and  grandfather  were  native-born  citizens 
of  Allegheny  county. 

Samuel   Turner   was   reared   at    Leechburs:, 
28 


where  his  father  had  located  Aprifl,  1839.  He 
received  his  education  in  the  public  school  and 
then  served  an  apprenticeship  of  four  years  at 
the  trade  of  cabinet-maker  with  John  Wana- 
maker,  of  Leechburg.  He  then  engaged  in 
cabinet-making,  and  worked  for  various  firms 
until  1853,  when  he  came  to  Freeport  and 
opened  a  shop  in  partnership  with  his  brother, 
John  Turner,  in  a  small  frame  building  which 
stood  on  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  High  streets. 
They  did  business  under  the  firm-name  of 
Turner  &  Brother.  John  Turner  retired  from 
the  firm  in  1856, accepting  a  situation  in  the  grain 
and  mercantile  establishment  of  P.  S.  Weaver, 
which  position  he  held  until  May,  1859,  at 
which  date  he  formed  a  partnership  with  A.  N. 
Hamor  in  the  grocery  and  provision  business  at 
Freeport,  under  the  firm-name  of  Hamor  & 
Turner,  selling  out  his  interest  to  A.  N.  Hamor 
in  April,  1861,  engaging  for  a  short  time  in  the 
early  oil  business,  but  became  a  partner  of  Levi 
Bush,  January  1,  1862,  in  drug,  grocery,  pro- 
vision and  shoe  business  under  tiic  firm-name  of 
Turner  &  Bush,  which  did  a  profitable  and  suc- 
cessful business  up  to  1871,  when  by  mutual 
consent  the  busine-ss  was  closed  out  entire,  since 
which  time  John  Turner  has  been  eugaged  in  the 
different  oil  producing  fields  with  the  usual  ups 
and  downs  incidental  to  the  business.  He  is  at 
present  operating  and  producing  some  oil  in 
Greene  county,  Pa.,  and  has  resided  permanently 
at  Freeport  since  March  31,  1845. 

Samuel  Turner  removed  in  1856  to  his  pres- 
ent location  on  Fifth  street,  purchasing  from 
his  brother  John  the  lot  and  brick  portion  of 
the  present  building  and  from  which  date  to 
the  present  has  continued  to  hold  the  entire 
control  of  the  undertaking,  and  we  may  safely 
say,  monopoly  of  the  furniture  business  of  Fi'ce- 
port  and  vicinity.  On  February  2,  1885,  Mr. 
Turner  associated  his  sou,  William  Fred,  with 
him,  under  the  present  firm-name  of  S.  Turner 
&  Son.  In  1888,  Mr.  Turner  erected  the  addi- 
tional handsome  two-story  frame  building,  mak- 


474 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


ing  it  a  nioflel,  if  not  the  most  complete  fur- 
niture establishment  in  western  Pennsylvania. 

The  aggregate  floor  space  of  the  entire  build- 
ing is  9000  square  feet;  they  carry  a  complete 
stock  of  furniture,  comprising  many  grades  to 
suit  the  tastes  of  their  numerous  patrons.  In  ad- 
dition to  their  full  and  complete  line  of  furni- 
ture, they  have  a  fully  equipped  undertaking 
department. 

On  July  10,  1863,  Mr.  Turner  united  in 
marriage  with  Margaret  Jane  Clark,  daughter 
of  Joseph  and  Jane  (Loughery)  Clark.  Two 
children  have  been  born  to  this  union  :  Wil- 
liam Fred,  born  April  28,  1864,  and  an  infant 
daughter,  who  died.  Mrs.  Turner  passed  away 
on  December  29,  1883,  aged  fifty-three  years. 

Samuel  Turner  is  a  republican  in  politics, 
has  been  a  member  of  the  borough  council  and 
was  once  elected  burgess,  but  refused  to  serve- 
He  is  enterprising  and  reliable  in  business,  and 
has  always  been  ready  to  give  his  assistance  to 
whatever  would  advance  the  interests  of  his 
borough. 

William  Fred  Turner,  the  junior  member  of 
tiie  firm  and  only  son  of  Samuel  Turner,  was 
reared  and  educated  at  Freeport ;  in  addition  to 
attending  the  public  schools  he  took  the  full 
course  at  the  "  Actual  Business  college,"  of  Pitts- 
burgh, Pa.  Ever  since  attaining  his  majority  he 
has  been  actively  and  successfully  engaged  in 
business;  in  addition  to  his  responsible  position 
in  the  furniture  firm  he  has  been  treasurer  of 
the  Freeport  Building  and  Loan  association 
since  its  organization,  January  1,  1877,  and 
gives  some  attention  to  other  business  matters, 
and  is  at  present  serving  as  burgess  of  the  bor- 
ough, to  which  he  was  elected  by  an  overwhelm- 
ing majority  in  February,  1889.  On  January 
20,  1887,  he  married  Lida  Bricker,  daughter  of 
John  L.  Bricker,  of  Freeport,  Pa.  Mr.  Turner 
is  a  member  of  the  Jr.  O.  U.  A.  M.  and  the 
Masonic  fraternity. 


J  FULTON  WATT.  The  jewelry  estab- 
•  lishment  of  J.  Fulton  Watt,  of  Freeport, 
is  one  of  the  most  reliable,  responsible,  substan- 
tial and  representative  in  its  line  in  Armstrong 
county.  J.  Fulton  Watt,  who  has  been  promi- 
nently identified,  for  the  last  seven  years,  with 
the  jewelry  trade  in  Pittsburgh  aud  at  Freeport, 
was  born  in  Westmoreland  count}',  Pennsyl- 
vania, April  26,  1856,  and  is  a  son  of  David 
and  Mary  (Thompson)  Watt.  Of  the  Scotch- 
Irish  who  were  early  settlers  of  Westmoreland 
county  was  the  Watt  family.  The  Christian 
name  of  the  founder  of  the  family  in  this  part 
of  the  State  has  been  lost,  but  one  of  his  sons 
was  John  Watt,  grandfather  of  J.  Fulton  Watt. 
John  Watt  was  born  in  Allegheny  township,  of 
that  county,  where  he  married  and  spent  his  life 
in  farming.  His  son,  David  Watt  (father),  was 
born  in  1819,  on  the  homestead  farm,  and  is  one 
of  the  active  farmers  of  his  town.ship,  although 
verging  rapidly  on  his  .seventieth  year.  He  is 
a  republican  politically,  and  has  been  a  consist- 
ent member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church 
for  mauy  years.  He  married  Mary  Thompson, 
who  was  a  native  of  the  county  and  a  member 
of  the  same  church  as  him.self  She  died  in 
1857. 

J.  Fulton  Watt  was  reared  on  the  farm  and 
attended  the  common  schools  until  he  was  four- 
teen years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  Franklin 
county  to  learn  wood  engi-aving  with  a  firm  who 
was  engaged  in  magazine  illustration.  In  a 
short  time,  however,  he  went  to  Wheeling,  W. 
Va.,  where  he  completed  his  trade  with  John  H, 
Zevly,  then  a  contractor  for  furnishing  the  post- 
office  department  with  wood  engraving  work. 
Leaving  Wheeling,  he  worked  at  his  trade  some 
time  and  then  went  to  Lancaster,  Pa.,  where  he 
entered  the  Lancaster  watch  factory  and  learned 
watch-making.  He  then  repaired  to  Pittsburgh 
and  served  a  full  apprenticeship  in  the  manu- 
facture of  jewelry  in  the  large  establishment  of 
Terheyden.  Having  thus  thoroughly  mastered 
watch-making  and  the  manufacture  of  jewelry 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


475 


in  all  of  their  branches,  he  was  prepared  to  enter 
those  lines  of  business  for  himself  with  every 
prospect  of  success.  He  engaged  in  1884  with 
T.  B.  Barrett  &  Co.,  the  well-known  wholesale 
jewelers  of  Pittsburgh,  and  was  employed  for 
five  years  in  artistic  engraving  and  upon  the 
manufacture  of  the  finest  lines  of  jewelry.  In 
April,  1889,  Mr.  Watt  came  to  Freeport,  where 
he  established  his  present  large  and  thoroughly 
equipped  jewelry  house. 

In  1876  he  united  in  marriage  with  Eva  M. 
Kenneston,  daughter  of  Mary  E.  Kenneston,  of 
Freeport.  To  their  union  have  been  born  si.\ 
children,  two  sons  and  four  daughters :  Frank, 
Maggie  M.,  Mary,  Eva,  Euth  and  Paul. 

J.  F.  Watt  is  a  member  of  the  United  Pres- 
byterian church,  and  a  republican  in  politics. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Jr.  O.  U.  A.  M.  and 
the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Chain.  With  a  practi- 
cal and  business  experience  of  nearly  twenty 
years,  Mr.  Watt  is  enabled  to  oifer  advantages 
that  are  only  to  be  obtained  at  a  few  jewelry 
establishments  in  western  Pennsylvania.  His 
stock  of  goods  is  from  the  leading  jewelry  and 
watch  manufacturers  of  Europe  and  America, 
and  is  remarkable  for  delicate  beauty  and 
superiority  of  workmanship.  His  display  of 
silver-ware  is  fine,  while  his  gold  and  silver 
watches  are  late  in  style  and  reasonable  in  price. 
His  trade  is  large  and  is  extending  rapidly  over 
a  wide  area  of  territory.  His  great  success  has 
been  achieved  on  the  broad  basis  of  merit.  Mr. 
Watt  has  established  his  business  upon  such  au 
extended  scale  as  to  be  a  benefit  to  Freeport, 
and  his  ability,  energy  and  honesty  have  gained 
him  an  enviable  reputation  both  as  a  business 
man  and  a  private  citizen. 


DAVID  ALTER,  M.D.— "Among  tho.se 
members  of  the  medical  profession  of 
Armstrong  county  who  have  earned  high  repu- 
tation in  the  walks  of  science,  Dr.  David. Alter, 
who  died  in  1881,  deserves  to  be  mentioned. 


"  Dr.  Alter  was  born  on  the  3d  of  December, 
in  the  year  1807,  in  Westmoreland  county, 
Penna.,  in  what  is  now  Allegheny  township,  and 
within  a  few  miles  of  the  town  of  Freeport,  in 
which  he  lived  a  great  part  of  his  life,  and  died, 
on  the  18th  of  September,  1881. 

"In  the  year  1878,"  says  Dr.  Cowan,  "I 
called  upon  him  at  his  residence  in  Freeport, 
and  found  him,  in  appearance,  an  old  man,  with 
a  calm  and  kindly  countenance,  in  stature  above 
the  ordinary,  albeit  stoojjed  and  shrunken  with 
age,  still  pursuing  his  profe.ssion,  that  of  a 
physician,  for  a  livelihood,  while  in  effect  he 
was  the  puzzle  or  sphinx  that  every  philo.sopher 
must  be  to  those  around  him  who  cannot  appre- 
ciate the  work  of  his  hands  in  an  objective 
form  in  the  open  day,  much  less  encompass  in 
the  depth,  the  distance,  and  the  darkness  of  his 
windowless  mind,  the  complexity  of  cerebration 
and  entanglement  of  thought  from  which  his 
work  has  been  evolved. 

"  The  ultimatum  attained  by  Dr.  Alter  in 
science  and  invention,  namely,  the  discovery 
and  application  of  the  principles  of  the  prism 
in  that  marvelous  mode  of  investigation  uni- 
versally known  to-day  as  spectrum  analysis. 
And  here,  in  setting  forth  his  claim  to  this 
achievement,  which  in  effect  has  added  almost  a 
new  sense  ;to  mankind,  beyond  the  statement 
which  the  doctor  made  to  me  that  he  made  his 
discovery  in  1853,  I  desire  to  give  in  evidence 
only  that  which  is  unimpeachable  and  indisput- 
able, namely,  the  documents  setting  forth  the 
discovery  in  detail,  which  were  published  in  a 
leading  scientific  journal  and  spread  before  the 
eyes  of  investigators  and  inventors  throughout 
the  world.  And  in  doing  so  I  doubt  not  that 
I  shall  do  all  that  my  lamented  friend,  were  he 
here,  would  ask  or  allow  to  preserve  his  name 
among  his  fellow-men,  without  condemning 
either  the  encyclopaedists  for  ignoring  him,  or 
(he  distinguished  scientist,  who,  perhaps  uncon- 
scious of  the  prior  claim  of  another,  wears  the 
crown  of  glory  to  which  he,  Dr.  Alter,  is  entitled. 


476 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  ARMSTROXO  COUNTY. 


"The  first  paper  of  Dr.  Alter  appeared  in 
November  in  the  year  1854,  or  no  less  than  five 
years  before  the  anuounceinent  of  the  discovery 
of  spectrum  analysis  as  his  own  achievement  by 
Gustav  Robert  Kirchoff,  of  Kbnigsberg,  Ger- 
many, for  a  sketch  of  whose  life  and  works  the 
reader  is  referred  to  the  leading  encyclopsedias 
of  the  day. 

"  It  appears  in  Silliman's  Amenca^i  Journal 
of  Science  and  Art,  2d  Series,  vol.  xviii.,  for 
November,  1854,  pp.  55-57,  under  the  follow- 
ing head  :  '  Article  VI.  On  Certain  Physical 
Properties  of  Light,  Produced  by  the  Com- 
bustion of  Different  Metals  in  the  Electric 
Spark,  Reflected  by  a  Prism.  By  David  Alter, 
M.D.,  Freeport,  Pa.' 

"  A  second  article  appeared  in  the  same  scien- 
tific journal  for  May,  1855,  vol.  xix.,  pp. 
213-14,  under  the  caption,  '  Article  XXI.  On 
certain  Physical  Properties  of  the  Light  of  the 
Electric  Sjjark  within  certain  Gases,  as  seen 
through  a  Prism.  By  Dr.  Alder,  M.D.,  of 
Freeport,  Pa.'  In  this  explicit  article  a  para- 
graph is  found  indicating  the  application  of  his 
discovery  to  the  detection  of  the  elements  in 
combustion  in  shooting-stars  or  luminons 
meteors ;  in  other  words,  to  the  application  of 
spectrum  analysis  to  the  study  of  celestial  phe- 
nomena, ad  infinitum. 


"  Dr.  Alter  daguerreotyped  the  dark  lines  of 
the  solar  spectrum,  two  of  which  he  sent,  along 
with  his  communication,  to  Professor  Silliman, 

"  It  is  a  little  matter  in  comparison  with  the 
above,  but  it  is  curious,  and  perhaps  not  with- 
out its  use,  to  know  that  the  prism  with  which 
Dr.  Alter  made  his  remarkable  experiments 
was  made  by  him  from  a  fragment  of  a  great 
mass  of  very  brilliant  glass  found  in  the  pot  of 
a  glass-house  which  had  been  destroyed  in  the 
great  fire  of  Pittsburgh,  on  the  10th  of  April, 
1845.  Thus  remotely  was  the  burning  of  Pitts- 
burgh the  solution  of  the  combustion  of  the  sun 
of  the  solar  .system,  and  of  the  otherwise  incom- 
prehensible conflagrations  of  more  distant  fur- 
nace spheres  in  illimitable  space. 

"  Besides  the  achievements  of  Dr.  Alter, 
referred  to  above^  he  accomplished  much 
more  that  is  deserving  of  note.  Of  other  in- 
ventions, I  may  mention  here  a  rotating  retort 
for  the  extraction  of  coal-oil  from  oannel-coal 
and  the  oleiferous  shales.  With  this  apparatus 
in  operation  by  a  company  with  ample  capital, 
the  philosopher  was  on  the  high  road  to  mak- 
ing a  fortune,  when,  pre.sto !  E.  L.  Drake,  at 
the  depth  of  only  seventy  feet,  in  Venango 
county,  struck  oil  or  petroleum,  and  the  days 
of  coal-oil  and  Dr.  Alter's  affluence  were  at  an 
end." 


DAYTON  AND  PARKER  CITY, 


Historical  and  Descriptive. — 'Dayton,  a  pro- 
gressive borough  of  over  five  hundred  popula- 
tion and  a  well-known  school  town  of  western 
Pennsylvania,  is  situated  in  Wayne  township, 
eighteen  miles  northeast  of  Ivittanning,  which  is 
its  bunking  and  shipping  point.  It  was  laid 
out  in  1850,  on  lands  of  Robert  Marshall  and 
John  Lias,  was  incorporated  June  5,  1S73,  and 
is  said  to  have  been  named  after  Dayton,  Ohio- 
There  were  two  or  three  houses  and  a  store  on 
the  site  of  Dayton  prior  to  1850.  The  post- 
office  was  established  July  13,  1855,  with  Jamcg 
McQuown  as  postmaster.  The  iNIethodist  Epis- 
copal church  was  organized  about  1821  and  the 
United  Presbyterian  church  was  the  old  Glade 
Run  Associate  Presbyterian  church,  which  was 
formed  in  1831.  Dayton  Union  academy  was 
established  in  1852.  On  December  1,  1873, 
the  Dayton  Soldiers'  Orphans'  school  was  incor- 
porated. Prior  to  its  incorporation  the  com- 
pany erecteil  school  buildings  which  were  burned 
in  1873  and  were  replaced  by  the  present  school 
buildings.  The  Dayton  Soldiers'  Orphans' 
school,  opened  under  the  charge  of  Rev.  T.  M. 
Elder,  and  has  accom[)lished  a  most  remarkable 
and  highly  useful  work.  The  growth  of  Dayton 
in  population  and  business  has  been  .slow  but 
steady. 

Parker  City,  the  metropolis  of  the  oil  region 
of  Armstrong  county,  is  situated  on  the  Alle- 
gheny river  and  the  P.  K.  and  A.  V.  railroads 
and  is  forty  miles  northwest  of  the  county  seat 
and  eighty-two  miles  above  Pittsburgh.  It  is 
named  for  Hon.  John  Parker,  who  laid  out  a 


part  of  it  in  1819  under  the  name  of  Lawrence- 
burg.  In  1840  the  iron  industries  on  Bear 
creek  went  down  and  Lawrenceburg  slowly  de- 
clined until  1865,  when  it  did  not-contain  over 
fifty  inhabitants.  The  oil  excitement  of  1869 
came,  and  Lawrenceburg  in  a  few  months  could 
enumerate  its  population  by  hundreds.  At  the 
same  time  Parker's  Landing,  which  contained  a 
few  houses,  increased  likewise  in  population, 
and  March  1,  1873,  both  places  were  incorpor- 
ated as  Parker  City.     In  1873  and  again  in 

1879  the  place  was  visited  by  destructive  fires. 
In  1879  the  oil  production  decrease<l  largely, 
and  Parker  City  went  down  from  four  thousand 
population  to  about  fifteen  hundred.  Several 
industries  had  been  established  prior  to  1879, 
and  in  time  they  caused  an  increase  of  popula- 
tion and  business.  The  borough  is  now  in  a 
prosperous  condition,  with  nearly  two  thousand 
population.  It  has  five  churches,  seven  schools, 
an  opera-house,  one  newspaper — the  Pluenix^— 
and  good  gas  and  water  works.  It  also  contains 
two  foundries,  a  glass  works  and  a  plauing-mill. 

The  Parker  City  water  works  were  erected  in 
1872,  the  gas  works  were  built  in  1877  and  in 

1880  the  planing-raill  was  erected.  In  1880 
Parker  City  glass  works  were  built  and  now 
employ  near  one  hundred  hands.  Its  news- 
papers have  been:  Oilman^ sJ<Mrnal,\%'l\-1 2; 
Parker  City  Daily,  1874-79;  and  the  Phm\ir, 
which  was  established  in  1880. 

The  first  physician  was  Dr.  Boggs,  who 
located  about  1824,  and  the  oldest  resident 
physician  is  Dr.  A.  M.  Hoover.      Among  the 

477 


478 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


prominent  physicians  are :  Drs.  Hoover,  Eggert 
and  McCullougli.  The  Petroleum  Agricultural 
association  was  formed  in  1881.  The  churches 
of  Parker  City  are  :  Presbyterian,  organized  in 
1819;  Catholic,  1831;  United  Presbyterian, 
1834;  Methodist  Episcopal,  1836;  Baptist, 
1875;  and  Lutheran,  1879. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


REV.  MATTHEW  S.  ADAMS  is  an  active 
business  man  and  a  useful  citizen  of 
Parker  City,  who  enjoys  the  respect  and  good- 
will of  his  fellow-men.  Rev.  Matthew  S.  Adams 
is  a  protuinent  local  minister  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  He  was  born  near  New 
Salem,  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
May  23,  1820,  and  is  a  son  of  Rev.  Alexander 
and.  Esther  (Arraantage)  Adams.  Rev.  Alex- 
ander Adams  was  of  English  descent.  He  was 
born  in  Bedford  county,  in  1776,  removed  to 
Westmoreland  county,  where  he  remained  until 
1823,  when  he  came  to  the  mouth  of  Cowan- 
shannock  creek  (above  Kittanning)  and  engaged 
in  milling.  He  afterwards  removed,  about  1849, 
to  Butler  county,  in  which  he  died  in  Sep- 
tember, 1859,  aged  eighty-three  years.  He  was 
a  local  minister  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and  lived  an  exemplary  Christian  life. 
He  married  Esther  Armantage,  who  was  a 
daughter  of  Benjamin  Armantage,  of  Bedford 
county,  and  died  in  January,  1828,  aged  thirty- 
eight  years.  She  ^as  a  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  church  and  left,  at  her  death,  a 
family  of  ten  children,  of  whom  three  are  liv- 
ing: Matthew  S.  Adams,  Alexander  Adams 
and  Sarah  Milligan. 

Matthew  S.  Adams  was  reared  principally  in 
Armstrong  county,  where  he  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  rural  schools  of  his  boyhood  days. 
In  1844  he  removed  to  Fairview,  Butler  coun- 
ty, where  in  the  same  year  he  embarked  in  the 


foundry  business.  Six  years  later  he  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business  and  conducted  both 
his  foundry  and  store  until  1854,  when  he  went 
seven  miles  north  of  Fairview  and  purchased 
Maple  furnace,  which  he  operated  up  to  the 
fall  of  1865.  His  iron  was  of  good  quality 
and  in  much  demand.  He  hauled  it  to  Parker's 
Landing,  ou  the  Allegheny  river,  and  from 
thence  transported  it  on  flat-boats  to  Pittsburgh. 
In  connection  with  the  furnace  he  had  a 
large  store.  In  1868  he  engaged  in  oil  pro- 
duction at  Pit  Hole  and  Parker's  Landing. 
He  has  continued  these  different  lines  of 
business  successfully  until  the  present  time, 
and  during  several  years  of  this  period  was 
one  of  the  heaviest  oil  producers  in  Arm- 
strong county.  He  came,  in  1870,  to  Parker 
City,  where  he  owns  the  Adams  House  and  has 
considerable  other  property.  He  also  owns  a 
farm  of  five  hundred  acres  in  Butler  county,  on 
which  is  situated  a  flouring-mill. 

June  3,  1841,  Mr.  Adams  united  in  marriage 
with  Nancy  A.  Scott,  of  Brady's  Bend,  Arm- 
strong county,  Pa.  They  have  had  eight 
children :  Angle  E.,  mai'ried  to  W.  D.  Blygh, 
of  Grove  City,  who  is  engaged  in  the  drug  busi- 
ness; Mary  E.,  married  to  W.  J.  Parker,  who 
is  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  at  Parker  City; 
Edwin  D.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  hotel  business 
at  Parker  City ;  Libbie  E.,  wife  of  J.  S. 
Foster,  a  druggist  of  Petrolia,  Butler  coimty, 
this  State;  James  T.,  engaged  in  the  oil  busi- 
ness in  Warren  county ;  and  Charles  W.,  now 
in  the  oil  business  in  Butler  county,  and  Homer 
C.  and  Theodore  L.,  who  are  both  dead.  Mrs. 
Adams  was  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church  for 
forty  years  and  passed  away  October  10,  1889, 
aged  sixty-nine  years  and  one  month. 

In  politics  Rev.  Matthew  Adams  is  a  repub- 
lican. He  commenced  his  career  in  life  with 
nothing  but  good  health,  unbounded  energy  and 
inflexible  honesty,  and  as  succe.ss  cro'S'ned  his  dif- 
ferent business  enterprises,  he  was  enabled  to 
wield    a    wider    influence    for    morality    and 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


479 


Christianity.  He  employed  a  large  number  of 
hands  at  different  times  in  the  iron  business,  but 
always  saw  that  they  were  rightly  dealt  with  in 
his  iron-works.  He  is  public-spirited  and 
charitable,  always  willing  to  assist  in  any  move- 
ment for  the  benefit  of  his  city  and  ever  ready 
to  aid  the  sick  and  needy.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity  and  has  been  a  local 
minister  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  for 
over  thirty  years.  Rev.  Matthew  S.  Adams, 
amid  all  the  cares  of  various  business  enter- 
prises, has  preserved  his  reputation  for  honesty, 
integrity  and  morality,  and  has  never  neglected 
the  cause  of  religion,  but  has  valued  it  above 
all  others. 


EDWIN  D  ADAMS,  the  popular  proprietor 
of  the  well-known  Parker  House,  was 
born  at  Martinsburg,  Butler  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, November  27,  1851,  and  is  the  third  son 
and  fifth  child  of  Rev.  Matthew  S.  and  Nancy 
A.  (Scott)  Adams.  His  paternal  grandparents 
were  Rev.  Alexander  and  Esther  (Arraantage) 
Adams,  who  were  both  natives  of  Huutingdon 
county,  and  of  English  descent.  His  father. 
Rev.  Matthew  S.  Adams,  has  been  for  over  half 
a  century  one  of  the  prominent  and  honorable 
business  men  of  Butler  and  Armstrong  coun- 
ties, and  an  efficient  local  minister  in  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church.  His  life  has  been  one 
of  usefulness  in  the  different  communities  in 
which  he  has  successively  resided.  (For  further  . 
ancestral  history  of  E.  D.  Adams  see  sketch  of  i 
Rev.  Matthew  S.  Adams.) 

Edwin  D.  Adams  was  reared  in  Butler  coun- 
ty, where  he  attended  the  district  schools,  and 
then  spent  his  last  days  of  school-life  at  a  lead- 
ing educational  institution  of  Erie  county.  He 
was  carefully  trained  in  his  father's  store  and 
mill  for  business  pursuits.  In  1869  became  to 
Parker  City,  where  he  was  engaged  for  five 
years  in  pumping  oil  wells.  He  then  accepted 
a   position   ae    mail-agent  on   the    Parker   and 


Karns  City  R.  R.  At  the  end  of  one  year's 
.service  as  such  he  became  a  brakesman,  which 
position  he  only  held  one  year  until  he  was  pro- 
moted to  a  passenger  conductor,  and  served 
as  such  for  eight  years,  making  in  all  ten  years 
of  continuous  .service  on  the  P.  &  K.  C.  R.  R. 
He  next  (188.5)  embarked  in  the  oil  producing 
business  at  Hooks  City,  Butler  county,  which 
lie  only  followed  one  year,  until  he  disposed  of 
his  territory  aud  wells,  and  in  May,  1886, 
became  proprietor  of  his  present  hotel,  the  fav- 
orably known  "  Parker  House."  It  is  a  frame 
structure,  on  River  avenue.  While  it  makes  a 
pleasant  smnmer  resort,  it  is  also  arranged  to  be 
kept  warm  and  cosy  in  winter,  so  that  when- 
ever a  traveler  finds  shelter  beneath  its  roof  he 
can  be  comfortable  aud  happy. 

In  the  spring  of  1875,  Mr.  Adams  united  in 
marriage  with  Martha  L.  Gibson,  daughter  of 
John  L.  Gibson,  of  Perry  township,  this 
county.  Their  union  has  been  blest  with  one 
child,  a  daughter  :  Libbie  E.,  who  was  born  in 
February,  1876. 

In  political  affairs  Edwin  D.  Adams  supports 
the  Republican  party.  He  is  a  member  of 
Parker  Council,  No.  179,  Royal  Arcanum.  He 
and  his  pleasant  and  estimable  wife  vvell  know 
how  to  conduct  a  first-class  hotel,  and  make 
their  guests  at  home.  Mr.  Adams,  while  agree- 
able and  genial,  is  yet  a  thorough-going  and 
active  business  man  of  experience,  perseverance 
and  enterprise. 


riAPTAIN  WINFIELD  S.  BARR,  ex-dep- 
^'  uty  sheriff  of  Armstrong  county,  and  the 
present  postmaster  of  Parker  City  (P.  O.  Park- 
er's Landing),  is  one  of  the  surviving  captains 
of  the  old  105th  regiment  of  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  He  was  born  at  Brookville,  Jef- 
ferson county,  Penn.sylvania,  November  28, 
1841,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  M.  and  Sarah  C. 
(Corbett)  Barr.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
Alexander  Barr,  was  born  and  reared  in  Scot- 


480 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


land,  from  which  he  came  to  Pennsylvania 
when  quite  a  young  man.  He  first  settled  in 
Dauphin  county,  but  subsequently  removed  to 
Indiana  county,  where  he  remained  but  a  short 
time,  and  then  went  to  Preble  county,  Ohio,  in 
which  he  died.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, and  one  of  the  sons  born  to  him  in 
Dauphin  county  was  Thomas  M.  Barr,  the 
father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Thomas 
M.  Barr  was  born  in  November,  1803,  and 
moved,  in  1830,  to  Brookville,  where  he  re- 
sided until  his  death,  July  4,  1882,  at  eighty- 
three  years  of  age.  He  was  a  bricklayer, 
stone-mason  and  building  contractor  by  occupa- 
tion, lie  was  a  republican  politically,  had  been 
a  ruling  elder  for  forty-five  years  in  the  Presby- 
terian church  at  the  time  of  his  death,  and  dur- 
ing his  unusually  long  life  he  had  never  been 
sued  or  brought  suit  against  any  one.  He  mar- 
ried Sarah  C.  Corbett,  daughter  of  William 
Corbett,  of  Lewistown,  Mifflin  county.  She 
was  reared,  however,  in  Clarion  and  Jefferson 
counties,  was  a  devoted  presbyterian,  and  died 
at  her  home  in  Brookville,  July  4,  1876,  when 
in  the  seventy-eighth  year  of  her  age.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Barr  reared  a  family  of  four  sons  and 
two  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  living. 

Winfield  S.  Barr  was  reared  at  Brookville, 
Jefferson  county,  and  received  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  that  town  and  county.  Leaving 
school,  he  worked  on  his  father's  farm  until 
April  19,  1861,  when  he  enlisted  for  three 
months  as  a  private  in  Co.  I,  8th  regt..  Pa. 
Vols.  He  served  his  term,  and  re-enlisted  on 
August  26,  1861,  entering  Co.  B,  105th  regt.. 
Pa.  Vols.,  as  a  private,  but  was  raised  by  suc- 
cessive promotions,  until  he  was  commissioned 
captain  for  meritorious  conduct  at  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg.  He  commanded  his  company  un- 
til its  time  of  service  had  expired,  January  1, 
1864,  when  he  and  the  most  of  his  men  re-en- 
listed. He  served  until  he  was  discharged  May 
15,  1865,  from  the  hospital  at  Philadelphia  on 
account  of  wounds.     He  was  slightly  wounded 


at  Fredericksburg,  then  received  a  minie  ball 
in  his  knee  at  Gettysburg,  and  was  shot  in  the 
head  at  Deep  Bottom,  Va.,  August  16,  1864. 
From  the  last  wound  he  carries  an  ugly  scar. 
When  he  was  discharged  he  returned  to  Brook- 
ville, where  he  remained  until  1869.  In  July 
of  that  year  he  came  to  Parker  City,  and 
entered  the  oil  business,  in  which  he  has  con- 
tinued ever  since.  He  has  been  engaged  on  the 
pipe  lines. 

In  1865,  Capt.  Barr  married  Hannah  R. 
Emery,  daughter  of  Jacob  Emery,  of  Brook- 
ville, Pa.  Capt.  and  Mrs.  Barr  have  two  sons 
and  four  daughters:  Amy,  wife  of  Henry  E. 
Kelly;  Winifred,  Alice,  Cad  M.,  Bessie  and 
Ralph. 

Capt.  Winfield  S.  Barr  is  a  republican  polit- 
ically, has  served  as  chief  of  police  of  Parker 
City,  and  deputy  sheriff  of  Armstrong  county, 
and  has  held  many  other  offices  of  trust  and 
responsibility.  He  is  a  member  of  Parker 
City  Council,  No.  179,  Royal  Arcanum,  and 
Col.  C.  A.  Craig  Post,  No.  75,  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic.  On  July  12,  1890,  Capt.  Barr 
was  appointed  postmaster  of  Parker's  Landing, 
Pa.,  by  President  Harrison.  As  an  officer  he 
was  well  liked  in  the  army,  as  a  public  official 
he  always  discharged  his  duties  so  as  to  com- 
mand the  confidence  of  the  public,  and  as  a 
business  man  he  is  honorable  and  trustworthy. 


JACOB  J.  BECK,  a  respected  citizen  of  the 
borough  of  Dayton,  and  formerly  a  jjros- 
perous  farmer  of  Wayne  township,  is  a  son  of 
Jacob  and  Catherine  (Wagle)  Beck,  and  was 
born  in  the  Ligonier  Valley,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  December  17, 1815.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  George  Beck,  was  of  Ger- 
man descent,  and  settled  in  an  early  day  in 
eastern  Pennsylvania,  probably  Montgomery 
county,  but  soon  came  to  Crooked  creek,  where 
he  resided  until  his  death.  He  was  a  farmer 
and  a  gunsmith,  and  built  and  operated  a  gun- 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


481 


powder  factory  on  the  Kittanning  road,  not  far 
from  the  county-seat.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Lutheran  church,  and  in  politics  a  demo- 
crat. He  married  Elizabeth  Holsopple,  and 
their  union  was  blessed  with  nine  children,  six 
sons  and  three  daughters.  One  of  his  sons, 
Jacob  Beck  (father),  was  born  on  Crooked 
creek,  and  lived  there  until  after  his  marriage, 
when  he  went  to  the  Ligonier  Valley.  He 
built  a  powder  factory,  which  he  operated  for  ' 
some  time,  and  removed  to  Sewickley  creek, 
Westmoreland  county,  where  he  engaged  quite 
extensively  in  the  manufacture  of  salt.  In  i 
1818  he  came  to  Armstrong  county,  and  located 
on  Pine  creek,  in  Wayne  township,  where  he 
purchased  a  farm,  and  erected  a  saw-mill  and 
carding-factory.  During  the  latter  years  of  his 
life  he  gave  his  time  mainly  to  his  mill  and 
factory.  In  politics  he  was  a  democrat  at  first, 
but  afterwards  became  a  whig,  and  served  as 
county  commissioner  for  several  terms.  He 
held  nearly  all  of  his  township's  offices,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church  in  his 
youth,  but  afterwards  became  a  methodist.  He 
was  twice  married ;  his  first  wife  was  Catherine 
Wagle,  and  to  their  union  were  born  eleven 
children :  Elizabeth,  George,  Isaac,  Margaret, 
Jacob  J.,  John,  Catherine,  Adam,  Martin,  Si- 
mon and  Christiana.  His  second  wife  was 
Barbara  Clever.  Mrs.  Catherine  (Wagle)  Beck 
was  a  daughter  of  Abraham  Wagle  (maternal 
grandfather),  who  was  a  farmer  on  Crooked 
creek,  where  he  reared  a  family  of  two  sons 
and  several  daughters. 

Jacob  J.  Beck  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
his  time,  and  commenced  life  as  a  common 
laborer.  At  twenty-five  years  of  age  he  entered 
his  father's  mill,  where  he  worked  until  his 
marriage  (1841),  when  he  engaged  in  farming 
in  Wayne  township.  In  1875  he  retired  from 
active  business,  and  came  to  Dayton,  where  he 
has  resided  ever  since. 

September  28,  1811,  he  married  ^Margaret 
Rupp,  daughter  of  Jacob  Rupp.    Mr.  and  Mrs. 


Beck  are  the  parents  of  two  children :  George, 
a  traveling  salesman  for  a  Williamsport  candy- 
house,  who  married  Harriet  Sease,  and  has  two 
children, — Ira  and  Carrie ;  and  Sarah,  who 
married  William  A.  Fleming,  and  has  six 
children, — Cloyd,  Maggie,  George,  Mary,  Le- 
ona  and  Grace. 

Jacob  J.  Beck  is  a  stanch  republican,  has 
always  been  a  warm  friend  of  education,  and 
has  served  for  several  years  as  a  school  direc- 
tor. He  formerly  was  a  member  of  the  Re- 
formed church,  but  some  years  ago  united  with 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Dayton,  of 
which  he  is  a  trustee. 


SAMUEL  H.  BREWER,  an  estimable  citi- 
zen aud  one  of  the  foremost  merchants  and 
successful  business  men  of  Parker  City,  is  the 
present  deputy  sheriff  of  Armstrong  county,  be- 
ing appointed  to  that  position  in  the  year  1882. 
He  was  boru  at  North  Washington,  Washing- 
ton township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, July  29,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of  Daniel  and 
Isabella  (Beatty)  Brewer.  Daniel  W.  Brewer 
was  a  native  of  western  Pennsylvania,  was  born 
May  16,  1823,  and  died  in  Kiskiminetas  town- 
ship, this  county,  March  2.5,  185-3,  at  nearly 
thirty  years  of  age.  He  was  a  wagon-maker 
by  trade  and  was  engaged  in  that  business  at 
North  Washington,  this  State,  for  many  years. 
He  married  Isabella  Beatty,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Beatty,  of  this  county,  August  14,  1845, 
and  they  had  five  children.  Mrs.  Brewer  died 
in  Kiskiminetas  township,  this  county,  December 
10,  1853,  aged  thirty-one  years.  She  was  a 
native  of  western  Pennsylvania  aud,  like  her 
husband,  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church. 

Samuel  H.  Brewer  was  reared  in  this  county 
and  attended  the  public  schools.  Leaving  school, 
he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  at  which  he 
worked  for  five  years,  when  in  1873  he  came  to 


482 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Parker  City,  where  he  worked  first  for  N.  H. 
Beatty,  a  coal  merchant,  and  then  for  six  years 
was  employed  by  E.  H.  Randolph,  a  liveryman, 
also  of  that  place.  In  1886,  Mr.  Brewer  began 
teaming,  which  he  has  continued  ever  since.  In 
connection  with  his  teaming,  he  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business  in  1887,  and  has  been  very 
successful  in  his  commercial  enterprise.  His 
grocery  establishment  is  eligibly  located  on  the 
corner  of  Washington  and  Jackson  streets  and 
is  well  filled  with  selected  and  first-class  staple 
and  fancy  groceries,  flour,  feed  and  provi- 
sions. 

April  28,  1887,  Mr.  Brewer  was  married  to 
Mrs.  Annie  (Blymiller)  Teerkes,  of  Butler 
county.  Their  union  has  been  blest  with  one 
child,  a  son,  George  W. ,  who  was  born  Febru- 
ary 22,  1889. 

S.  H.  Brewer  is  a  republican  in  politics  and  a 
member  of  the  Parker  City  Presbyterian 
church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  town  council 
and  chairman  of  the  street  committee  and  was 
constable  for  ten  years,  part  of  which  time  he 
was  chief  of  police.  He  is  now  and  has  been 
for  the  last  eight  years  holding  the  office  of 
deputy  sheriff.  He  is  a  very  energetic  man  and 
an  influential  and  enterprising  citizen.  His 
parents  died  when  he  was  two  years  and  five 
months  old — too  young  to  remember  them — 
and  he  had  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world 
from  childhood.  He  has  been  very  successful 
in  his  business  pursuits,  employs  a  great  many 
men  and  owns  some  very  valuable  property  at 
Parker  City.  His  efiiciency  and  executive 
ability  as  a  correct  business  man  and  successful 
public  official  is  attested  by  his  continued  re- 
tention as  deputy  sheriff.  He  was  first  ap- 
pointed to  his  present  position  by  Sheriff  James 
H.  Chambers  iu  1882  and  re-appointed  in  1890 
by  the  present  sheriff,  AV.  W.  Fiscus.  He  is  one 
who  loses  no  time  by  idleness  or  inaction.  As 
a  borough  officer  he  looked  well  to  the  prosper- 
ity of  his  town,  and  as  deputy  sheriff  he  never 
neglects  the  interests  of  his  county. 


"VrOAH  F.  CALHOUN,  M.D.,  one  of  the 

•1-"  leading  physicians  of  the  progressive  bor- 
ough of  Dayton  and  of  his  .section  of  the  coun- 
ty, is  a  son  of  James  and  Sarah  A.  (Calhoun) 
Calhoun,  and  was  born  in  Boggs  township, 
Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  October  9, 
1844.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Noah  Abra- 
ham Calhoun,  was  a  farmer  of  Boggs  township, 
where  he  resided  until  his  death,  at  eighty-four 
years  of  age.  He  was  a  member  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church,  and  in  politics  was  first  a 
whig  and  ne.xt  a  republican.  He  married  a 
Miss  White,  by  whom  he  had  six  children : 
Jame.s,  Margaret,  Mary,  Susanna,  Rebecca  and 
Robert,  who  died  young.  James  Calhoun 
(father)  was  born  May  11,  1816,  in  Boggs 
township,  where  he  has  been  engaged  in  farm- 
ing .since  attaining  his  majority.  He  owns 
over  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  is  a 
member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church, 
and  supports  the  Republican  party.  He  mar- 
ried Sarah  Calhoun,  who  died  in  18.56.  To 
their  union  were  born  six  children :  John 
Calvin,  who  received  a  good  education,  died 
while  engaged  in  reading  law  at  Kittanning  ; 
Dr.  Albert  J.,  a  graduate  of  the  Jefferson  Med- 
ical college,  of  Philadelphia,  and  for  some  time 
a  practicing  physician  of  Goheenville,  took 
typhoid  fever  in  Philadelphia  while  on  his  way 
to  attend  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons, of  New  York,  and  came  home,  where 
he  died;  Noah  F.,  Ezra  Jackson  (deceased);  a 
babe  that  died  in  infancy,  and  William  C. 
Calhoun. 

Noah  F.  Calhoun  was  reared  in  his  na- 
tive township  and  received  a  good  education. 
Leaving  school,  he  read  medicine  and  attended 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  of 
Baltimore,  and  the  Jefferson  Medical  college, 
uf  Philadelphia,  from  which  latter  institution 
he  was  graduated  iu  1877.  He  then  came  to 
Dayton,  where  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of 
medicine,  whicli  he  has  followed  actively  e\er 
since.     In  1883  he  took  part  of  a  post-graduate 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


483 


course  at  the  Jeffei"son  Medical  college.  By  his 
skill  and  close  attention  to  his  cases  he  has  suc- 
ceeded in  building  up  a  large  and  remunerative 
practice. 

On  April  12,  1877,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Sarah  W.  White,  daughter  of  John  White, 
of  Wayne  township.  To  their  union  have  been 
born  six  children,  of  whom  five  died  in  early 
infancy,  while  the  si.xth  child,  Arthur  Wallace, 
is  still  living. 

In  politics  Dr.  Calhoun  is  a  pronounced  re- 
publican. He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Reformed  Presbyterian  church.  His  profes- 
sional duties  are  such  as  to  leave  him  but  little 
time  to  engage  in  either  business  affairs  or  po- 
litical matters,  although  he  is  well-informed 
upon  the  current  events  of  the  day  and  every 
enterprise  that  iu  any  way  affects  his  borough 
or  countv. 


JAMES  ROBERT  CALHOUN,  burgess  of 
Dayton,  and  a  descendant  of  an  old,  honored 
and  influential  family,  is  a  son  of  Hon.  John 
and  Elizabeth  (Anthony)  Calhoun,  and  was 
born  in  Wayne  township,  Armstrong  county, 
Pennsylvania,  March  25,  1817.  The  Calhouns 
trace  their  ancestry  to  Ireland,  from  which 
James  Calhoun  (grandfather)  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  during  the  Revolutionary  war. 
He  enlisted  in  the  Continental  army,  and  was 
wounded  iu  one  of  the  battles  of  that  great 
struggle.  After  peace  was  declared  he  came  to 
Indiana  county.  He  was  a  weaver  by  trade,  but 
followed  farming.  He  married  a  Miss  Temple- 
ton,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  Samuel  and 
William.  After  her  death  he  married,  for  his 
second  wife,  Mrs.  Mary  Walker  [nee  Adams), 
the  mother  of  the  celebrated  Indian  spy,  Col. 
Robert  Walker.  To  this  second  union  were 
born  several  children,  one  of  whom  was  Judge 
John  Calhoun,  who  was  born  January  16,  1784, 
in  Indiana  county,  and  removed  with  his  parents 
to  Armstrong  county  when  young.     He  was  a 


carpenter  by  trade,  but  for  many  years  was  ac- 
tively engaged  in  farming  in  Boggs  and  Wayne 
townships.  He  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land 
near  Dayton.  He  was  an  active  democratic 
politician,  and  was  for  many  years  justice  of  the 
peace  in  Plum  Creek  and  Wayne  townships. 
On  August  30,1811,  he  was  commissioned  lieu- 
tenant-colonel of  a  militia  regiment  and  on 
March  30, 1818,  he  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Snyder,  captnin  of  an  Armstrong  county  com- 
pany. In  1845  he  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Porter  as  associate  judge  of  Armstrong  county 
to  serve  out  the  unexpired  term  of  Judge  Beatty, 
who  had  died,  and  afterwards  was  appointed  to 
the  same  ofSce  by  Gov.  Shunk.  He  served  with 
credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  the  public, 
.ludge  Calhoun  was  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  and  was  one  of  the  found- 
ers of  the  Glade  Run  and  Concord  Presbyterian 
churches,  in  each  of  which  he  held  the  office  of 
elder.  He  died  in  1865,  in  the  ninety-first  year 
of  his  age.  He  married  Elizabeth  Anthony, 
daughter  of  Jacob  Anthony,  a  German  farmer, 
who  married  a  Miss  Johnson,  by  whom  he  had 
three  sous  and  three  daughters.  To  Judge  and 
Mrs.  Calhoun  were  born  eight  children  :  Noah 
A.,  born  December  26,  1806,  and  died  in  1889; 
William  J.,  born  July  22,  1809,  and  now  dead ; 
Mary,  born  in  1812,  married  to  Thomas  Ritchey, 
and  both  are  dead  ;  Nancy  (deceased),  who  was 
born  September  18,  1814,  and  married  Samuel 
H.  Porter;  James  R.,  Sarah,  born  October  4, 
1819,  wife  of  James  Calhoun  ;  Samuel  S.  S.  N., 
born  March  22, 1823,  and  Hon.  John  K.,  who 
was  born  February  26,  1825,  became  a  lawyer, 
served  in  1856  and  again  in  1858  as  a  member 
of  the  Pennsylvania  House  of  Representatives 
and  in  1863  was  captain  of  Co.  G,  emergency 
men  of  Kittanning. 

James  R.  Calhoun  was  reared  on  liis  father's 
farm,  received  a  common  school  education,  and 
until  1882  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Wayne 
township.  For  the  la.st  eight  years  he  has  liveil 
at  Dayton.     Besides  his  home  and  four  acres  of 


184 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


land  at  Dayton,  he  owns  a  good  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  seventy  acres  of  land  which  he  j 
has  always  kept  in  first-class  condition. 

April  8,  1841,  he  married  Nancy  S.  Cochran, 
daughter  of  William  and  Mary  (Marshall) 
Cochran.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Calhoun  have  been 
born  five  children  :  Ephraim  A.,  who  was  born 
Julys,  1843,  enlisted  in  1862,  in  the  155th 
reg.,  Pa.  Vols.,  and  was  killed  in  the  battle  of 
the  Wilderness,  May  5, 1864;  Elmira  A.,  born 
January  5,  1845,  received  an  academic  educa- 
tion, and  has  taught  several  terras  of  school ; 
Lavina  Clara,  born  September  26,  1846,  and 
married  to  J.  H.  Mateer,  a  farmer  of  Boggs 
township  ;  Jefferson,  born  May  20,  1849,  a  far- 
mer of  Indiana  county,  who  married  Kate  R. 
Steele,  daughter  of  Samuel  Steele,  of  Westmore- 
land county;  Leauder  S,  born  October  25, 
1850,  married  Lina  Ambrose,  daughter  of  John 
Ambrose,  of  Franklin  township,  and  lives  on 
the  homestead  farm.  Mrs.  Calhoun  was  born 
December  20,  1816.  She  is  one  of  a  family  of 
eleven  children.  Three  of  her  brothers  enlisted 
in  the  Union  army  ;  William  enlisted  in  Co.  K, 
14th  Pa,  Cavalry,  was  wounded  in  the  Shenan- 
doah Valley  and  died  in  1864,  from  the  effects 
of  his  wound ;  Robert  served  in  an  Illinois 
regiment  and  is  living  in  Nebraska,  and  David 
Sloan  entered  Co.  K,  78th  reg..  Pa.  Vols.,  and 
resides  now  at  Dayton. 

James  R.  Calhoun  and  his  estimable  wife 
have  been  members  for  fifty  years  of  the  Con- 
cord Presbyterian  church,  of  which  Mr.  Cal- 
houn has  been  repeatedly  a  trustee  and  the  treas- 
urer. He  is  a  democrat  and  has  held  the  offices 
of  school  director  for  twelve  years,  and  tax  col- 
lector and  road  supervisor  of  Wayne  township 
for  four  years.  He  served  one  term  as  councilman 
of  Dayton  borough.  He  is  now  burgess  of  Day- 
ton, and  has  served  for  two  terms  in  that  capac- 
ity in  such  a  manner  as  to  give  general  satisfac- 
tion. 


GEORGE  COOPER,  one  of  the  foremost  oil 
producers  of  his  day  in  western  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  a  highly  respected  and  very  charita- 
ble citizen  of  Parker  City,  was  a  son  of  Charles 
and  Margaret  (Morgan)  Cooper,  and  was  born 
in  county  Wicklow,  Ireland,  on  the  last  day  of 
December,  1832.  He  came  with  his  parents  to 
the  United  States,  in  1842,  and  twelve  years 
later  removed  with  them  to  Parker's  Landing, 
now  Parker  Cit}-.  (See  sketch  of  James  S. 
Cooper.)  He  attended  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  country  and  the  common  schools  of 
Pennsylvania.  Leaving  school,  he  was  em- 
ployed at  different  kinds  of  work  until  the  oil 
excitement  came  in  western  Pennsylvania  and  mo- 
nopolized public  attention  from  everything  else. 
In  the  opening  up  of  the  first  oil  territory  he 
was  interestetl.  He  was  a  .stockholder  in  some 
of  the  first  wells  put  down,  was  successful  and 
by  continued  and  fortunate  investments  in  pay- 
ing oil  territory,  soon  became,  with  his  brothers, 
John  T.  and  James  S.,  among  the  leading  pro- 
ducers of  the  oil  region.  The  name  of  Coojier 
Brothers  soon  became  widely  known  in  connec- 
tion with  the  wonderful  oil  indu-stry  of  Penn- 
.sylvania.  In  their  extensive  operations  he  was 
active  and  energetic,  and  discharged  faithfully 
every  duty  that  devolved  upon  him.  He  was 
an  active  oil  producer  until  a  few  years  before 
his  death,  which  occurred  February  7,  1890, 
when  in  the  fifty-ninth  year  of  his  age.  His 
remains  were  consigned,  amid  many  sorrowing 
friends,  to  their  last  resting-place  in  a  beautiful 
cemetery. 

In  1861  he  married  Louisa  McGlaughlin, 
daughter  of  James  McGlaughlin,  of  Butler,  Pa. 
Their  union  was  blessed  with  one  child,  a  son  : 
James  H.  Cooper.  Mrs.  Cooper  is  an  estima- 
ble woman  and  a  cousi.stent  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church. 

George  Cooper  was  a  republican  in  political 
opinion  and  had  served  as  .school  director  of 
his  borough.  He  was  an  earnest  and  faithful 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  whose 


ARMSTRONO   COUNTY. 


485 


work  for  the  betterment  of  human  society  he 
always  took  a  deep  interest.  The  following 
account  of  his  death  appeared  in  one  of  the 
leading  county  papers : 

"  Friday  moruiug  last  the  spirit  of  Mr. 
George  Cooper  left  its  tenement  of  clay  for 
realms  above.  The  deceased  was  one  of  the 
prominent  oil  producers  during  the  palmy  days 
of  the  Upper  creek  and  also  in  this  region. 
The  name  of  Cooper  Brothers,  at  that  time,  was 
very  familiar.  The  past  few  years  disease  set- 
tled upon  him,  preventing  active  business.  For 
many  months  prior  to  his  denii.se  he  was  con- 
fined to  the  house.  He  was  a  quiet,  unobtru- 
sive man,  shunned  public  notoriety,  was  no 
office  seeker  or  taker,  but  lived  retired.  He 
leaves  a  wife  and  one  son,  James  H.,  and  a 
large  number  of  relatives  and  friends  to  mourn 
his  departure.  The  funeral  exercises  were  held 
in  the  Presbyterian  church.  Rev.  J.  W.  Miller 
officiating.  The  address  was  delivered  with 
true  Chri.stiau  kindness  and  affection ;  the  feeling 
words  and  manner  of  the  speaker  were  very 
impressive." 

George  Cooper  always  yielded  undeviating 
devotion  to  any  duty  which  devolved  upon  him. 
His  kindness  to  the  poor  was  remarkable.  In 
private  life  he  was  a  most  affi'ctionate  and 
devoted  husband  and  father.  The  pleasures  of 
social  intercourse  he  fully  appreciated ;  espe- 
cially in  the  company  of  those  in  whom  he 
placed  confidence,  and  to  whom  he  felt  attach- 
ment. His  death  was  sincerely  lamented  by 
numerous  fi-iends  whose  respect  and  love  he  had 
secured  by  his  honorable  course  of  action  in 
life. 


JOHN  THOMAS  COOPER.  One  of  the 
*^  most  widely  known  and  successful  oil 
producers  in  the  United  States  was  the  late 
lamented  John  Thomas  Cooper,  of  Parker  City, 
a  representative  man,  whose  highest  aim  was  to 
serve  his  fellow-men.     He  was  born  in  county 


Wicklow,  Ireland,  April  22,  1837,  and  was  a 
son  of  Charles  and  Margaret  (Morgan)  Cooper. 
He  came  with  his  parents  from  Ireland  to  the 
United  States  in  1842,  and  in  1854  he  located 
at  Parker  City. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools, 
and  was  variously  engaged  in  honest  labor  until 
September  7,  1861,  when  he  enlisted  as  a  soldier 
in  Co.  A,  103d  regiment.  Pa.  Vols.,  but  at  the 
end  of  about  one  year's  service  around  Wash- 
ington City  he  was  discharged  on  account  of 
disability.  He  then  returned  home  and  after 
having  recovered  his  health,  to  a  considerable 
degree,  he  again  engaged  in  business  pursuits. 
In  the  fall  of  1868  he  was  one  of  the  first  to 
put  down  a  paying  oil  well  on  the  Butler- 
Clarion  belt  at  Parker's  Landing.  Other  wells 
were  put  down  in  rapid  succession,  and  here  on 
the  flat  beneath  the  vertical  cliffs  of  the  Alle- 
gheny river  and  on  the  terraces  hundreds  of 
derricks  arose.  They  stood  as  thick  as  trees  in 
a  forest  and  drained  the  "  Third  Oil  Sand," 
which  lies  eight  hundred  feet  beneath  the  bed 
of  the  river.  In  this  great  oil  excitement  at 
Parker's  Landing,  Mr.  Cooper  was  a  prominent, 
active  and  successful  producer.  He  associated 
with  him  his  brothers,  George  and  James  S.,  in 
various  oil  enterprises,  and  the  Cooper  Brothers 
became  well-known  throughout  the  entire  oil 
region  as  experienced  and  successful  producers. 
John  Thomas  Cooper  soon  became  a  leading 
operator  throughout  the  oil  regions  and  remained 
as  such  until  his  death,  of  consumption,  which 
occurred  on  Saturday,  June  9,  1883.  At  the 
time  of  his  death  he  resided  in  the  first  ward,  or 
Lawrenceburg,  and  his  late  residence,  which 
stands  on  a  commanding  site,  is  one  of  the  finest 
mansions  in  western  Pennsylvania.  His  re- 
mains lie  entombed  in  a  beautiful  spot  in  the 
Presbyterian  cemetery  at  Parker  City. 

On  October  2,  1867,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Sarah  Bailey,  who  still  survives  him. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  E.  H.  Bailey,  of  Parker 
City,  and  is  an  amiable  and  intelligent  woman. 


48(5 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cooper  were  born  five  sons 
and  three  daughters :  Albert  H.,  now  an  oil  pro- 
ducer; Elizabeth,  Thomas,  Margaret,  Charles, 
Hope  B.,  Kenneth  and  Catherine. 

John  Thomas  Cooper  was  a  republican  in 
politics,  a  member  of  the  Parker  Oil  Exchange 
and  a  director  of  the  Parker  Savings  bank. 
He  was  a  member  and  an  elder  of  Parker  City 
Presbyterian  church,  whose  session,  iu.resolntions 
passed  upon  his  death,  and  sent  to  his  bereaved 
family  and  the  local  and  religious  press,  said  : 
"  We  desire  to  bear  testimony  to  his  worth  as  a 
Christian,  unassuming,  tender-hearted,  faithful, 
and  as  a  member  of  this  session,  able  in  counsel 
and  zealous  in  execution.  We  hold  his  mem- 
ory precious." 

A  gentleman  who  is  well  acquainted  with 
Mr.  Cooper  Las  recorded  his  high  estimate  of 
him  in  the  following  true  and  beautiful  tribute 
to  his  memory  :  "  As  a  citizen  he  was  patriotic 
and  enterprising.  His  attachments,  not  readily 
formed,  were  as  deep  and  abidiug  as  the  worthi- 
ness of  their  object.  His  disposition  was  very 
sensitive  and  retiring,  and  forbade  his  taking 
prominence  in  public  exercises;  but  for  eight 
years  he  served  conscientiously  and  ably  as  an 
elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church.  His  death  is 
a  bereavement  common  to  the  whole  community. 
Many  among  the  poor  and  wretched  will  miss 
his  kindly  word  and  open  hand.  While  he  was 
quick  to  mark  and  denounce  a  wrong,  his  heart 
was  tender  as  a  mother's  and  responded  to  every 
nobleness.  A  mean  thing  was  utterly  foreign 
to  his  nature.  Such  a  life  is  the  richest  inherit- 
ance his  friends  can  have.  The  integrity  which 
was  universally  recognized  under  the  severest 
tests;  the  patriotism  which  meant  with  him  not 
merely  a  sentiment,  but  a  sacrifice;  the  generos- 
ity which,  while  quiet,  was  all  the  more  genuine 
and  worthy ;  the  piety  which  grounded  and 
rounded  all  his  other  virtues.  These  our  mem- 
ories love  to  linger  over  and  retain  as  the  bright 
monument  of  John  Thomas  Cooper." 


JOSEPH  EGGERT,  M.D.,  resident  of  Par- 
^  ker  City,  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
successful  physicians  of  northern  Armstrong 
county.  He  was  born  in  Unity  township,  West- 
moreland county,  Pennsylvania,  Christmas, 
182.3,  and  is  a  son  of  George  and  Elizabeth 
(Fritts)  Eggert.  His  paternal  grandfather,  John 
Eggert,  was  a  native  of  Germany  and  came, 
when  sixteen  years  of  age,  as  a  cook  with  some 
soldiers  to  Canada.  He  soon  deserted  and  en- 
listed in  one  of  the  Continental  armies,  in  which 
he  served  throughout  the  Revolutionary  war. 
At  its  close  he  settled  in  Westmoreland  county, 
where  he  drew  a  pension  until  his  death,  in 
1840,  at  ninety-three  years  of  age.  Of  the 
children  born  to  him  in  his  Westmoreland 
county  home  was  George  Eggert  (father),  who 
was  a  large  landholder  in  Salem  township  of 
that  county.  He  was  a  member  and  an  elder  of 
the  German  Reformed  church,  and  died  at  Mas- 
sillon,  Ohio,  in  1859,  aged  sixty-three  years.  He 
was  a  whig,  and,  although  a  very  quiet  man, 
)'et  was  very  energetic  in  whatever  enlisted  his 
attention  or  engaged  his  efforts.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Fritts,  a  native  of  Northampton 
county,  and  a  daughter  of  Coonrod  Fritts,  who 
died  on  his  farm  in  Westmoreland  county,  in 
1834,  aged  seventy-five  years.  Mrs.  Eggert 
was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church  and 
passed  away  at  her  home  in  Stark  county,  Ohio, 
in  June,  1888,  when  in  the  eighty-sixth  year  of 
her  age. 

Joseph  Eggert  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  received  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  his  neighborhood  and  Greensburg  academy. 
In  1844  he  entered  the  office  of  Drs.  Onusby 
&  Fowler,  of  Green.sburg,  as  a  medical  student, 
and  in  1847  attended  a  course  of  lectures  in 
Cincinnati.  He  afterwards  attended  Cleve- 
land Medical  college,  from  which  well-known 
medical  institution  he  was  graduated  in  Febru- 
ary, 1853.  He  commenced  the  practice  of 
medicine  in  1848  at  North  Washington,  in  But- 
ler county,    which   place   he   left   in  1856   to 


ARMSTnONO  COUNTY. 


487 


locate  at  Callensburg,  Clarion  county.  He  left 
the  latter  place  in  1856  to  engage,  at  Oil  City, 
in  the  drug  business,  which  he  followed  for 
only  three  years.  In  1870  he  came  to  Parker 
City,  where  he  opened  an  office,  and  has  been 
engaged  ever  since  in  the  continuous  practice  of 
his  profession. 

On  December  1,  1853,  he  married  Margaret, 
daughter  of  John  Parker,  of  Parker  City, 
They  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  two 
sons  and  one  daughter:  Rev.  John  E.,  a  pres- 
byterian  minister  at  Kansas,  Illinois ;  Dr. 
Gteorge  L.  G.,  a  practicing  physician  and  drug- 
gist of  Parker  City  ;  and  Lizzie  A.,  wife  of 
Dean  FuIIerton. 

Dr.  Eggert  is  a  member  of  the  Royal  Tem- 
plars and  the  Equitable  Aid  association,  and  a 
member  and  an  elder  of  the  Parker  City  Presby 
terian  church.  He  is  a  republican  in  politics. 
While  having  his  office  in  Parker  City,  how- 
ever, he  resides  just  in  the  edge  of  Butler 
county.  His  practice  extends  over  a  portion  of 
both  Armstrong  and  Butler  counties.  Not 
desirous  of  office  and  not  prominent  in  political 
matters,  Dr.  Eggert  is  never  lacking  in  public 
spirit.  He  gives  his  full  time  to  his  profession 
and  its  manv  duties. 


REV.  THOMAS  McCONNELL  ELDER. 
Among  the  useful  and  public-spirited  cit- 
zens  of  Dayton,  well  respected  and  highly  es- 
teemed by  all  who  know  him  and  ever  watchful 
for  the  progress  and  prosperity  of  the  place 
where  he  has  so  long  had  his  home,  is  Rev. 
Thomas  McConnell  Elder. 

He  was  born  near  New  Alexandria,  West- 
moreland county,  Pennsylvania,  March  24, 
1826,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Mc- 
Connell) Elder.  He  is  a  descendant  of  the 
Dauphin  county  Elder  family,  of  whose  mem- 
bers many  were  pioneer  settlers  of  western 
Pennsylvania.  His  grandfather,  Robert  Elder, 
served  five  yeai-s  as  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution- 


ary war,  and  at  its  close  (soon  after  the  burn- 
ing of  Hannastown)  came  to  near  New  Alex- 
andria, where  he  died  many  years  later  at  the 
ripe  age  of  eighty-six  years.  He  was  a  cabinet- 
maker by  trade.  He  settled  on,  and  became 
owner  of,  a  portion  of  a  large  body  of  land, 
still  known  as  the  "  Richlands,"  taken  up  by 
Thomas  Anderson,  a  relative  of  his.  Of  these 
lands,  the  tract  known  as  "  Hannasburg  "  de- 
scended through  the  mother,  Mrs.  Hannah 
Elder ;  the  other,  known  as  "  Andersonia,"  by 
will  of  said  Anderson.  Robert  Elder  was  in 
politics  a  democrat,  a  consistent  member  of 
"  Old  Salem  "  Presbyterian  church  (Salem,  in 
whose  church-yard  still  stands  an  ancient  grave- 
stone marked  "  Thomas  Anderson,  aged  103 
years"),  was  married  and  survived  his  wife, 
by  whom  he  had  two  children  ;  Hannah,  who 
married  James  Richards,  and  resided  and  died 
on  part  of  the  home  tract,  and  Thomas,  the 
father  of  the  subject  of  this  .-sketch. 

Thomas  Elder  was  born  in  Dauphin  county, 
January  18,  1782,  and  iu  1784  was  brought  by 
his  parents  to  Westmoreland  county,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  until  his 
death,  in  April,  1855.  He  was  a  good  citizen,  a 
strong  democrat  and  wits  a  member  of  the  old 
school  Presbyterian  church,  which  he  left  some 
years  before  his  death  to  unite  with  the  Re- 
formed Presbyterian  churdi.  On  June  2, 1812, 
he  married  Mary  McConnell,  of  Lancaster 
county,  who  was  of  the  same  religious  faith  as 
her  husband.  Their  children  were  :  Violet  W., 
born  March  13,  1813  ;  Patsey  M.,  born  Sep- 
tember 27,  1815;  Robert  A.,  born  Septem- 
ber 22,  1817;  Harriet  E.,  born  December 
27,  1820;  David,  born  September  4,  1823; 
Rev.  Thomas  M.,  Mary,  born  November  6, 
1828;  James  M.,  born  November  14,  1829; 
John  M.,  born  December  22,  1832,  and  Wil- 
liam P.,  born  April  12,  1835.  All  of  these 
children  are  dead  except  Rev.  Thomas  M.  and 
John  M.,  who  still  resides  on  the  old  home 
farm. 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Mrs.  Elder  was  born  August  24,  1792,  and 
died  October  3,  1881.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
David  McConnell,  a  Scotch-English  farmer  of 
Lancaster  county,  who  came  to  near  New  Alex- 
andria, Westmoreland  county,  after  the  Revolu- 
tion. He  afterwards  removed  to  Salem  town- 
ship, that  cc>unty,  where  he  died.  He  was  an 
earnest  presbyterian,  and  married  Martha 
Whitesides,  January  10,1788,  by  whom  he  had 
twelve  children :  Daniel,  Thomas  W.,  David 
and  Samuel,  and  Margaret,  Prudence,  Mary, 
Martha,  Violet,  Elizabeth,  Hannah  and  Rebec- 
ca.    These  have  now  all  passed  away. 

Thomas  M.  Elder  was  educated  at  Geneva  col- 
lege, from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1853.  He 
afterwards  took  a  four  years  theological  course 
at  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  seminary,  now  of 
Allegheny  city.  He  has  been  always  greatly 
interested  in  mattei-s  educational.  He  was  the 
first  teacher  of  the  female  seminary  at  North- 
wood,  Ohio ;  he  founded  and  was  principal  of 
the  Loyalhanna  institute  for  two  years;  he  was 
principal  of  Dayton  Union  academy  from  1862 
to  1866,  and  in  the  latter  was  largely  instru- 
mental in  establi.shing  the  Dayton  Soldiers' 
Orphan  school,  of  which  he  M'as  principal  until 
1871.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel 
in  1858,  was  ordained  May  11,  1859,  and  set- 
tled as  pastor  of  the  congregation  of  Rehoboth. 
He  also  supplied  many  important  vacancies  and 
had  several  important  calls,  among  them  being 
one  to  Baltimore  and  two  to  Boston,  which  he 
did  not  accept. 

In  1863  he  had  charge  of  the  mission  schools 
of  his  church  at  Fernandina,  Florida,  where,  in 
the  absence  of  the  regular  chaplain,  he  did 
chaplain  work  for  the  11th  Maine  Volunteers, 
and  in  1864-65  he  superintended  church  mis- 
sions in  Washington  City,  D.  C.  On  account 
of  hereditary  illness  he  has  largely  withdrawn 
from  active  church  work  for  some  years  past, 
and  now  lives  in  comfortable  retirement  in  the 
village  of  Dayton. 

On  September  14, 1848,  Mr.  Elder  was  mar- 


ried to  Tirzah  Mason,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Mason,  of  Hannastown,  Pa.,  and  the  youngest 
of  a  family  of  seventeen  children.  To  them 
were  born  two  children,  one  of  which  died  in 
infancy  and  McLeod  M.,  a  Pullman  palace  car 
conductor,  new  resides  in  Allegheny  city  and 
married  to  Hannah  Kuox.  Mrs.  Elder  died  in 
the  summer  of  1851,  and  on  October  10, 1854, 
Mr.  Elder  was  again  married,  this  time  to  Mary 
Parker,  daughter  of  Mr.  John  Lindsay,  of 
I'hiladelphia.  This  wife  died  September  12, 
1868.  To  this  second  uniou  were  born 
three  children :  Tirzah  T.  M.,  wife  of  C.  S. 
Marshall,  a  merchant  of  Dayton ;  one  which 
died  in  infancy,  and  Argyle  W.,  now  engaged 
as  shipping  clerk  with  a  wholesale  firm  in 
Pittsburgh  and  married  to  Edith  C,  daughter 
of  C.  W.  Ellenberger. 

Rev.  T.  M.  Elder  is  a  republican  and  was 
one  of  the  early  abolitionists.  He  has  lived  a 
busy,  active  life,  and  very  many  useful  and  im- 
portant enterprises  attest  his  industry,  energy 
and  the  value  of  his  counsel. 

He  is  a  man  of  fine  presence  and  impressive 
manners,  six  feet  two  inches  in  height,  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  pounds  in  weight,  and,  al- 
though gray,  has  still  the  years  and  ability,  to 
add  other  work  to  a  very  successful  life.  He 
owns  a  part  of  his  father's  landed  estate,  and 
two  farms  in  Armstrong  county,  besides  several 
houses  and  lots  at  Dayton.  He  is  a  partner  of 
the  mercantile  firm  of  C.  S.  Marshall  &  Co.,  is 
president  of  Dayton  S.  O.  School  association, 
also  of  two  oil  and  gas  companies,  and  has 
been  interested  and  active  in  every  business 
enterprise  of  any  importance  which  has  existed 
at  Dayton,  where  he  has  resided  for  the  last 
thirty  years. 


SAMUEL  J.  ERVIN,  of  Irish  extraction, 
and  a  well-known  and  popular  furniture 
dealer,  undertaker  and  embalmer  of  Parker 
City,  was  born  in  Butler  county,  Pennsylvania, 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


489 


October  12,  1835,  and  is  a  sou  of  Samuel  and 
Eliza  (Boan)  Ervin.  Samuel  Ervin  (grand- 
father) was  a  native  of  Westmoreland  county, 
and  came  to  Butler  county  in  1804.  He  pat- 
ented over  five  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Butler 
county,  near  what  is  now  Martinsburg.  He  was 
physically  a  strong  man,  and  lived  to  the  ad- 
vancefl  age  of  seventy-seven  years.  Samuel 
Ervin  (father)  was  boru  in  Butler  county  in 
1795,  and  was  a  farmer  of  that  county  all  his 
life.  He  was  a  member  of  the  United  Presby- 
terian church,  an  old-line  whig  and  afterwards 
a  republican.  He  died  in  his  native  county  in 
the  spring  of  1861,  when  sixty-six  years  of  age. 
He  married  Eliza  Boan,  who  was  born  on  the 
ship  on  which  her  parents  were  coming  from 
Ireland  to  the  United  States,  and  by  whom  he 
had  several  children.  Mrs.  Eliza  Ervin  was  a 
consistent  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church,  and  died  in  1842,  at  forty  years  of 
age. 

Samuel  J.  Ervin  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  until  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  received 
his  educational  training  in  the  public  schools. 
In  1849  he  went  to  Callensburg,  Clarion  county, 
this  State,  where  he  served  an  apprenticeship  of 
three  years  in  learning  the  cabinet-maker's 
trade,  and  went  from  there  to  Fairview,  Butler 
county,  where  he  worked  as  a  journeyman  for 
five  years.  He  afterwards  purchased  the  furni- 
ture and  cabinet-making  establishment  of  his 
employer,  William  M.  Thorn,  and  remained 
there  until  1862.  In  that  year,  during  the  oil 
excitement  at  Oil  City,  he  removed  to  that  place, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  furniture  and 
undertaking  business  until  March,  1871,  then 
came  to  Parker  City  and  opened  a  furniture 
and  undertaking  establishment,  which  he  has 
been  successfully  conducting  ever  since.  He 
carries  a  stock  worth  $10,000,  and  does  a  good 
and  paying  business.  He  has  a  large  stock  of 
furniture  and  also  carries  a  full  and  complete 
line  of  undertaker's  supplies.  He  is  perfectly 
acquainted  with  the  wants  of  his  section  of  the 


county,  as  well  as  being  experienced  in  every 
detail  of  his  business. 

In  1857  Mr.  Ervin  married  Mary  J.  Thomp- 
son, daughter  of  John  Thompson,  of  near  But- 
ler, this  State.  Four  children  have  been  born 
to  them,  one  son  and  three  daughters:  Cordelia 
B.,  married  to  K.  M.  Turk,  who  died  in  the 
spring  of  1887  ;  Elmer  E.,  married  to  Carrie 
Russell,  daughter  of  Capt.  Russell,  a  veteran 
steamboat  pilot  of  the  Allegheny  river ;  Kate 
R.,  wife  of  W.  W.  Miller,  ticket  agent  for  the 
P.  &  W.  R.  R.  at  Parker  City,  and  Clara  C, 
married  to  William  Orr,  of  Parker  City. 

S.  J.  Ervin  is  a  republican  in  political  mat- 
ters, and  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  cluireh.  He 
has  been  class  leader  for  many  years,  has  held 
nearly  all  the  ofliees  of  his  church  and  takes  an 
active  part  in  church  work.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  town  council  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  has  served  as  mayor  of  his  borough. 
He  carries  a  large  and  well-assorted  stock  of 
first-class  goods,  and  pays  special  attention  to 
undertaking  and  embalming.  His  furniture  is 
of  the  latest  style,  embracing  all  kinds  and 
qualities  of  everything  needed  in  his  line  of 
work,  and  he  is  conducting  his  large  business 
with  ever-increasing  success.  He  is  interested 
and  assists  in  everything  that  will  be  of  ben- 
efit to  the  town. 


HENRY  REESE  FULLERTON.  During 
a  long,  useful  and  honorable  life,  Henry 
Reese  Fullerton  took  part  in  so  many  matters 
of  importance  to  Parker  City  that  a  mention 
in  the  record  of  his  life  of  his  more  import- 
ant business  enterprises  will  embrace  the  ma- 
terial history  of  Parker  City  from  1872  to 
1886.  He  was  born  in  Clearfield  county, 
Pennsylvania,  June  27,  1827,  and  was  a  son 
of  James  and  Susan  (Reese)  Fullerton.  When 
he  was  quite  small  his  parents  removed  to 
Jefferson  county,  where  he  was  reared  to  man- 
hood and  received  his  education  in   the  com- 


490 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


moD  schools.  He  learned  the  trade  of  brick- 
maker,  which  he  soon  abandoned  to  enter  the 
lumber  business,  as  affording  him  a  wider  field 
for  the  employment  of  his  active  mind  and 
tireless  energy.  He  frequently  increased  his 
operations  in  the  lumber  business  until  he  was 
one  of  the  largest  lumber  dealers  in  the 
county.  In  1865  he  lost  a  limb,  and  five 
years  later  disposed  of  his  lumber  interests. 
He  then  came  to  Parker  and  embarked  in  the 
oil  business,  but  the  control  and  management 
of  that  important  undertaking  did  not  absorb 
his  entire  attention  or  require  all  of  his  time, 
and  he  engaged  in  several  other  important 
enterprises.  He  leased  the  ferry,  which  he 
operated  until  1872.  He  was  one  of  the 
projectors  and  stockholders  of  the  company 
which  built  the  Parker  City  bridge.  He  was 
instrumental  in  securing  the  erection  of  the 
Parker  City  glass-works,  in  1880,  was  one  of 
the  organizers  and  stockholders  in  the  Parker 
Exchange  bank,  of  which  he  was  vice-president, 
and  was  one  of  the  projectors  and  stock- 
holders of  the  Parker  &  Karns  City  and 
Karns  City  &  Butler  railways,  wliich  were 
built  in  1873,  and  became  important  factors 
in  the  development  of  the  Butler  oil  field. 
In  1874  he  purchased  the  water- works,  of 
which  Parker  City  is  very  proud  to-day,  en- 
larged their  capacity  and  laid  several  miles  of 
additional  pipe.  He  was  also  one  of  the  owners 
of  the  planing-njill  and  box-factory.  In  every 
leading  business  enterpri.se  of  Parker  City 
Mr.  Fullerton  was  not  only  interested,  but  was 
active,  prominent  and  useful.  He  took  a  great 
pride  in  the  growth  and  progress  of  his  town, 
and  his  aim  was  to  contribute  in  every  way 
possible  to  its  development  and  prosperity.  A 
man  of  great  business  ability,  he  was  also  a 
man  of  unusual  energy  and  great  method ;  and 
was  thus  enabled,  at  the  same  time,  to  actively 
manage  and  successfully  control  several  different 
business  enterprises.  He  was  a  republican  in 
politics,  and,  in  addition  to   his  many  business 


interests,  served  one  term  as  mayor  and  several 
terms  as  justice  of  the  peace.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  M.  E.  church  and  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity, and  was  a  consi.stent  temperance  man, 
who  never  drank  as  much  as  a  glass  of  beer  or 
used  tobacco  in  any  form.  His  life  closed  when 
he  was  still  actively  engaged  in  business.  He 
pas.sed  away  at  his  home  in  Parker  City,  June 
5,  1886,  when  in  the  sixty -second  year  of  his 
age,  and  his  remains  were  interred  in  Parker 
City  cemetery.  H.  R.  Fullerton  had  been  for 
many  years  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  ac- 
tive citizens  of  his  borough.  He  was  highly 
esteemed  and  respected  in  private  life,  and  his 
death  left  a  wide  blank  in  the  business  and  so- 
cial circles  of  his  town.  He  was  a  kind  hus- 
Ijand,  an  affectionate  father  and  a  good  friend  to 
the  poor. 

In  1848  he  was  married  to  Harriet  Pearsall, 
of  Brookville,  Jefferson  county,  this  State. 
Mrs.  Fullerton  is  a  daughter  of  Arad  Pearsall, 
and  resides  in  her  well-appointed  and  elegant 
home  at  Parker  City.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fullerton 
had  three  children  :  Dean  W.,  in  the  banking 
business;  Lily,  who  is  married  to  G.  W.  Butt, 
and  resides  at  Warren,  Pa. ;  and  Elliot  Y.,  a 
very  promising  young  man,  who  died  Septem- 
ber 7,  1885,  when  in  the  twenty-sixth  year  of 
his  age. 


JOHN  ALLISON  HENRY,  M.D.,  of  Day- 
*J  ton,  is  a  physician  who  has  specially  fitted 
himself  for  his  profession  and  who  has  enjoyed 
a  continuous  and  successful  practice  of  thirteen 
years  in  Jefferson,  Clarion  and  Armstrong 
counties.  He  is  a  .son  of  Robert  T.  and  Hester 
(Allison)  Henry,  and  was  born  in  Monroe 
township,  Clarion  county,  Pennsylvania,  Janu- 
ary 29,  1848.  The  Henrys  are  of  English 
descent  and  one  of  them,  William  Henry 
(grandfather),  of  England,  came  to  Westmore- 
land county,  Penu.sylvania,  from  whence  he  re- 
moved in   1802    to  Monroe  townshij^.  Clarion 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


491 


county,  where  he  took  up  seven  hundred  acres 
of  land.  He  served  as  a  soldier  in  a  Pennsyl- 
vania regiment  in  the  Mexican  war.  He  was  a 
democrat  and  married  Nancy  Gibson,  a  sister  of 
James  Gibson,  of  Indiana  county.  To  their 
union  were  born  seven  children,  two  sons  and 
five  daughters.  One  of  these  sous,  Robert  T. 
Henry  (father),  was  born  on  the  homestead 
farm,  in  Monroe  township,  in  1818,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising  until  his 
death,  in  1881,  when  he  was  in  the  sixty-fourth 
year  of  his  age.  He  was  an  extensive  farmer, 
raised  fine  horses  and  sheep  and  was  the  first 
man  to  introduce  blooded  stock  into  his  section 
of  that  county.  He  was  a  prominent  democrat, 
and  filled  the  offices  of  school  director  and  tax 
collector  for  ten  years  and  was  held  in  such 
high  esteem  by  his  neighbors  that  many  of 
them  who  served  as  soldiers  in  the  late  war, 
placed  their  families  under  his  care  while  they 
were  in  the  Union  army.  He  married  Hester 
Allison,  a  daughter  of  John  Allison,  of  Indi- 
ana county,  who  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent. 
John  Allison  was  a  whig  and  afterwards  a  re- 
publican in  politics.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  and  married  a  Miss  Henry, 
by  whom  he  had  seven  children,  two  sons  and 
five  daughters. 

Dr.  John  A.  Henry  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  Reid  Institute.  Leaving  school,  he 
read  medicine  with  Dr,  T.  C.  Lawson,  of 
Greensville,  from  1872  to  1876,  when  he 
entered  the  University  of  Iowa  at  Iowa  City. 
In  1876  he  was  matriculated  in  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons,  at  Keokuk,  Iowa, 
from  which  medical  institution  he  was  gradu- 
ated June  14,  1877.  He  then  returned  to  his 
native  State  and  during  the  next  two  years 
practiced  medicine  at  Ringgold,  in  Jefferson 
county.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  returned  to 
Clarion  county,  where  he  practiced  until  1881, 
when  he  went  to  Bellevue  college.  New  York  City, 
where  he  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  me<li- 


cine.  He  then  came  to  Dayton,  where  he  has 
an  extensive  and  remunerative  practice.  He 
owns  the  old  homestead  farm  in  Clarion  county, 
on  which  he  raises  some  very  fine  horses. 

September  21,  1871,  he  married  Maggie  E. 
Sayci"s,  a  daughter  of  Orr  Sayers,  of  Clarion 
county.  To  their  union  have  been  born  two 
children  :  Laura  D.,  a  telegraph  ojjerator  at 
East  Brady  ;  and  Bird  Brown. 

Dr.  J.  A.  Henry  is  a  democrat  in  politics. 
He  is  a  member  of  Lodge  No.  963,  Indeisen- 
dent  Order  of  Odd  Eeliows,  of  West  Millville  ; 
Lodge  No.  45,  Knights  of  Pythias,  Putney- 
ville;  Council  No.  400,  Senior  Order  of  United 
American  Mechanics,  of  Dayton  ;  Assembly 
No.  10,644,  Knights  of  Labor,  New  Bethlehem, 
and  is  a  Free  and  Accepted  Mason. 


ALBERT  M.  HOOVER,  M.D.  One  of 
the  most  public-spirited  citizens  and  suc- 
cessful physicians  of  Parker  City  is  Albert  M. 
Hoover,  M.D.,  who  has  been  engaged  in  the  active 
l)ractice  of  his  j)rofession  for  over  twenty  years. 
He  was  born  iu  BuSalo  township,  Butler 
county,  Pennsylvania,  October  31,  1844,  and  is 
a  son  of  David  L.  and  Mary  (Myers)  Hoover. 
The  Hoover  family  came  to  America  from 
Saxony,  in  Germany,  and  settled  in  eastern 
Pennsylvania  at  an  early  day  iu  the  Colonial 
history  of  the  Quaker  province.  John  Hoover, 
the  paternal  grandfather  of  Dr.  Hoover,  was 
born  in  Dauphin  county,  where  he  owned  and 
operated  a  distillery  for  several  years.  He 
then  removed  to  Greensburg,  Westmoreland 
county,  and  after  a  residence  of  some  years  at 
that  place  came  to  Armstrong  county.  He 
finally  went  to  Clarion  county,  where  he  died  in 
1850,  aged  eighty  years.  He  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation  and  a  member  of  the  German  Re- 
formed church.  One  of  his  sons  was  David  L. 
Hoover  (father),  who  was  born  in  Dauphin 
county,  in  1805.  He  accompanied  his  father 
to  Greensburg,  Pa.,  from  which  he  soon  went 


492 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


to  Buffalo  township,  Butler  county,  where  he 
has  been  engaged  in  farming  ever  since.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church 
and  was  an  old-line  whig  until  that  party  went 
out  of  existence,  since  which  time  he  has  been  a 
republican.  He  has  been  successful  in  farming, 
is  remarkably  active  for  one  of  his  advanced 
years  and  never  has  allowed  himself  to  weary  or 
worry  over  any  trouble  however  .serious.  He 
married  Mary  Myers,  a  native  of  Dauphin 
county,  who  was  a  presbyterian  and  passed  away 
in  1881,  at  seventy-seven  years  of  age.  Her 
grandfather,  Baltser  Myers,  was  one  of  the 
Hessian  soldiers  who  were  hired  by  the  Eng- 
lish government  and  brought  to  New  Jersey  to 
aid  in  capturing  Washington's  army.  Baltser 
Myers  was  told  that  he  was  to  serve  against  the 
Indians,  and  when  he  learned  the  true  state  of 
affairs,  and  against  whom  his  services  were 
needed,  he  escaped  from  the  British  army  and 
settled  in  Pennsylvania. 

Albert  M.  Hoover  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools,  Ijeechburg  academy  and 
Witherspoon  institute.  After  a  three  years' 
academic  course  he  enli.sted,  on  February  14, 
1865,  in  Co.  H,  78th  regt.,  Pa.  Vols.,  and 
served  until  September  9th  of  that  year,  when 
he  was  discharged  from  the  United  States 
general  hospital  at  Philadelphia.  In  186G  he 
commenced  reading  mediciue  with  his  l)rother, 
Dr.  N.  M.  Hoover,  of  North  Hope,  Butler 
county,  and  afterwards  entered  Cleveland  Med- 
ical college,  from  which  he  was  graduated  Feb- 
ruary 10th,  1870.  In  the  same  year  he  came  to 
Parker  City,  where  he  practiced  for  nearly  three 
years  and  then  entered  Jefferson  Medical  college 
of  Philadelphia,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
March  1,  1873.  Leaving  Philadelphia,  he 
returned  to  Parker  City  and  resumed  his  prac- 
tice, which  is  now  very  large  and  remunerative. 
Dr.  Hoover  is  a  member  of  the  Armstrong 
County  Medical  Society,  Parker  City  Lodge, 
No.  521,  Free  and  Accept al  Masons,  and 
Parker  Lodge,  No.  761,  Independent  Order  of 


Odd  Fellows.  In  politics  he  is  independent 
and  has  served  for  five  years  as  school  director 
of  his  borough.  In  1888  he  established  his 
present  drug  store,  which  affords  the  citizens  of 
the  borough  and  vicinity  an  opportunity  to  get 
pure  drugs  and  have  prescriptions  filled  under 
the  personal  supervision  of  a  careful  and  skilled 
physician. 

On  December  24,  1872,  he  married  Elvira 
Brenneman,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Abner  Bren- 
neman,  of  Freeport,  and  died  October  6,  1873, 
leaving  one  child,  a  daughter  named  Elvira.  On 
July  12,  1880,  he  united  in  marriage  with  Sarah 
Hicks,  daughter  of  Richard  Hicks,  of  this 
county,  but  formerly  of  England.  To  this  sec- 
ond union  have  been  born  four  children,  two 
sons  and  two  daughters  :  Sarah,  Albert  M., 
Harriet  and  Nicholas  M. 


GEORGE  W.  LIAS,  one  of  the  prominent 
and  energetic  business  men  of  Dayton,  and 
proprietor  of  the  Lias  carriage  factory,  is  a  son 
of  John  and  Susanna  (Pontius)  Lias,  and  was 
born  (in  the  brick  house  at  Dayton  now  owned 
by  William  Marshall)  in  Wayne  township,  Arm- 
strong county,  Pennsylvania,  October  19,  1884. 
His  paternal  grandfatb.er,  Jacob  Lias,  came 
from  Germany  to  Maryland,  and  subsequently 
removed  to  Huntingdon  county,  where  he  died. 
He  owned  a  lai'ge  farm  and  was  a  methodist 
and  democrat.  Several  of  his  brothers  and  two 
of  his  sons,  David  and  Henry,  served  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  His  sou,  John  Lias  (fa- 
ther), was  born  in  Maryland,  May  22,  1788, 
and  in  1820  came  witli  Jacob  Pontius  to  the 
site  of  Dayton  when  it  was  an  unbroken  forest. 
He  built  his  cabin  on  the  site  of  William  Mar- 
shall's brick  house,  and  purchased  a  tract  of 
three  hundred  and  seventy  acres  of  land,  on 
which  he  lived  until  his  death,  November  5, 
1852.  He  was  a  democrat  and  methodist,  and 
married  Susanna  Pontius,  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
Pontius,  who  emigrated  from  Germany  to  east- 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


493 


em  Pennsylvania,  but  subsequently  came  to 
near  Dayton,  where  he  followed  farming  until 
his  death,  in  1852,  at  sixty-three  years  of  age. 
They  had  nine  children  ;  Ezra  and  Mary  A., 
■  who  are  dead ;  Eliza  M.,  widow  of  Dr.  Gootl- 
heart ;  Sarah  B.,  wife  of  G.  W.  Thonijjson  ; 
Lovina,  wife  of  Samuel  Byers,  and  late  widow 
of  Rev.  Joseph  Neij^li ;  Caroline,  who  married 
J.  K.  Miller,  of  Blairsville,  Pa. ;  Rebecca,  wife 
of  J.  C.  Gray,  of  Beaver  Ealls,  this  State; 
George  W.  and  Harriet,  who  died  young. 

George  W.  Lias  was  reared  on  the  fi\rm,  at- 
tended the  common  schools  and  was  engaged 
in  farming  until  1865.  Before  he  (juit  farming 
he  learned  the  trade  of  blacksmith  and  carriage- 
builder,  and  has  followed  that  business  at  Day- 
ton ever  since. 

October  29,  1857,  he  married  Ciiarlotte 
Hutchins,  of  Allegheny  city,  who  died  March 
4,  1877.  They  had  seven  children  :  Cora  S., 
wife  of  D.  B.  Travis,  a  farmer  of  Red  Bank 
township;  Edwin  B.,  Frank  E.,  who  died  at 
eighteen  years  of  age ;  Minnie  R.,  married  to 
Calvin  AValker,  an  uu<lertaker  of  Indiana  coun- 
ty ;  Martha  F.,  who  is  a  woman  of  educational 
ability,  has  a  fine  academic  education,  has 
taught  four  terras  and  holds  a  professional  cer- 
tifieate  as  the  residt  of  successful  teaching; 
Mary  B.,  who  has  taken  a  full  academic  course, 
is  teaching  her  third  term  and  takes  a  promi- 
nent part  in  the  W.  C.  T.  U.,  of  Dayton,  of 
which  she  was  the  delegate  to  the  State  conven- 
tion, at  Seranton,  in  1890;  and  Laura  E.,  at 
home.  Mr.  Lias  was  re-married  on  February 
14,  1878,  to  Mrs.  Eliza  (Newell)  McCutcheon. 

During  Buchanan's  administration  Mr.  Lias 
left  the  Democratic  and  joined  the  Know- 
notliing  party,  and  finally  became  a  republican. 
At  the  present  time  he  favors  the  Prohibition 
party,  and,  although  never  asking  for  office,  was 
elected  school  director,  besides  serving  his  bor- 
ough for  five  years  as  justice  of  the  peace. 
He  is  a  charter  member  of  Dayton  Lodge, 
No.    400,  Senior   Order  of  United  American 


Mechanics,  and  has  been  a  steward  of  the 
Mcthotlist  Episcopal  church  for  twenty-seven 
years.  He  owns  valuable  real  estate  in  the 
borough  besides  his  valuable  carriage  factory 
and  blacksmith  shop.  His  est^iblishment  is 
40x50  feet  with  a  20x40  feet  wing,  two  stories 
iiigli.  It  is  well  ecpiipped  with  late  machinery 
and  all  appliances  necessary  to  carry  on  his 
business.  Mr.  Lias  has  achievetl  success  and 
won  respect  by  his  energetic  and  honorable 
course  in  life.  On  August  6,  1884,  the  de- 
scendants of  John  and  Susanna  (Pontius)  Lias 
held  a  re-uniou  at  Dayton,  at  which  two  sons, 
six  daughters,  forty-two  granilchildrcn  and 
forty-two  great-grandchiklren  were  present. 


rPHOMAS  H.  MARSHALL,  a  member  of 
-»-  the  leading  general  mercantile  firm  of 
Dayton,  a  remarkably  successful  business  man 
and  a  grandson  of  William  Marshall,  the  first 
white  settler  of  Wayne  township,  was  born  one 
and  one-half  miles  from  Dayton,  in  Wayne 
township,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania, 
July  29,  1824,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert  and 
Mary  (Hyndman)  Marshall.  His  great-grand-' 
Either,  William  Marshall,  a  native  of  Ireland, 
went  to  Scotland,  wdiere  he  married  Eliza- 
beth Armstrong,  and  in  1748  settled  in  the 
southeastern  part  of  Pennsylvania.  He  had 
six  children,  of  whom  three,  William,  John 
and  James,  were  respectively  the  founders  of 
the  Marshall  families  of  Armstrong,  Indiana 
and  Westmoreland  counties.  (See  sketch  of 
William  Mai-shall.)  William  Marshall  (grand- 
father) removed  to  what  is  now  Black  Lick 
township,  Indiana  county,  but  on  account  of 
Indians  and  a  failure  to  get  a  perfect  title  to 
the  land  on  which  he  had  located,  he  came,  in 
1803,  to  what  is  now  Wayne  township,  in 
which  he  was  the  first  white  settler.  Ho  w'as  a 
democrat  and  an  elder  of  Glade  Run  Presby- 
terian church,  and  in  1779  married  Catherine 
Wilson,  of  Indiana  county,  by  whom  he  had  six 


494 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


sons  and  three  daughters.  His  son,  Eobert 
Marshall  (father),  was  born  August  19,  1799, 
and  died  in  1881,  aged  eighty-two  years. 
He  owned  a  large  tract  of  land,  was  a  whig 
and  afterwards  a  republican  in  politics,  and 
held  membership  in  the  United  Presbyter- 
ian church.  He  was  interested  in  the  mercan- 
tile and  farming  business,  and  married  Mary 
Hyndman,  who  was  born  in  1801  and  died  in 
1869.  After  her  death  he  married  Mary  J. 
Armstrong.  By  his  first  marriage  he  had  eleven 
children,  of  whom  three  sons  and  five  daughters 
lived  to  maturity.  Mrs.  Mary  (Hyndman)  j 
Marshall  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Hyndman, 
who  was  killed  while  helping  to  raise  a  bridge 
at  Saltsburg,  Indiana  county,  where  he  resided 
at  the  time. 

Thomas  H.  Marshall  was  reared  on  his  fa- 
ther's farm  and  received  his  education  in  the 
early  schools  of  Wayne  township.  At  twenty- 
six  years  of  age  he  engaged,  at  Day  ton,,  with 
his  father,  in  the  mercantile  business,  which  he 
has  followed  ever  since.  He  and  his  brother 
William  are  now  members  of  the  firm  of  Mar- 
shall Bros.  They  have  a  large  establishment 
well  filled  with  general  merchandise,  and  enjoy 
a  substantial  patronage  at  Dayton  and  from  the 
surrounding  country. 

On  March  14,  1850,  he  married  Rosetta  P., 
daugliter  of  Robert  Neal,  of  Cowanshannock 
township.  Their  children  are :  Silas  W.,  of 
Dayton,  a  farmer,  who  married  Agnes  Craig 
and  has  five  children ;  David  D.,  married  to 
May  Haines,  by  whom  he  has  two  children, 
and  is  a  miller  and  a  butcher;  Robert  N.,  a 
merchant  of  Forest  county,  who  married  Mary 
Marshall,  of  Allegheny  city ;  Rev.  Clark  H., 
a  graduate  of  Princeton  college  and  Theological 
seminary,  who  married  Elizabeth  Stewart,  of 
Parnassus,  and  is  a  minister  in  the  United 
Presbyterian  church  ;  and  Mary  S. 

Thomas  H.  Marshall  and  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren are  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church,  of  Dayton,  of  which  he  is  a  trustee. 


He  is  a  republican,  was  formerly  a  whig,  and 
has  served  his  borough  as  school  director,  be- 
sides holding  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace 
for  two  terms.  Mr.  Marshall  makes  a  specialty 
of  raising  blooded  stock,  especially  hogs  and 
sheep.  In  connection  with  his  other  lines  of 
business  he  is  engaged  extensively  in  the  lum- 
ber business  in  Forest  county,  where  he  and  his 
sons  own  a  half-interest  in  twenty-three  hun- 
dred acres  of  timber  which  they  are  working 
up  into  lumber.  His  life  has  been  one  of  ac- 
tivity and  usefulness. 


JOSEPH  W.  MARSHALL,  the  well-known 
^  proprietor  of  one  of  the  leading  livery, 
sales  and  feed  stables  of  Dayton,  is  a  son  of 
Samuel  and  Mary  (Wadding)  Marshall,  and 
was  born  in  Wayne  township,  Armstrong  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  December  11,  1830.  The 
Marshalls  are  of  Irish  descent,  and  Archibald 
Marshall  (grandfather)  was  born  in  1762,  and 
in  early  life  removed  from  Westmoreland  to 
Armstrong  county,  where  he  settled  near  Day- 
ton. He  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
until  his  death,  in  1835.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  United  Presbyterian  church,  and  married 
Catherine  Wilson,  by  whom  he  had  eight 
children,  six  sons  and  two  daughters.  One  of 
these  sons  served  in  the  U.  S.  army  during  the 
war  of  1812.  Another  son  was  Samuel  Mar- 
shall (fiither),  who  was  born  June  9,  1808,  in 
Westmoreland  county,  from  whence  he  came  to 
Wayne  township,  this  county,  where  he  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  and 
engaged  in  farming.  He  was  a  democrat  in 
politics  and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  He  died  December  14,  1879,  when  he 
was  in  the  seventy-second  year  of  his  age.  He 
married  Mary  Wadding,  and  to  their  union 
were  born  five  children,  three  sons  and  two 
daughters :  Joseph  W.,  George  W.,  born  July 
4,  1832,  and  a  carpenter  at  Punxsutawney; 
Caroline,  born  January  7,  1834;  Mary  J.,  born 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


495 


March  12,  1836,  and  widow  of  W.  G.  Travis, 
of  Indiana;  and  Samuel  H.,  born  December 
30,  1837,  who  married  Malissa  Turk  and  lives 
on  the  homestead  farm.  He  died  November 
23,  1890.  Mrs.  Marshall  is  a  daughter  of  Josepii 
Wadding  (maternal  grandfather),  a  native  of 
Scotland,  who  came  in  early  life  to  Pennsylva- 
nia and  settled  iu  Huntingdon  county,  but 
afterward  came  to  Wayne  township,  this  county, 
where  he  died  and  was  buried  in  a  private 
grave-yard  on  tiie  farm  now  owned  by  Harvey 
Irwin.  He  married  Jane  Travis,  by  whom  he 
had  six  children,  three  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters. 

Joseph  W.  Marshall  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm,  attended  tiie  public  schools  of 
Wayne  township  and,  leaving  school,  commenced 
farming,  whicii  he  followed  until  1885,  when  he 
came  to  Dayton,  where  he  has  been  engaged  in 
the  livery  business  ever  since.  He  owns  a  good 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-five  acres  in 
Wayne  township,  which  well  repays  its  cultiva- 
tion. 

January  29,  1856,  he  married  Mary  Ann 
Travis,  who  was  born  August  28,  1832,  and  is 
a  daughter  of  John  and  Catherine  (Chrisman) 
Travis.  She  came  from  Huntingdon  county 
when  she  was  eleven  years  of  age,  and  lived 
with  James  Gahaghen  until  she  was  married  in 
1829  to  John  Travis,  who  lived  near  Good's 
Mills.  John  Travis  was  a  farmer  and  miller 
and  had  a  family  of  five  children,  of  whom  one 
only  is  living:  Mrs.  Marshall.  Her  brother, 
AVilliam  F.  Travis,  died  June  15,  1886,  aged 
fifty-six  years.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marshall 
have  been  born  five  children,  four  sons  and  one 
daughter:  Emma  R.  J.,  born  March  8,  1857, 
wife  of  William  M.  Latimore,  and  has  two 
children,  Cora  Belle  and  Eva  Blanche;  Syl- 
vester M.,  born  December  28,  1859,  who 
married  Elmira  J.  Russell  (had  four  children, 
one  dead  and  three  living — William  B.  (dead) 
and  Claude  B.,  Fannie  B.  and  Alfred  Russell 
Marshall),  and  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Wayne 


township;  William  Travis,  born  October  8, 
1865,  and  died  October  18,  1865;  Leander  A., 
born  July  25,  1869,  and  died  August  17, 1873; 
and  Forbes  D.,  born  December  22,  1875. 

Joseph  W.  Mai-shall  is  an  adherent  of  the 
principles  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  he  and 
liis  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
i)f  Dayton.  Mr.  Marshall  is  well  prepared  iu 
his  present  particular  line  of  business  to  accom- 
modate the  wants  of  the  traveling  public,  and 
keeps  a  good  assortment  of  buggies  and  a  first- 
class  stock  of  driving  and  riding  horses. 


WILLIAM  MARSHALL,  a  leading  mer- 
chant of  Dayton  and  a  descendant  of 
the  old  pioneer  Marshall  family  of  western 
Pennsylvania,  is  a  son  of  Robert  and  Mary 
(Hyndmau)  Marshall,  and  was  born  in  Wayne 
township,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania, 
September  24,  1822.  The  trans-Atlantic  an- 
cestor of  the  Marshall  family  was  William 
Marshall  (great-grandfather),  who  was  born  in 
Ireland  in  1722,  and  when  a  young  man  went 
to  Scotland,  where  he  met  and  married  Eliza- 
beth Armstrong,  a  native  of  that  country.  In 
1748  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  settled 
in  the  southeastern  part  of  Pennsylvania,  about 
sixty  miles  northwest  of  Baltimore,  Maryland, 
iu  what  was  known  as  the  Conecocheaffue  set- 
tlemont  where  he  reared  a  family  of  six 
children.  Three  of  his  sons,  William  (grand- 
father), John  and  James,  came  to  what  is  now 
Indiana  county,  but  wei-e  driven  away  by  the 
Indians.  John  returned  to  Conecocheague ; 
James  stopped  at  the  Sewickley  settlement,  in 
Westmoreland  county;  while  AVilliam  located 
on  Conemaugh  creek,  where  he  took  up  a  large 
tract  of  land,  which  he  sold  iu  1803  and  then 
moved  to  Armstrong  county.  He  there  settled 
on  a  tract  of  land  on  a  part  of  which  is  the 
present  Dayton  fair  grouud,  and  about  ten  years 
later  he  bought  and  built  on  the  farm  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.     He  was  one  of  the  first 


496 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


elders  of  the  Glade  Run  Presbyterian  church, 
and  in  1830  he  died  upon  the  jjroperty  now 
owned  by  William  Marshall  (subject).  He 
married  Catherine  Wilson,  of  Indiana  county, 
in  1779,  and  to  their  union  were  born  nine 
children.  One  of  their  sons,  Robert  Marshall 
(father),  was  born  August  19,  1799.  He  was  a 
farmer  and  merchant,  and  his  first  enterprise 
was  a  distillery  on  Glade  run.  He  also  bought 
grain  and  other  farm  products  which  he  hauled 
to  Phillipsburg,  Old  Town  and  Curwensville 
and  exchanged  for  merchandise.  In  1850  he 
opened  a  store  at  Dayton  under  the  name  of  R. 
Marshall  &  Sons,  with  which  he  was  connected 
until  his  death,  on  October  1,  1881.  He  was 
also  interested  financially  in  the  Enterprise 
Lumber  com})any,  and  the  Dayton  Soldiers' 
Orphan  school,  and  was  prominent  in  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Dayton  academy.  He  married 
Mary  Hyndman,  by  whom  he  had  eleven  chil- 
dren, and  after  her  death,  in  1869,  he  married 
INIary  J.  Armstrong. 

William  Marshall  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  (and  followed  farming  all  his  life,  in  con- 
nection with  other  business).  After  receiving  a 
good  business  education,  he  engaged,  in  1850,' 
in  his  present  general  mercantile  business  at 
Dayton.  He  is  connected  with  the  Enterprise 
Lumber  company  and  owns  550  acres  (290  of 
it  under  cultivation)  of  productive  farming  land 
in  W^yne  township. 

On  April  19,  1860,  he  married  Mary  Ann 
Blair,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Anise  (Pat- 
tei-son)  Blair,  of  Westmoreland  county.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mai  shall  have  been  born  .seven 
children :  Laura  D.,  who  is  the  wife  of  James 
Storey,  an  oil-well  driller  of  Ohio,  has  two 
children:  Clarence  and  Mary;  C.  Reed,  super- 
intending store  at  Dayton,  who  married  Mollie 
Ellenberger  and  has  two  children:  Ethel  and 
Alice  T. ;  Rebecca,  married  January  2,  1880,  to 
John  W.  Lias,  a  commercial  traveler  and  has  one 
child:  William  Raymond;  Jemima,  wife  of 
John  Bott,  a  well-driller  of  Idlewood,  Pa.,  and 


has  two  children :  Virginia  T.  and  Margaretta ; 
Caroline  S.,  a  teacher;  Blair  P.,  and  Tirzah  M. 
Mrs.  Marshall  is  a  granddaughter  of  James 
Blair,  of  Ireland,  who  married  a  Miss  Hunter, 
of  Scotch  descent,  and  came  to  Huntingdon 
county,  from  which  he  removed  to  Westmore- 
land county.  Her  maternal  grandfather, 
Thomas  Patterson,  came  from  Ireland,  and 
married  a  Miss  Lytle,  of  Derry  township, 
Westmoreland  county.  Pa. 

William  Marshall  is  an  active  rejuiblican, 
and  has  filled  various  township  offices  and  is  an 
elder  in  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  of 
which  he  and  his  wife  are  both  esteemed  mem- 
liers.  He  is  a  man  of  business  ability  and  has 
frequently  been  executor  and  administrator,  in 
which  offices  he  has  always  served  very  credit- 
ably and  efficiently. 


WESLEY  AVADE  MILLER,  one  of  the 
energetic  and  rising  young  business  men 
of  Parker  City,  is  a  son  of  John  Wesley  and 
Hannah  (Pearsall)  Miller,  and  was  born  at 
Brookville,  Jefferson  county,  Pennsylvania,  May 
27,  1866.  His  father,  John  W.  Miller,  was 
born  in  Ohio,  and  came  to  Pennsylvania  when 
about  eighteen  years  of  age.  He  was  a  carpen- 
ter and  ciibi net-maker  by  trade,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  a  number  of  years.  For  eighteen  or 
twenty  yeai-s  before  his  death  he  was  engaged  in 
the  grocery  business  in  both  Brookville  and 
Parker  City.  He  moved  from  the  latter  place 
in  1888  to  Allegheny  city,  this  State,  where  he 
died  June  1,  1890,  at  sixty-nine  years  of  age. 
He  had  been  a  member,  since  he  was  twenty 
years  of  age,  of  the  M.  E.  church.  He  was  a 
republican  and  a  very  active  and  stirring  busi- 
ness man.  He  married  Hannah  Pearsall, 
daughter  of  Arad  Pearsall,  and  a  native  of 
Brookville,  Pa.  She  was  also  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  died  March  16, 
1876,  when  forty- six  years  of  age.  They  were 
the  parents  of  seven  children. 


ARMSTHONG   COUNTY. 


497 


Wesley  Wade  Miller  was  reared  in  Jefferson 
county  until  he  was  eight  years  of  age,  when  he 
came  to  Parker  City  with  his  father.  He  re- 
ceived his  (ilucation  in  the  public  schools,  and 
after  leaving  school  served  an  apprenticeship  of 
three  years  in  the  Phanix  printing  office,  of 
Parker  City.  Not  liking  the  printing  business, 
he  in  1882  entered  the  office  of  the  P.  &  W. 
railroad,  at  Parker  City,  where,  in  addition  to 
regular  office  duties,  he  learned  telegraphy.  On 
May  1,  1883,  he  took  charge  of  the  P.  &  W- 
railroad  office  .-it  J5yromtown,  Forest  county, 
and  was  transferred  from  there  to  Clarion  Junc- 
tion, from  which,  in  a  short  time,  he  was  sent  to 
Foxburg,  Clarion  county,  where  he  remained 
about  three  years  as  traiu  tlispatcher.  In  1887  he 
came  to  Parker  City,  where  he  has  served  as 
ticket  and  freight  agent  ever  since.  He  is  also 
express  agent  for  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.,  and  has 
served  faithfully  and  diligently  in  his  different 
and  responsible  positions. 

In  1885  Mr.  Miller  united  in  marriage  with 
Kate  Ervin,  daughter  of  S.  J.  Ervin,  of  Parker 
City  (see  his  sketch).  To  this  union  has  been 
born  one  child,  a  daughter,  Ethel  Lucile,  born 
November  22,  1885. 

W.  W.  Miller  is  a  republican  and  is  serving 
his  second  term  as  city  auditor.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  M.  E.  church,  Parker  Council,  No. 
179,  Royal  Arcanum,  and  Parker  Lodge,  No. 
761,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


DAVID  MILLIRON.  Few,  if  any,  indus- 
tries have  received  more  attention  in  the 
last  few  years  than  that  of  carriage-building, 
and  one  of  the  successful  carriage  manufacturers 
of  this  county  is  David  Milliron,  of  Dayton. 
He  is  a  son  of  Philip  and  Catherine  (Precious) 
Millirou,  and  was  born  in  Porter  township  (now 
Ringgold),  Jefferson  county,  Pennsylvania,  Au- 
gust 2,  1833.  The  Milliron  family  is  of  Ger- 
man descent,  and  David  Milliron,  the  grand- 
father of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in 


Westmoreland  county,  from  whence  he  removed 
in  1817  to  Jefferson  county,  and  afterwards  went 
to  Michigan,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming 
until  his  death.  He  was  a  democrat,  and  a 
meniber  of  the  Methotlist  Episcopal  church. 
He  marrie<l  Barbara  Cribbs,  who  was  born  in 
Germany  and  was  brought  by  her  parents  to 
America  when  she  was  four  years  of  age.  They 
had  five  children,  two  sons  and  three  daughters. 
One  of  these  sons,  Philip  Millirou  (father),  was 
\  born  August  9,  1809,  in  Westmoreland  county, 
and  went  with  his  parents  to  Jeffei-son  county, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Ringgold 
township.  He  owns  one  hundred  and  thirty 
acrcsofland  in  that  township,aud,  like  his  father, 
is  a  democrat  and  methodist.  He  married 
Catherine  Procious,  daughter  of  Nicolas  Pro- 
cious,  a  lutheran,  who  owned  a  farm  near  the 
Westmoreland  and  Armstrong  county  line. 
They  had  seven  children,  five  sons  and  two 
daughters.  After  the  death  of  Mrs.  Milliron, 
he  married  for  his  second  wife  Mrs.  Eliza 
Weaver. 

David  Milliron  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  received  a  conmion-school  education,  and 
learned  the  trade  of  blacksmith,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  about  twenty-five  years.  In  July, 
1863,  he  enlisted  as  a  sergeant  in  Co.  H,  57th 
regiment,  Pa.  Vols.,  and  assisted  in  the  capture 
of  Gen.  Morgan.  He  was  mustered  out  of  ser- 
vice on  August  17,  1863.  In  the  spring  of 
1873  he  removed  to  Dayton,  where  he  has  since 
been  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  carriages, 
and  makes  a  specialty  of  all  kinds  of  light  work 
in  his  line  of  business.  He  is  also  engaged  in 
drilling  artesian  wells  with  a  steam  drill,  and  in 
testing  for  coal  and  other  minerals. 

On  August  19,  1855,  he  married  Dorcas 
Freese,  who  was  born  in  1838  and  is  a  daughter 
of  Henry  Freese,  of  Jefferson  county,  and  to 
their  union  have  been  born  five  children,  four 
I  sons  and  one  daughter  :  Samuel  F.,  who  married 
j  Maggie  Pontius,  and  is  car-inspector  at  the  coal 
works   at   New   Bethlehem ;    Wesley  C,  who 


498 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


married  Minnie  Davis  and  follows  his  trade  of 
blacksmith  at  Dayton ;  George  B.,  who  died 
September  22,  1865 ;  Philip,  who  married  Clara 
Rupp  (now  deceased)  and  is  engaged  in  carriage 
manufacturing  at  Dayton,  where  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Sr.  O.  U.  A.  M. ;  and  Eflfie  C. 

David  Milliron  and  his  three  sons  are  all 
stanch  democrats.  He  has  served  three  terms 
as  justice  of  the  peace  in  Jefferson  county,  and 
also  two  terms  in  the  same  office  at  Dayton. 
He  is  a  trustee  of  the  Metiiodist  Episcopal 
church,  and  a  member  of  Council  No.  400,  >Sr. 
O.  U.  A.  M.,  of  Dayton,  and  at  one  time  was 
connected  with  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  Mr.  Milliron 
has  a  well-arranged  carriage  manufactory,  en- 
joys a  large  trade  and  is  a  skilled  mechanic  in 
his  line  of  business. 


EPHRAIM  MORROW,  postmaster  of  Day- 
ton, and  one  of  four  brothers  who  served 
in    the  Union  armies,  ranked  high  as  a  station  ! 
commander  in  the  U.  S.  sig-nal  service.     He  is 

O  I 

a  son  of  Andrew  and  Mary  (Coclirane)  Mor-  ' 
row,  and  was  born  in  South  Mahoning  township,  I 
Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  Dec.  3,  1839. 
The  Morrow  family  is  of  Irish  descent,  and  one 
of  its  members,  John  Morrow  (grandfather),  was  I 
born  in  county  Down,  Ireland,  from  whence  he 
emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1808,  and 
settled  in  Cowanshannock  township,  Armstrong 
county,  where  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1845,  when  lie  was  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his 
age.  He  was  a  member  of  the  United  Presby-  ■ 
terian  church,  and  an  old  line  whig.  One  of 
his  sons,  Andrew  Morrow  (fatiier),  was  born  in 
Ireland  about  1804,  and  came  to  Armstrong 
county  wit!)  his  father,  but  in  1836  he  removed 
to  South  Mahoning  township,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming.  He  died  in  1884,  when  he 
had  attained  the  age  of  eighty  years.  He  was 
an  elder  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  for 
about  fifty  years,  aud  supported  the  Republican 


party.  He  held  various  township  offices.  He 
married  Mary  Cochrane,  daughter  of  William 
Cochrane,  of  Armstrong  county,  and_^  to  their 
union  were  born  eight  children,  five  sons  and 
three  daughters,  of  whom  four  are  still  living. 
Of  the  sons,  John  enlisted  in  1863  in  Co.  G, 
102(1  regt.,  Pa.  Vols.,  and  died  in  York,l  Pa., 
in  1864 ;  William,  who  enlisted  in  Co.  A,  2d 
Battalion,  Pa.  Vols.,  and  served  six  months; 
and  Dr.  James  J.,  entered  the  service  of  the 
United  States  in  the  fall  of  1862,  as  ca^itain  of 
Co.  G,  103d  reg.  Pa.  Vols.,  served  three  years 
in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  was  captured  at 
Plymouth,  N.  C.,  by  the  Confederates,  and  held 
a  prisoner  of  war  for  eleven  raontlis,  during 
which  time  he  escaped  three  times.  Twice  he 
was  recaptured  and  taken  back  to  Charlotte- 
ville,  N.  C,  but  the  third  time  he  succeeded  in 
reaching  Sherman's  army.  After  he  was  mus- 
tered out  of  service,  Dr.  Morrow  practiced 
medicine  in  Philadelphia,  and  in  Crawford  and 
Mercer  counties.  He  died  in  Lawrence  town- 
ship, Mercer  county.  Mrs.  Morrow's  fatlier, 
William  Cochrane  (maternal  grandfather),  was 
a  native  of  Ireland,  and  settled  in  Armstrong 
county,  where  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  until  his  death,  in  1850.  He  was  a 
democrat  in  politics,  and  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church. 

Ephraim  Morrow  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  after  attending  the  subscription 
.schools  of  his  native  township,  he  took  an 
academic  course,  and  taught  two  terms  of  school, 
after  which  he  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter. 
On  May  15,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  K,  13th 
Penna.  Reserves,  and  was  transferred  to  the 
U.  S.  signal  corps,  in  which  he  served  one  and 
one-half  years,  and  then  was  in  General  Banks' 
Red  river  expedition  in  Louisiana.  He  was 
afterwards  sent  back  to  the  U.  S.  signal  corps, 
and  placed  in  charge  of  a  signal  station  on  the 
coast  of  North  Carolina,  where  he  remained 
until  he  was  mustered  out  of  service,  May  18, 
1864.     Returning   to    Pennsylvania,  he    went 


ahmstrong  county. 


499 


into  the  oil  region,  where  he  followed  carpenter- 
ing. In  1874  he  came  to  Dayton,  which  he 
has  since  made  his  home.  On  October  16, 
1880,  he  was  appointed  by  President  Harrison 
as  postmaster  of  Dayton,  whicii  office  lie  still 
holds,  and  whose  duties  he  carefully  discharges. 

On  February  15,  1872,  he  married  Nancy 
C.  McKay,  daughter  of  D.  W.  McKay,  a  sol- 
dier of  the  Union  army,  wiio  was  captured  at 
Gettysburg  and  died  in  prison.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Morrow  have  been  born  two  children,  a 
son  and  a  daughter :  Mary  J.  and  James  E., 
now  a  printer  at  Kittanning. 

Ephraim  Morrow  is  a  stanch  repulilican,  and 
in  1880  was  appointed  census-taker  of  the 
borough  of  Dayton  and  Wayne  township.  He 
is  a  member  of  J.  Ed.  Turk  Tost,  No.  321, 
G.  A.  R.,  Union  Veteran  Legion,  and  Dayton 
Lodge,  No.  400,  Jr.  O.  U.  A.  M.,  of  Dayton. 
Reliable  as  a  citizen,  faitiiful  as  a  soldier  and 
efficient  as  a  public  official,  Mr.  Morrow  has 
many  warm  friends. 


FRANKLIN  OTTINGER.  In  these  days, 
when  so  many  accidents  are  occurring 
through  ignorance  and  carelessness  in  the  prep- 
aration of  drugs  and  medicines,  it  is  a  matter 
of  the  greatest  importance  to  the  public  to  know 
where  they  can  tind  reliable  drug  houses  and 
competent  pharmacists.  One  of  the  best  quali- 
fied and  most  careful  and  attentive  druggists  of 
western  Pennsylvania  is  Franklin  Ottinger,  of 
Parker  City.  He  is  a  son  of  George  and  Eliza- 
beth (Haines)  Ottinger,  and  was  born  in  Bur- 
lington county,  N.  J.,  July  2,  1848.  As  the 
name  indicates,  the  Ottingers  are  of  German 
origin,  and  the  American  branch  of  the  family 
is  traced  back  in  its  residence  in  Pennsylvania 
to  Chestnut  Hill,  Philadelphia,  where  Franklin 
Ottingcr's  paternal  grandfather,  Alexander 
Ottinger,  was  burn,  reared,  lived  and  died.  lie 
was  a  farmer,  and  of  his  sous  who  grew  to 
manhood,  one  was  George  Ottinger  (father),  who 


was  born  in  1812,  and  died  in  1875,  aged 
si.xty-three  years.  When  a  young  man  he 
removed  to  Mt.  Holly,  the  county-seat  of  Bur- 
lington county,  N.  J.,  where  he  became  the 
proprietor  and  editor  of  the  Mt.  Holly  Herald, 
a  democratic  paper  of  considerable  force  and 
extended  circulation.  The  events  of  the  last 
war  changed  Mr.  Ottingcr's  political  opinions, 
and  he  affiliated  with  the  Reijublican  party 
from  1861  to  his'death,  which  occurred  in  1875. 
He  was  a  prominent  and  useful  member  of  the 
Baptist  church,  and  married  Elizabeth  Haines, 
of  Burlington  county,  N.  J.,  who  was  reared  in 
the  Quaker  faith,  which  she  held  until  in  the 
latter  years  of  her  life,  when  she  united  with 
the  Baptist  church.  She  was  born  in  1817,  and 
passed  away  in  1882. 

Franklin  Ottinger  was  reared  at  Mt.  Holly 
and  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  After  obtain- 
ing a  good  English  education  he  attended  the 
Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy,  from  which 
institution  he  was  graduated  in  1868.  Two 
years  later  he  located  in  Pittsburgh,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  the  drug  business  until  1878, 
when  he  came  to  Parker  City  and  established 
his  present  drug  house.  He  keeps  a  full  assort- 
ment of  fresh  and  pure  drugs,  chemicals  and 
pharmaceutical  preparations,  all  of  whicli  are 
up  to  the  standard  demanded  by  the  United 
States  Pharmacopreia,  besides  toilet  and  fancy 
articles  and  proprietary  remedies  of  established 
reputation.  His  drug  house  is  complete  in  all 
its  arrangements,  and  careful  attention  is  given 
to  the  wants  of  a  large  and  constantly  increasing 
patronage. 

In  1878  he  married  Ella  S.  Bair,  daughter 
of  W^illiam  Bair,  of  Sharon,  Pa.  Their  union 
has  been  blest  with  two  children  :  George  B. 
and  Sue  H. 

Franklin  Ottinger  is  a  member  of  Parker 
Lodge,  No.  761,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Parker  Council, 
No.  179,  Royal  Arcanum,  and  the  Order  of 
Solon.  He  is  a  republican  in  politics,  has  held 
various    borough    offices,    and    frequently,    al- 


500 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


though  not  a  politician,  serves  as  a  delegate  to 
State  and  county  conventions  of  his  party.  Mr. 
Ottinger  lias  been  engaged  for  several  years  as 
an  oil  producer.  He  is  a  pharmacist  of  skill, 
has  a  wide  range  of  practical  experience,  and 
conducts  his  establishment  upon  the  principles 
of  integrity  and  correct  business. 


FULLERTON  PARKER,  whose  name  will 
long  live  in  the  recollections  of  the  citizens 
of  Parker  City  as  a  brave  and  kind-hearte<l 
man,  was  one  of  that  class  of  strong,  honest, 
active  and  courageous  men,  so  essentially  neces- 
sary to  the  growth  and  development  of  any 
town  or  city.  He  was  a  son  of  Judge  John 
and  Jane  (Woods)  Parker,  and  was  born  on  the 
old  Parker  homestead,  on  the  hill  above  Park- 
er City,  in  Parks  township,  Butler  county, 
Pennsylvania,  December  15,  1806.  In  the 
days  of  pioneer  danger,  privation  and  ad- 
venture in  western  Pennsylvania,  the  Parker 
family  settled  in  what  is  now  Washington  coun- 
ty. Col.  William  Parker,  the  grandfather  of 
Fullerton  Parker,  and  in  all  probability  a  son 
of  the  founder  of  the  family  in  western  Penn- 
sylvania, came  from  Washington  county,  in 
1798,  and  settled  near  the  site  of  Bear  Creek 
furnace  on  Bear  creek.  He  built  the  first  grist- 
mill of  northern  Armstrong  county,  and 
although  it  was  a  log  structure,  equipped  with 
machinery  of  the  most  j)rimitive  description, 
yet  it  was  the  main  dependence  for  grinding  of 
the  settlers  for  many  miles  around.  He  was  an 
influential  man  in  his  section,  and  prominent  in 
military  matters.  One  of  his  sons,  George, 
was  drowned  at  Pittsburgh,  when  Col.  Parker 
was  moving  to  Armstrong  county.  Another 
son  was  Hon.  John  Parker  (father),  who  was 
one  of  the  first  associate  judges  of  Butler  coun- 
ty, and  served  as  such  for  thirty-five  years. 
He  surveyed  the  northern  part  of  the  county, 
laid  out  Parker  City  as  Lawrenceburg,  in  1815, 
engaged  largely  in  farming,  and  was  one  of  the 


most  prominent  public  men  and  highly  re- 
spected citizens  of  his  day.  He  was  a  presby- 
terian,  and  died  in  1842,  aged  seventy-six 
years.  He  married  Ann  Woods,  by  whom  he 
had  eight  sons  and  one  daughter:  James,  John, 
Julietta,  who  married  John  Gilchrist;  William, 
Fullerton,  George  (see  his  sketch),  Thomas  and 
Wilson. 

Fullerton  Parker  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm,  and  receive<l  his  etlucation  in  the  schools 
of  his  neighborhood.  In  early  life  he  operated 
a  tannery,  and  afterwards  was  successively 
engaged  in  most  of  the  leading  business  enter- 
prises of  Parker  City  until  his  death,  in  1883. 
He  owned  the  farm  on  which  Parker  City  was 
principally  built,  and  was  a  republican  in  pol- 
itics. In  the  year  1832,  he  married  Amelia 
Harris,  daughter  of  Ephraim  Harris,  of  Har- 
risville,  Butler  county.  To  them  were  bora 
two  sons  and  six  daughters:  Ephraim  (de- 
ceased), William  J.,  of  Parker  City;  Jane  M., 
wife  of  A.  J.  Haldeman ;  Mary  A.,  married  to 
P.  M.  Hollister;  Juliet,  wife  of  J.  M.  Agnew; 
Ella  P.,  Intermarried  with  W.  H.  Spain;  Liz- 
zie, wife  of  W.  C.  Mobley ;  and  Amelia,  mar- 
ried to  S.  M.  McGough.  Mrs.  Parker,  who  is 
a  very  intelligent  and  aftable  woman  still,  re- 
sides in  the  home  mansion,  where  she  is  sur- 
rounded with  all  the  comforts  and  enjoyments 
which  make  life  happy  and  pleasant. 

We  leave  to  the  pen  of  one  well  conversant 
with  the  history  of  Parker  City  to  tell  the 
story  of  Fullerton  Parker's  life,  which  he  has 
ably  done  in  the  following  article : 

"Fullerton  Parker,  after  a  long  and  severe 
illness,  died  Wednesday,  December  26,  1883. 
The  name  of  Mr.  Parker  is  well-known  to 
many  citizens  of  this  city,  and  of  the  entire  oil 
country,  as  he  was  identified  with  many  of  the 
imjDortant  business  interests  and  enterprises  of 
the  lower  oil  regions.  Mr.  Parker  was  one  of 
the  oldest  residents  of  this  section  of  the 
State.  He  was  one  of  the  projectors  and 
principal  stockholders  of  the  Parker  &  Karns 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


501 


City  and  Karns  City  &  Butler  R.  R.,  which, 
being  built  in  1873,  were  important  fac- 
tors in  the  development  of  the  Butler  oil 
field.  He  was  also  one  of  the  projectors  and 
leading  stockholders  in  the  Parker  bridge, 
which  was  built  in  1872.  Through  his  enter- 
prise the  Exchange  Bank  of  Parker  City  was 
founded  in  1871,  and  he  was,  for  years,  its 
president.  Indeed,  there  was  not  any  important 
enterprise  connected  with  tiie  growth  of  Parker 
City  and  the  lower  oil  country  in  which  he  was 
not  interested.  Being  a  man  of  splendid  phy- 
sique and  indomitable  energy,  his  enterprises 
were  pushed  vigorously  and  successfully,  and 
the  name  of  'Uncle  Fullerton,'  as  he  was 
commonly  called  by  his  friends,  was  the  syno- 
nym of  courage  and  energy.  With  all  his 
physical  energy  and  mental  shrewdness,  Mr. 
Parker  was  a  man  of  undoubted  moral  char- 
acter and  courage.  He  was  a  consistent  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church,  an<]  a  man  of 
decided  convictions  in  regard  to  intemperance 
and  Sabbath  desecration.  Many  a  time,  in  the 
palmy  days  of  Parker,  when  the  town  was 
overrun  by  gamblers,  Uncle  Fullerton  did  the 
work  of  a  half-dozen  policemen,  and  he  had 
the  respect  as  well  as  the  fe;ir  of  the  lower 
classes.  With  all  his  blunt  and  courageous 
manner,  he  was  a  true  gentleman,  and  of  a 
tender  heart,  and  the  children  on  the  street  all 
knew  him,  and  welcomed  the  smile  which  he 
ever  had  for  them.  Having  reached  a  good  old 
age,  having  attained  to  the  hoary  head,  which 
was  to  him 'a  crown  of  glory,'  he  has  passed 
away." 


GEORGE  PARKER.  Descended  from  an 
old  and  honorable  Pennsylvania  family, 
George  Parker  lived  a  life  of  activity  and  use- 
fulness, and  died  enjoying  the  respect,  good- 
will and  confidence  of  his  fellow-men.  George 
Parker  was  the  son  of  Judge  John  and  Jane 
(Woods)  Parker,  and  was  the  seventh  of  nine 
children,  and  was  the  last  of  the  family  to  pass 


away.  He  was  born  on  the  home  farm  adjoin- 
ing Parker  and  in  Butler  county,  Penn.sylva- 
nia,  September  8,  1812.  His  paternal  grand- 
father. Col.  William  Parker,  move<l  from 
Washington  county  in  1798  to  Bear  creek, 
where  he  erected  a  mill.  (See  sketch  of  Ful- 
lerton Parker.)  One  of  his  sons,  George 
Parker,  was  drowned,  and  another  was  Judge 
John  Parker,  a  nephew  of  Hon.  John  Moore, 
the  first  president-judge  of  Westmoi-eland 
county.  Judge  Parker  learned  surveying  with 
Judge  Moore.  In  1794,  as  a  deputy  for  a  sur- 
veyor by  the  name  of  Moore,  Judge  Parker 
surveyed  most  of  the  northern  part  of  Arm- 
strong, and  the  .southern  part  of  Butler  county. 
In  1797  he  settled  on  si.\  hundred  acres  ot 
land  in  Butler  county,  adjoining  the  site  of 
Parker  City,  which  he  afterwards  purcha.sed, 
and  on  which,  in  1815,  he  laid  out  the  village 
of  Lawrencel)urg  (now  the  second  ware!  of 
Parker  City).  He  was  an  active  and  energetic 
business  man,  and  one  of  the  most  prominent 
and  respected  citizens  of  his  day.  He  was  one 
of  the  first  associate  jtidges  of  Butler  county, 
and  filled  that  office  for  thirty-five  years.  He 
was  principally  engaged  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  He  was  very  influential  and  useful, 
and  did  much  to  promote  and  secure  the  settle- 
ment of  his  section  of  the  county.  He  died  in 
1842,  aged  seventy-si.x  years,  and  .sleeps  in 
Parker  City  cemetery.  Judge  John  Parker 
was  a  strong  presbyterian,  and  married  Jane 
Woods,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children:  Jame.s, 
John,  Juliette  (wife  of  John  Gilchrist),  AVilliam, 
Fullerton  (see  his  sketch),  Washington,  George, 
Thomas  and  Wilson. 

George  Parker  was  reared  on  the  homestead 
which  he  inherited,  and  obtained  a  good  etlu- 
cation  in  the  schools  of  his  boyhood  days.  He 
was  chiefly  engaged  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising,  and  was  very  successful  in  business. 
He  also  dealt  in  oil  with  good  success.  He 
was  a  republican  politically  and  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church. 


502 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


On  June  20,  1843,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Jane  D.  Pollock,  a  vvoiuan  of  intelligence, 
refinement  and  distinguished  ancestry.  She  is 
a  daughter  of  Robert  Pollock,  and  a  grand- 
daughter of  Margaret  (Jackson)  McCaughey, 
who  was  an  aunt  to  Andrew  Jackson,  seventh 
president  of  the  United  States.  Robert  Pol- 
lock, son  of  Col.  John  Pollock,  a  large  land- 
owner of  Jefferson  county,  Ohio,  was  born  in 
1776,  near  Baltimore,  Md.,  and  died  at  Mt. 
Pleasant,  Jefferson  county,  Ohio,  in  the  year 
1823.  Mrs.  Parker's  grandmother,  Margaret 
McCaughey,  was,  previous  to  marriage,  Mar- 
garet Jackson,  daughter  of  Dr.  Joseph  Jackson, 
of  Ireland,  who  married  Lady  Mary  Carr,  sis- 
ter to  Lord  James  Carr,  and  was  the  grand- 
father of  President  Andrew  Jackson. 

On  December  10,  1887  (when  in  the  sev- 
enty-sixtii  year  of  his  age),  life's  labors  closed 
with  George  Parker,  and  his  spirit  winged  its 
flight  from  earth.  His  remains  were  interred 
in  Parker  City  cemetery,  and  the  following 
faitiiful  and  accurate  delineation  of  his  charac- 
ter as  a  Christian  appeared  in  the  public 
press: 

"  George  Parker  was  born  September  8, 
1812,  on  the  farm  where  he  spent  his  life, 
close  to  the  place  where  he  fell  asleep,  and 
within  sight  of  the  spot  where  his  body  now 
rests  awaiting  the  voice  of  the  Archangel  and 
the  trump  of  God.  In  1848  he  united  with 
the  Presbyterian  church,  and  soon  afterwards 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees, 
aud  held  that  office  up  to  his  death.  Fre- 
quently the  congregation  desired  him  to  hold 
the  office  of  elder ;  but,  unassuming  and  diffi- 
dent, he  did  not  think  himself  qualifietl,  and 
therefore  always  declinetl.  He  was  a  man 
faithful  in  all  his  relations  of  life, — a  loving 
husband,  a  kind,  generous  and  sympathetic 
friend,  and  a  consistent  member  of  the  church. 
His  deep  interest  for  his  church  and  his  desire 
for  her  prosperity  he  manifested  in  many  ways. 
He  always  kept  himself  informed  in  regard  to 


her  condition  and  needs,  and  out  of  his  abim- 
dance  he  contributed  cheerfully  and  liberally  to 
the  support  of  the  Gospel.  He  loved  the  house 
of  God,  delighted  in  the  worship  of  the  sanc- 
tuary, especially  in  the  songs  of  Zion,  and  Sab- 
bath morning  always  found  him  in  the  congre- 
gation of  God's  people.  Some  two  weeks 
I  before  his  death,  failing  health  compelled  his 
retirement  from  active  life.  From  the  beirin- 
uing  of  this  sickness  he  seemed  to  feel  that  the 
end  was  near ;  yet  the  thought  of  death  did  not 
alarm  him.  He  set  his  house  in  order,  ar- 
ranged his  temporal  affairs,  and  then  dismissed 
those  matters  from  his  mind,  though  he  had  a 
beautiful  home  here,  and  was  surrounded  by 
many  dear  to  him,  who  honored  and  loved 
him ;  yet  he  was  not  reluctant  to  depart. 
When  the  summons  came,  he  was  ready.  All 
is  well,  he  said,  and  fell  asleep.  When,  on  the 
following  morning,  we  assembled  in  the  sanc- 
tuary at  the  usual  hour  for  worship,  his  famil- 
iar form  was  not  to  be  seen  in  its  accustomed 
place.  His  seat  was  vacant;  his  voice  we  could 
not  hear;  but  we  knew,  in  the  sanctuary  above, 
he,  too,  was  engaged  in  praise  and  worship. 
He  is  missed  at  his  home  and  in  his  church." 

Mrs.  Parker  resides  in  the  old  Parker  home- 
stead mansion,  from  which  is  obtained  a  com- 
manding view  of  many  miles  in  the  counties  of 
Armstrong,  Butler,  Clarion  and  Venango. 


AUGUSTUS  T.  PONTIUS,  ex-commissioner 
of  Armstrong  county,  and  a  Union  vete- 
ran who  lost  an  arm  in  the  storm  of  battle  be- 
foi-e  Petersburg,  is  one  of  the  successful  mer- 
chants and  business  men  of  Parker  City.  He  is  a 
son  of  Ezra  and  Emily  (Turner)  Pontius,  and 
was  born  at  Dayton,  Armstrong  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, December  24,  1841.  His  paternal 
gfaudfather,  Jacob  Pontius,  was  born  Novem- 
ber 3,  1783,  in  Germany,  aud  came  to  Centre 
county,  from  which  he  removed  in  1812  to  the 
vicinity  of  Dayton,  where  he  was  eugaged  in 


ARMSTRONO   COUNTY. 


503 


farmiDg  until  his  death  in  1845,  at  fifty-eight 
years  of  age.  His  son,  Ezra  Pontius  (father), 
was  born  near  Dayton,  December  15,  1814, 
and  died  in  1888,  aged  seventy-four  years. 
He  followed  merchandising  and  farming, 
was  an  old-line  whig  and  republican,  and 
served  in  the  Methotlist  Episcopal  church  for 
forty-five  years  as  a  steward  and  class  leader. 
Although  of  limited  education,  yet  he  was  some- 
what noted  for  business  ability  and  financial 
success  in  his  undertakings.  He  married  Eliz- 
abeth Turney,  daughter  of  Jacob  Turney,  a  dry- 
goods  merchant  of  Kittanning.  Mrs.  Pontius, 
who  was  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church,  was 
born  in  1822,  and  passed  away  in  1862,  at  forty 
years  of  age. 

Augustus  T.  Pontius  was  reared  on  a  farm. 
He  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  Dayton  Union  academy.  He  re- 
mained on  tlie  farm  until  he  was  nineteen  years 
of  age,  and  taught  several  terms  of  school.  He 
then  entered  the  office  of  Dr.  J.  R.  Crouch,  of 
Dayton,  and  read  medicine  until  1862,  when  he 
enlistetl  as  a  private  in  Co.  B,  139tli  re'gt.,Pa. 
Vols.  He  was  successively  promoted  from  fifth 
to  first  duty  sergeant,  and  was  in  tiie  line  of 
promotion  to  a  commissioned  officer  when  his 
right  arm  was  shattered  in  front  of  Petersburg, 
and  had  to  be  amputatetl  at  the  shoulder.  He 
was  taken  from  Petersburg  to  the  hospital  at 
Chester,  Pa.,  from  which  he  was  discharged 
June  14,  1865.  He  was  in  the  various  battles 
of  his  regiment,  and  always  performed  his  duty 
unflinchingly  and  with  alacrity.  The  next  year 
after  he  returned  home,  in  1865,  he  was  elected 
on  the  republican  ticket  as  county  commissioner, 
and  was  re-elected  in  1869.  From  1872  to 
1880  he  was  engaged  in  the  fire  insurance  busi- 
ness at  Parker  City  and  Kittanning.  In  1876 
he  came  to  Parker  City,  where  he  was  commis- 
sioned as  postmaster  by  Hayes  in  1878,  and 
served  as  such  until  1885,  when  he  was  removed 
by  Cleveland  for  making  political  speeches.  He 
then  engaged  in  the  general  mercantile  business. 


which  he  has  followed  successively  until  the 
present  time. 

In  1867  he  married  Laura  S.  Goodheart, 
daughter  of  Dr.  George  Goodheart,  of  Dayton, 
this  county. 

In  politics  Mr.  Pontius  is  a  straight  republi- 
can, and  although  active  in  behalf  of  his  party, 
yet  is  not  a  ward  politician.  He  served  as 
mayor  of  Parker  City  in  1887  and  1888,  has 
been  a  member  of  the  common  and  select  coun- 
cil and  is  now  a  member  of  the  common  coun- 
cil. He  is  a  steward  of  the  Parker  City  M.  E. 
church,  in  which  he  has  been  choir  leader  for 
several  years.  As  a  soldier  he  was  faithful,  as 
a  business  man  he  is  energetic  and  successful, 
and  as  a  public  official  he  has  always  been  and 
is  now  prompt,  accurate  and  reliable. 


ERASMUS  H.  RANDOLPH,  ex-mayor  of 
Parker  City  and  proprietor  of  the  well- 
known  Randolph  Livery  stables,  was  born  in  Ze- 
lienople,  Butler  county,  Pennsylvania,  January 
30,  1837,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Priscilla 
(Hall)  Randolph.  The  Randolph  family  is  of 
Scottish  origin,  and  the  American  ancestors  of 
Erasmus  H.  Randolph  settled  in  New  Jersey 
some  time  during  the  last  century.  John  Ran- 
dolph (father)  was  born  in  1805,  in  New  Jer- 
sey, where  his  father  died  in  1812.  His  mother 
then  brought  him  to  Butler  county,  where  he 
was  reared  and  learned  the  trade  of  saddlery  and 
harness-making.  He  conducted  a  shop  at  Zeli- 
enople  until  1856,  when  he  purchased  a  farm 
near  Whitestown,  that  county,  which  he  tilled 
until  1863.  He  then  sold  his  farm,  retired 
from  active  life  and  the  ensuing  year  visited  his 
brother,  W.  H.  H.  Randolph,  who  lived  in  Iowa, 
and  at  whose  house  he  died  Oct.  8,  1865,  aged 
fif\y-nine  years,  nine  months  and  twenty-three 
days.  He  was  a  democrat  in  politics  and  had 
always  been  an  industrious  and  honest  man. 
He  married  Piiscilla  Hall,  who  was  born  in 
1812,   and  is  a   member  of  the  Presbyterian 


504 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


church  of  Butler,  Pa.,  where  she  now  resides. 
Their  family  consisted  often  children,  five  sons 
and  fi%'e  daughters,  of  whom  six  are  living,  four 
sons  and  two  daughters. 

Erasmus  H.  Randolph  was  reared  at  Zelieno- 
ple  and  received  his  education  in  private  and  the 
common  schools  of  Butler  county.  In  1858  he 
went  to  Kansas  territory,  where  he  worked  for 
three  years  at  the  plastering  business  with  his 
brother  Joseph  V.  From  1861  to  1864  he 
was  traveling  over  the  western  territories  and 
during  the  winter  seasons  of  that  time  was 
engaged  in  teaching.  The  death  of  his  father> 
in  1865,  rendered  necessary  his  return  iiorae, 
where  in  a  short  time  he  bought  a  portable  saw- 
mill, which  he  operated  for  three  years  in  Butler 
county.  In  July,  1869,  he  came  to  Parker 
City,  where  he  was  engaged  successfully  in  the 
oil  business  for  some  ten  or  twelve  years.  In 
1870  he  established  his  present  livery  business, 
in  which  he  has  continued  up  to  the  picsent 
time.  He  has  a  selected  assortment  of  fine 
buggies  and  a  large  stock  of  excellent  saddle 
and  harness  horses  and  gives  careful  attention 
to  the  wants  of  his  numerous  patrons. 

December  20,  1871,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Mary  Seaton,  daughter  of  Hiram  Seaton, 
of  Bntler  county,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  late 
war  and  fell  in  defence  of  the  liberties  of  his 
country.  They  have  two  sons  and  three 
daughters:  John  M.,  Mary,  Edna,  Alma  and 
Louis  S. 

In  addition  to  his  livery  stables,  Mr.  Ran- 
dolph owns  considerable  real  estate  in  Parker 
City.  He  is  an  unswerving  republican,  but 
liberal  in  his  political  views  and  served  his  city 
as  mayor  for  two  terms  (1880  to  1884)  and  as 
a  councilman  for  several  terms.  He  was  tlie 
first  city  clerk  of  Parker  City,  which  he  has  also 
served  as  overseer  of  the  poor.  He  is  a  member 
of  Parker  City  Lodge,  No.  521,  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons,  and  has  been  a  Free  Mason  for 
over  twenty-five  years.  Erasmus  H.  Randolph  is 
one  of  the  reliable  business  men  of  his  city. 


whose  interests  have  always  commanded  his  ac- 
tive support. 


ALEXANDER  RUSSELL,  owner  and  pro- 
prietor of  the  Russell  Iron  and  Engine 
works,  of  Parker  City,  sustains  a  high  reputa- 
tion as  a  skilled  machinist  and  a  reliable  busi- 
ness man.  He  is  a  son  of  Robert  and  Elizabeth 
(Gillchrist)  Russell,  and  was  born  in  the  city 
of  Glasgow,  Scotland,  June  9,  1852.  Robert 
Russell  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  where  he 
learned  the  trade  of  block-cutter  or  cutting 
stamping  prints  for  calicoes.  He  worked  at  his 
trade  until  1855,  when  he  came  to  the  United 
States  and  four  years  later  located  in  Pittsburgh, 
where  he  followed  millwrighting  until  the  com- 
mencement of  the  "Great  Rebellion."  He  then 
enlisted  in  the  Union  service  and  served  as  an 
engineer  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  until  the 
Confederacy  went  down  at  Appomattox  Court- 
house. After  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned 
to  Pittsburgh,  where  he  has  been  engaged  in 
engineering  ever  since.  He  is  a  machinist  as 
well  as  an  engineer,  and  has  built  many  engines. 
He  resides  in  Allegheny  city  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  a  republican  in 
politics.  He  married  Elizabeth  Gillchrist,  who 
was  born  in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Alexander  Russell  was  reared  principally  in 
Pittsburgh,  where  he  attended  the  public  schools. 
At  seventeen  years  of  age  he  commenced  to 
learn  the  trade  of  machinist,  and  served  an  ap- 
prenticeship of  three  years.  In  1877  he  came 
to  Parker  City,  where  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  O.  S.  Tinsman,  under  the  firm-name  of 
Tinsman  &  Russell.  This  partnership  con- 
tinued until  1885,  when  Mr.  Russell  established 
his  present  iron  and  engine  works  on  River 
avenue.  His  works  are  extensive  and  completely 
equipped  with  all  late  machinery  and  appliances. 
Mr.  Russell  manufactures  shafting,  pulleys,  mill 
working  machinery,  engines  and  fittings.     He 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


505 


builds  engines  from  ten  to  one  hundred  horse- 
power, and  makes  a  specialty  of  oil  engine  repair- 
ing. His  office  and  works  are  in  a  large  brick 
building.  He  is  a  practical  and  expert  machinist 
of  twelve  years'  successful  experience,  and  is  a 
thorough  master  of  his  art  in  all  of  its  branches. 
Work  is  done  in  his  establishment  in  the  most 
expeditious  and  excellent  manner,  and  all  orders, 
whether  large  or  small,  are  promptly  and  reli- 
ably executed.  In  politics  Mr.  Russell  is  a  re- 
publican from  principle  and  supports  the  men 
and  measures  of  liis  party.  He  is  a  good  citizen 
and  a  reliable  man  and  has  served  his  borough 
for  one  term  as  a  member  of  the  town  council. 
Alexander  Russell  was  married  in  1879  to 
Margaret  Lambing,  daughter  of  Jacob  Lambing, 
of  Parker  City.  To  their  union  have  been  born 
si.x  children,  four  sons  and  two  dauffhters : 
Elizabeth  S.,  Alexander  C,  John  J.,  Robert  W., 
Neal  and  Margaret  L. 


DR.  JOSEPH  W.  SHARP,  a  grandson  of 
the  old  Revolutionary  hero  and  frontier 
Indian  fighter,  Capt.  Andrew  Sharp,  and  a  suc- 
cessful physician  of  Dayton,  is  a  son  of  Joseph 
and  Sarah  (Ram.sey)  Sharp,  and  was  born  in 
Armstrong  township,  Indiana  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, December  28, 1834.  His  paternal  grand- 
father was  Capt.  Andrew  Sharp,  one  of  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  the  Plum  Creek  region.  He 
was  a  native  of  Scotland,  served  as  an  officer 
under  Washington  and  died  at  Pittsburgh,  July 
8,  1794,  of  bullet  wounds  received  in  his  boat 
on  the  Kiskimiuetas  in  a  fight  with  Indians  (see 
Plum  Creek  township).  Joseph  Sharp,  son 
of  the  Revolutionary  veteran  and  pioneer  settler, 
Capt.  Andrew  Sharp,  was  born  on  Crooked 
creek,  this  county,  in  1785,  and  died  in  1860. 
He  owned  a  good  farm  and  the  first  flouring- 
mill  at  Sharp's  Mills.  He  was  a  miller  by  trade, 
a  United  Presbyterian  in  religious  belief,  and  an 
old-time  democrat  in  politics.  He  was  justice 
30 


of  the  peace  for  several  years  before  his  death 
in  1860,  when  his  son  Thomas  was  elected  as 
his  successor  and  has  served  in  that  office  ever 
since.  He  married  Sarah  Ramsey,  daughter  of 
Hugh  Ramsey,  who  was  a  native  of  Scotland 
and  a  member  of  the  Dis.senters'  or  Covenanters' 
church.  To  Josepli  and  Sarah  Sharp  were  born 
seven  children,  four  sons  and  three  daughters : 
Andrew,  Dr.  Joseph  W.,  John,  of  Johnstown,  Pa.; 
Mary  A.,  who  married  Morrison  Hosack,  of 
Clarion  county,  and  is  dead  ;  Alexander,  who  en- 
tered Hampden's  battery  and  served  through  the 
late  war,  after  which  he  went  to  Ft.  Smith.Arkan- 
sas,  where  he  died  ;  Sarah  A.,  wife  of  J.  T. 
Hosack,  of  Jackson  county,  Kansas;^  and  Sarah 
T.,  a  teacher  of  Benezettc,  Pa. 

Joseph  W.  Sharp  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm  and  i-eceived  a  good  English  education  in 
the  schools  of  his  neighborhood.  Leaving  school, 
he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine,  entered  the 
Medical  college  of  Cinciunati,  where  he  pursued 
his  studies  for  one  year,  and  then  located  at 
Perryville,  Ohio,  where  he  practiced  for  four 
years.  In  1868  he  came  to  Dayton,  where  he 
has  been  engaged  in  continuous  and  successful 
practice   ever   since. 

He  married  Mary  A.,  daughter  of  Alex- 
ander Walker.  To  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Sharp 
have  been  born  three  children,  one  son  and 
two  daughters :  Dr.  Otis  S.,  who  gradu- 
ated in  1884  from  the  Cincinnati  Medical  col- 
lege, married  Emma  Gilhausen  and  has  been 
engaged  in  the  active  practice  of  his  profession 
at  Dayton  for  the  past  six  years  ;  Margaret  K., 
wife  of  M.  C.  Hagan,  an  oil-driller;  and  Etta 
M.,  wife  of  Edgar  S.  Hilliard,  a  locomotive 
engineer  of  Ft.  Worth,  Kansas. 

Dr.  J.  Sharp,  while  supporting  most  of  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  party,  yet  is  rather 
independent  in  his  views  of  political  measures, 
and  votes  for  the  candidate  whom  he  thinks 
best  qualified  for  the  office.  Without  solicita- 
tion, and  often  against,  his  protest,  he  has  i)eeu 
elected  to  various  borough  offices,  which,  in  obedi- 


506 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


ence  to   the  wish  of  his  fellow-townsmen,  he 
always  accepted  and  filled  very  creditably. 


JOHN  T.  SMITH,  who  is  successfully  en- 
^  gaged  in  the  merchant  tailoring  business 
at  Dayton,  was  born  in  Centre  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, October  2,  1824,  and  is  a  son  of  Capt. 
Henry  and  Catherine  (Beal)  Smith.  His  pater- 
nal grandfather,  Henry  Smith,  Sr.,  was  a  native 
of  Germany,  where  he  married.  He  came  to 
eastern  Pennsylvania  and  subsequently  removed 
to  Centre  county,  where  he  followed  farming. 
He  was  a  methodist  in  religious  faith,  and  after 
arriving  in  the  United  States  became  a  demo- 
crat in  political  opinion.  His  son,  Capt.  Henry 
Smith,  the  father  of  John  T.  Smith,  was  born 
near  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  and  went  with  his 
father  to  Centre  county,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  farming  until  his  death.  He  was  a  lutheran 
in  religious  faith,  a  denaocrat  in  politics  and  a 
scrupulously  honest  man  in  business.  He  served 
for  several  years  as  captain  of  one  of  the  militia 
conjpanies  of  the  State.  He  married  Catherine 
Beal,  whose  father  Wiis  a  native  of  England, 
who  had  settled  in  eastern  Pennsylvania  some 
time  after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war. 
Captain  and  Mrs.  Smith  reared  a  family  of 
seven  children,  four  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters. 

John  T.  Smith  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
received  his  education  in  the  subscription  and 
common  schools  of  Centre  county.  He  learned 
the  trade  of  tailor  and  establishetl  himself  in 
the  tailoring  business  at  Spring  Mills,  that 
county,  where  he  remained  for  two  years.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  he  removed  to  Smicksburg, 
Indiana  county,  which  he  left  after  a  residence 
of  fifteen  years  and  came  (1866)  to  Dayton, 
where  he  opened  his  present  merchant  tailoring 
establishment.  He  has  a  large  patronage  and 
does  a  good  business. 

He  married  Mary  Walker,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Walker,  and  they  have  three  children,  two 


sons  and  one  daughter :  William  H.,  who  re- 
sides in  Pittsburgh ;  Webster  L.,  engaged  in  a 
store  in  Kansas  City,  and  Eva  S.,  wife  of  James 
R.  King,  who  resides  at  Kittanning,  and  is  pres- 
ident of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  association 
of  that  place. 

John  T.  Smith  owns  a  good  house  and  lot  at 
Dayton,  and  is  comfortably  situated  to  enjoy 
life.  He  is  a  good  workman,  has  the  benefit 
of  over  forty  years'  experience  in  his  line  of 
business  and  generally  gives  satisfaction  to  his 
numerous  patrons.  He  is  a  republican  in  poli- 
tics and  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church  of  Dayton.  He  has  served  creditably 
as  a  member  of  the  borough  council,  although 
he  takes  no  part  in  politics. 


OLIVER  TINSMAN,  proprietor  of  the 
Tinsman  machine  shops  of  Parker  City, 
and  a  thorough-going  and  active  business  man, 
is  a  veteran  of  the  late  war,  during  which  he 
served  as  a  soldier  from  Pennsylvania  and  af- 
terwards from  New  Jersey.  He  was  born  at 
Rigglesville,  New  Jersey,  January  10,  1843, 
and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Abigail  (Fosben- 
ner)  Tinsman.  The  American  branch  of  the 
old  and  substantial  Tinsman  family  of  Holland, 
that  traces  its  ancestry  back  into  the  early  his- 
tory of  that  country,  was  founded  by  a  Tinsman, 
who  came  from  Amsterdam  and  settled  in  New 
Jersey  some  time  before  the  Revolutionary  war. 
One  of  his  sons  was  Peter  Tinsman,  the  grand- 
father of  Oliver  Tiusman,Jand  who  was  engaged 
in  farming  and  lumbering  in  New  Jersey  until 
his  death.  He  married  and  reared  a  family, 
and  one  of  his  sons  was  William  Tinsman 
(father),  who  was  a  life-long  resident  of  New 
Jersey.  Like  his  father  before  him,  he  turned 
his  entire  attention  to  farming  and  lumbering. 
He  was  a  democrat  in  political  opinion  and  a 
lutheran  in  church  membership  and  died  in 
1878.  He  marrietl  Abigail  Fosbenner,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  a  Mr.  Fosbenner,  of  Bucks 


ARif STRONG   COUNTY. 


507 


county,  Pa.     She  was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church  and  died  at  her  home  in  New  Jersey,  in  j 
1879. 

Oliver  Tinsman  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  attende<l  the  public  schools  of  New 
Jersey.  At  sixteen  years  of  age  he  commenced  | 
to  learn  the  trade  of  machinist,  but  in  1862 
left  the  shop  to  enlist  iu  Co.  C,  37th  regiment, 
Pa.  Vols.,  for  a  term  of  ninety  days.  He 
served  this  time  and  re-enlisted  in  1863,  in  the 
3d  regiment.  New  Jersey  Cavalry,  for  a  term  of 
three  years,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the 
war,  when  he  was  honorably  discharged  in  ' 
Trenton,  New  Jersey,  August  5,  1865.  He 
was  on  Gen.  Burnside's  staff  at  the  Wilder- 
ness fights,  Spottsylvania  Court-house,  Cold 
Harbor  and  the  siege  of  Petersburg.  At  Bridge- 
water  he  w;is  captured  by  the  Confederates,  but 
in  a  few  minutes  was  re-captured  by  his  own 
company.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned 
home  and  finished  his  trade  of  machinist. 
He  then  (1870)  came  to  the  oil  region  of  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  worked  at  his  trade  until 
1876,  when  he  came  to  Parker  City  and  estab- 
lished his  present  machine  shops.  He  is  well 
prepared  to  do  all  kinds  of  work,  and  makes  a 
specialty  of  repairing.  He  gives  personal  sup- 
ervision to  all  work  done  in  his  establishment 
and  has  secured  a  large  trade.  He  is  an  exper- 
ienced and  skilled  workman,  an  enterprising  and 
successful  business  man  and  a  peaceable  and  re- 
spected citizen. 

Oliver  Tinsman,  iu  1876,  united  in  marriage 
with  Olive  Sage,  daughter  of  James  Sage,  of 
Venango  county. 

In  politics  Mr.  Tinsman  is  a  republican  and 
has  been  serving  for  some  time  as  a  member  of 
the  borough  council.  He  is  a  prominent  Odd 
Fellow,  and  holds  membership  in  Parker  Lodge, 
No.  761  and  is  a  member  of  the  encampment 
branch  of  that  order.  He  has  some  valuable 
property  in  Parker  City,  where  he  owns  a  half- 
interest  iu  the  water-works.  He  also  owns  a 
half-interest  in  the  Apollo  water-works.  He  has 


also  been  engaged,  at  different  times,  in  the  oil 
business  and  met  with  very  good  success.  He 
is  energetic  and  active  in  every  enterprise  in 
which  he  engages. 


DR.      WILLIAM      J.      WINSHEIMER. 
Among  the  many  inventions  of  the  uiue- 
teenth  century  none  are  of  more  importance  than 
those  of  the  dental  profession,  which  science  is 
practiced  iu  all  its  branches  by  Dr.   William  J. 
Winsheimer,  of  Parker  City.      He  is  a  son  of 
Lawrence  and  Margaret  (Zeise)  Winsheimer,  and 
was  born  at  Greensburg,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania,    March    28,  1850.     His   grand- 
father,   Michael   Winsheimer,  was  a  native  of 
Germany,  c;une  to  the  United  States  and  located 
in  Indiana  county,  of  which   he  was  a    farmer 
and  where  he  died  in  1878.       Lawrence  Win- 
sheimer   (father)    came  from    Germany   to   the 
United     States,    with    his    parents,   and    loca- 
ted   in    Indiana    county.      In    1840   he    went 
to  Greensburg,   Pa.,    where   he  engaged  in  the 
tailoring  business  until   1875,  when   he  retired 
fi'om  active  life.      He  still  resides    at  Greens- 
burg, is  iu  the  seventy-third  year  of  his  age  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran   church    at  that 
place.    He    is    a    strong    democrat.     He   was 
appointed  by  Judge  Logan  (republican),  then  of 
Greensburg,  to  fill  an  unexpired  term  of  county 
coroner,  to  which  office  he  was  afterwards  twice 
elected  and  filled  satisfactorily  both  times.     He 
married    Margaret   Zeise,   who    is    a  native    of 
Franklin  county,  and  went  with  her  parents  to 
Westmoreland  county  when  quite  young.     She 
is  a  member   of  the    Reformed  church,  and  is 
now  in   the  sixty-third  year  of  her  age.     Mrs. 
Winsheimer's    father,  Frederick   Zeise,    was    a 
native  of  Germany  and  came  to  Westmoreland 
county,  of  which  he  was  a  farmer.     He  died  at 
Greensburg,  in  1873. 

William  J.  Winsheimer  was  reared  at  Greens- 
burg, where  he  received  his  education  in  the 
jjublic  schools  and  high  school.     After  leaving 


508 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


school  he  assisted  his  father  in  the  store  until 
1874,  when  he  began  the  study  of  dentistry 
with  Dr.  Z.  L.  Waugaman,  a  prominent  dentist 
of  that  place.  In  1875  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Dr.  Boden,  which  continued  until 
1876,  when  he  came  to  Parker  City,  where  he 
has  continued  successfully  in  the  practice  of 
dentistry  ever  since.  His  work  is  always  satis- 
factory, as  is  shown  by  the  large  and  permanent 
patronage  he  receives  in  the  town  and  surround  ■ 
ing  country.  He  was  engaged  in  the  oil  busi- 
ness for  several  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
he  withdrew,  giving  his  entire  attention  to  den- 
tistry. He  is  a  brother  of  T.  R.  Winsheimer, 
who  is  one  of  the  editors  and  proprietors  of  the 


Westmoreland  Democrat,  one  of  the  early  jour- 
nals west  of  the  Allegheny  mountains,  which  is 
published  at  Greensburg.  His  partner  is  B.  F. 
Vogle.  On  April  28,  1887,  Dr.  Winsheimer 
was  married  co  Jennie  Agnew,  daughter  of 
J.  N.  and  Julia  Agnew,  of  this  place. 

Dr.  W.  J.  Winsheimer  is  a  strong  democrat 
and  has  been  a  member  of  the  county  democratic 
committee  for  six  years.  He  is  a  member  and  an 
elder  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  has  also  been 
trustee  of  his  church  for  six  years.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Order  of  Solon,  and  E.  A.  U. 
Dr.  Winsheimer  is  a  skilled  and  perfect  work- 
man and  has  wou  the  highest  respect  and 
esteem  of  his  many  patrons. 


EAST   FRANKLIN,    PINE,    BOGGS,    VALLEY, 
MANOR  AND  KITTANNING  TOWNSHIPS. 


THE   territory  of  these   six   townships  con- 
stitute   the    central    part   of    Armstrong 
county. 

East  Franklin  Township  was  organized  from 
the  eastern  part  of  Franklin,  on  January  27, 
1868,  and  contains  an  area  of  tweuty-si.x  and  a 
quarter  .square  miles.  One  of  the  early  settlers 
was  Col.'  James  Sloan,  and  many  of  the  early 
tracts  were  known  by  peculiar  name.s,  such  as 
Polignac,  Hoji  Yard,  Quimper  and  Loire.  In 
1859  a  company  was  organized  for  the  purpose 
of  making  oil  from  cannel  coal,  but  the  burning 
of  their  refinery  and  the  development  of  petro- 
leum in  1860  caused  it  to  cease  operations  after 
having  made  one  hundred  barrels  of  oil. 

Montgomery  ville  was  founded  in  1851, 
Belleville  in  1855,  and  Adrian  post-office  was 
established  June  26,  1862. 

Pine  Township  was  formetl  from  Kittanning 
on  June  20,  1836,  and  deriveil  its  name  from 
Pine  creek.  A  Mound-builder's  earthwork  was 
near  Slabtown,  and  an  Indian  village  was  on 
Mahoning  creek,  from  which  the  Lcebouf  trail 
led  out  of  the  county  toward  Lake  Erie.  Fort 
Muncy  or  Wallis  was  erected  in  1778  at  the 
mouth  of  Wolf  creek,  and  on  August  8th  of 
that  year  an  Indian  war  party  attacked  some 
reapers  in  a  field,  and  killed  two  of  them. 
Orrsville  was  laid  out  in  1819, and  Goheenville 
was  founded  in  1850  by  G.  W.  Gohecn.  Wni. 
Turnbull  built  a  saw-mill  in  the  township  prior 
to  1790,  and  shortly  after  1807  William  Peart, 
Sr.,  erected   a   grist-mill.     The   Midland   Oil 


Mining  association  drilled  unsuccessfully  for 
oil  in  1876,  but  in  a  well  at  1060  feet  struck 
a  strong  vein  of  gas.  The  legal  name  of  Pine 
township  is  Pine  Creek  township;  but  custom 
has  dropped  the  word  Creek.  Out  of  its  ter- 
ritory Valley  township  was  erected  in  1855, 
and  Boggs  township  taken  in  1878. 

Boffffs  Township  was  erected  out  of  the 
southern  part  of  Pine  township  on  June  10, 
1878,  and  its  history  is  included  in  that  of 
Pine  township. 

Valley  Township  was  erected  out  of  Piue 
town.ship  on  December  13,  1855,  and  was 
named  by  Judge  Buffington,  who  declined  to 
have  it  named  for  him.  Robert  Beatty  erected 
a  grist  and  saw-mill  in  1810  on  the  "Monti- 
cello  "  tract  of  land.  Monticello  furnace  was 
built  in  1859,  and  the  post-office  of  the  .same 
name  was  established  July  15,  1864.  Troy 
Hill  was  laid  out  some  time  after  the  year 
1870.  Dewalt  Mechling  settled  between  178-1 
and  1790  on  the  "Roan"  tract  in  this  town- 
ship. In  1872  natural  gas  was  struck  at  a 
depth  of  1005  feet. 

3Ianor  Toionship  was  erected  in  December, 
1849,  from  Kittanning  township.  It  was 
named  Manor  on  account  of  Kittanning  or 
Appleby  manor  (one  of  the  forty-four  manors 
surveyed  under  Penn's  directions  in  Pa.),  which 
was  within  its  territory.  On  this  manor,  along 
the  Allegheny  river,  between  Tub  INIill  and 
Fort  runs,  was  a  military  fortification,  consist- 
ing of  a  fosse,  parapet  and  fort.     Relics  found 

609 


510 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


about  it  and  around  it  indicate  that  it  had  been 
built  by  the  Mound-builders,  and  subsequently 
used  by  the  Indians  and  the  French.  James 
Claypole,  John  Guld  and  others,  between  1790 
and  1795,  used  it  as  a  fort  during  threatened 
Indian  invasions.  Fort  Armstrong  was  built 
during  the  Revolutionary  war  on  tlie  site  of 
Kittanning,  and  Claypoole's  Block-house  was 
erected  between  1790  and  1795  on  the  Alle- 
gheny river.  Bloody  run  is  said  to  take  its 
name  from  the  fact  of  three  men  being  shot  on 
it  by  Indians,  who  were  followed  and  surprised 
by  a  company  of  soldiers  at  the  mouth  of  Pine 
creek,  where  three  red  warriors  were  killed  by 
the  pursuing  party.  In  1787  William  Green 
and  his  sons,  James,  John  and  Samuel,  from 
Fayette  county,  settled  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  township  when  the  Indians  had  their  war- 
dances  on  the  site  of  Rosston.  On  April  28, 
1791,  the  Indians  attacked  the  house  of  James 
Kirkpatrick  on  Crooked  creek,  and  killed  two 
men,  and  wounded  a  child.  Manorville  was 
laid  out  June  28,  1854,  and  incorporated  June 
6,  1866,  and  Rosston  was  laid  out  Sept.  18, 
1854. 

KiUanning  Township  was  taken  from  Arm- 
strong township  on  April  11,  1807,  and  since 
then  it  has  been  reduced  to  its  present  propor- 
tions by  the  erection  of  Plum  Creek,  Cowan- 
shannock,  Manor,  Burrell  and  Wayne,  and  the 
larger  part  of  three  other  townships.  It  con- 
tains the  battle-field  of  Blanket  Hill  and  the 
post-office  of  the  same  name,  which  was  estab- 
lished May  1,  1850,  and  is  now  kept  by  Mrs. 
Nancy  J.  Blose.  Fergus  Moorhead  (see  sketch) 
was  captured  near  Blanket  Hill.  John  Guld, 
an  Indian  scout,  was  an  early  settler,  and  is 
said  to  have  built  Beers'  Mills.  The  paper 
town  of  Benton,  one  of  the  lost  towns  of  the 
county,  was  laid  out  Feb.  10,  1836;  but  its  site 
was  never  graced  by  a  single  house. 

The  Lower  Barren  measures,  carrying  the 
Freeport  Upper  Coal  bed,  extend  through  the 
central   part  of  East    Franklin,  the   southern 


part  of  Pine,  the  northern  part  of  Boggs  town- 
ship, and  occupies  the  larger  part  of  Valley, 
and  nearly  all  of  Manor  and  Kittanning  town- 
ships. The  remaining  portions  of  these  town- 
ships (embracing  all  of  their  main,  and  many 
of  their  minor  creek  valleys)  are  in  the  Lower 
Productive  Coal  measures.  In  East  Franklin, 
Pine,  Boggs  and  Valley  townships  are  many 
heavy  beds  of  ferriferous  limestone. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

JOHN  ADAMS,  a  prudent,  industrious  and 
^  comfortabl}'  situated  farmer  of  Valley 
township,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Allegheny, 
Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania,  January  25, 
1842,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert  and  Eliza  (May) 
Adams.  Robert  Adams  was  born  during  the 
earlier  years  of  the  present  century,  in  Ireland, 
wiiere  his  family  had  been  settled  for  many 
years.  He  was  reared  in  his  native  county, 
and  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Irelaud.  Leaving  school,  he  was  engaged 
for  several  years  in  various  agricultural  jjiir- 
suits,  and  especially  that  of  gardening.  In 
1840  he  emigrated  from  Ireland  to  the  United 
States,  and  soon  after  landing  at  New  York, 
he  came  westward  as  far  as  Allegheny  city, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  market  gardening  for 
three  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  came 
to  Armstrong  county,  where  he  followed  farm- 
ing steadily  for  thirty-four  years.  He  died  in 
October,  1877,  when  he  had  reached  man's 
allotted  three-score  and  ten  years.  He  was  a 
republican,  and  a  member  of  the  United  Pres- 
byterian church.  Before  leaving  Irelaud  he 
married  Eliza  May,  a  resident  of  his  native 
county,  who  was  a  member  of  the  U.  P.  church, 
and  passed  away  at  her  home  in  this  county,  in 
1854. 

John    Adams  was  reared   in  this  township, 
where  he  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  the  early 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


511 


common  schools  of  Pennsylvania,  He  has 
always  been  engaged  in  farming,  owns  a  well- 
improved  farm  of  eighty -two  acres,  and  is  well 
situated  to  enjoy  life  and  its  substantial  com- 
forts. In  addition  to  farming,  Mr.  Adams 
deals  sonic  in  stock.  He  is  an  elder  in  the 
Reformed  church,  of  which  he  has  been  a  mem- 
ber for  many  years.  In  political  affairs  he  iuis 
always  supported  the  Republican  party  and  its 
principles. 

In  1871,  Mr.  Adams  married  Jane  Barker, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Barker,  of  this  county. 
To  their  union  have  been  born  three  children  : 
Mary,  Maud  and  Eliza. 


HENRY  BOLTZ,  an  intelligent  citizen,  and 
highly  prosperous  farmer  of  East  Frank- 
lin township,  is  emphatically  a  self-made  man. 
He  is  a  sou  of  Henry  and  Catherine  (Able) 
Boltz,  and  was  born  in  Prussia,  July  18,  1829. 
His  parents  were  natives  of  Prussia,  and  mcm- 
bei-s  of  the  Reformed  church.  They  came  to 
Armstrong  county  in  1852,  where  the  father, 
Henry  Boltz,  was  a  farmer,  but  also  followed  la- 
boring until  his  death,  in  1881.  He  was  born  in 
1794,  in  Prussia,  where,  after  arriving  at  man- 
hood, he  was  a  laborer  until  he  came  to  this 
country.  He  was  an  honest  and  industrious 
man  of  fair  education  and  good  business  abil- 
ity. His  wife,  Catherine  (Able)  Boltz,  was 
born  in  1794,  and  passed  away  in  1851,  aged 
fifty-seven  years.  They  were  the  parents  of 
four  children,  of  whom  Barbara  (Schultz)  and 
Henry  are  living. 

Henry  Boltz  was  reared  in  Prussia,  and  re- 
ceived a  good  education  in  the  excellent  schools 
of  that  cotmtry.  Leaving  school,  he  was  var- 
iously employed  for  several  years.  On  Decem- 
ber 23,  1852,  he  landed  with  his  parents  at 
New  York  city,  and  came  with  them  to  Brady's 
Bend,  this  county,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
mining  for  twenty  years.  The  last  two  years 
of  that  time  he  served  as  mining-boss,  which 


position  he  resigned  in  order  to  engage  in  farm- 
ing in  Sugar  Creek  township.  In  1874  he 
purchased  and  moved  on  his  present  farm  in 
East  Franklin  township.  This  farm  is  six 
miles  from  Kittanning,  and  contains  one  hun- 
di"ed  and  sixty-four  acres  of  good  farming  land 
which  is  well  improved,  and  in  a  high  stjite  of 
cultivation.  Mr.  Boltz  has  erected  on  this  farm 
a  very  fine  frame  dwelling-house  and  large 
barn,  together  with  many  neat  and  ta-steful  out- 
buildings. His  Sugar  Creek  farm  contains  two 
hun<lre(l  and  thirty-five  acres  of  well-improved  • 
land  with  a  good  new  house,  roomy  barn  and  all 
needed  out-buildings. 

November  27,  1853,  Mr.  Boltz  married  Mar- 
garet Rohrbach,  daughter  of  John  Rohrbach, 
of  Germany.  They  have  eight  children: 
Catherine,  wife  of  George  Miller,  who  is  a 
farmer  of  West  Franklin  township;  Adam, 
married  Maggie  Heidrick,  and  is  a  farmer  in 
Sugar  Creek  township ;  John,  a  farmer  of  the 
same  township,  who  married  Laura  M.  Simp- 
son; Lizzie,  Maggie,  Christina,  Mary  and 
George. 

Henry  Boltz  is  a  republican,  has  served  four 
years  as  school  director,  and  while  firm  in  his 
political  as  well  as  religious  views,  yet  does  not 
seek  to  force  them  on  any  one.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Union  Pi-esbytcrian  church,  and 
Activity  Lodge,  No.  715,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and 
formerly  was  a  member  of  Alpine  Lodge,  No. 
479,  for  twenty-seven  years.  His  energy,  good 
judgment  and  untiring  industry  have  won  him 
a  competency  which  is  more  remarkable,  as  well 
as  more  complimentary  to  Mr.  Boltz,  when  the 
fact  is  taken  into  consideration  that  he  landed 
in  this  country  without  a  single  dollar. 


CHARLES  S.  BOVARD,  an  active,  useful 
and  influential  member  of  the  Presbyter- 
ian church  and  a  leading  merchant  of  Manor- 
ville,  is  a  son  of  George  and  Mary  Ann  (Rob- 
inson) Bovard,  and  was  born  in  Butler  county, 


512 


BIOORAPIIIES  OF 


Pennsylvania,  February  23,  1849.  His  pater- 
nal grandfather,  Hon.  James  Bovard,  was  born 
in  Ireland  and  came  to  Pennsylvania  at  the  age 
of  twelve  years.  His  parents  settled  in  West- 
moreland county,  but  soon  after  removed  to 
Butler  county,  of  which  he  afterwards  became 
an  influential  citizen.  He  served  as  associate 
judge  of  that  county  for  forty-five  years,  and 
died  in  1853,  at  seventy-nine  years  of  age. 
His  son,  George  Bovard  (father),  was  born  in 
181 G.  He  was  in  partnership  with  Henry 
Graif,  in  the  general  mercantile  business,  at 
Maple  Furnace,  in  Butler  county,  which  he 
built  and  operated  for  several  years.  In  1851 
he  removed  to  Manor  township,  where  he  was 
engaged,  at  Manorville,  in  the  general  mercan- 
tile business  until  1870.  In  that  year  he  em- 
barked in  the  oil  business,  which  he  followed 
until  1880,  when  he  retired  from  active  life. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  United  Presby- 
terian church,  of  Kittanning,  since  1851,  is  an 
active  republican  in  politics  and  has  filled  all 
of  his  township's  offices.  On  November  10, 
1840,  he  married  Mary  Ann  Robinson,  a 
member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church, 
who  was  born  near  Parker,  in  1819,  and  on 
November  10,  1890,  they  celebrated  their 
golden  wedding. 

Charles  S.  Bovard  was  reared  in  Manor  town- 
ship, and  after  attending  the  public  schools 
spent  two  years  at  Elderton  academy  and  the 
same  length  of  time  at  Westminster  college. 
Since  1870  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  general 
mercantile  business  at  Manorville,  where  he 
has  a  large  and  well  fitted  up  establishment 
which  is  filled  with  a  carefully  selected  stock 
of  goods  adapted  to  the  various  wants  of  his 
numerous  patrons.  He  and  his  brother  own 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  the  oil 
region  of  Venango  county,  and  their  tract  is  now 
being  developed  with  very  favorable  results. 

In  1869  he  married  Alice  H.  Dice,  daughter 
of  George  Dice,  of  Lawrence  county.  They 
have  five  children,  two  sons  and  three  daugh- 


ters :  Anna  M.,  who  was  married,  on  September 
9,  1890,  to  Frank  C.  Stoeltzing,  of  Pittsburgh ; 
M.  Jeannette,  now  attending  the  young  ladies' 
seminary  at  Washington;  Walter  G.,  at  school; 
Kitty  R.,  at  school;  and  John  K.  G.,  who  was 
born  April  14,  1886. 

Charles  S.  Bovard  is  a  stanch  republican, 
and  for  six  3'ears  was  a  member  of  the  school 
board  of  Manorville,  besides  filling  the  office 
of  auditor  and  serving  as  councilman.  In  1878 
he  removed  from  Manorville  to  his  present 
residence  in  the  township,  and  has  been  a  school 
director  of  Manor  township  for  nine  years  since 
that  time.  He  was  for  several  years  an  elder 
in  tiie  United  Presbyterian  church,  and  was  a 
commissioner  to  the  General  Assembly  of  that 
church  at  its  session  of  1882,  in  Moiunouth, 
Illinois.  He  remained  in  the  United  Presby- 
terian church  until  the  organization  of  the 
Second  Presbyterian  church,  at  Kittanning,  in 
1884,  when  he  united  with  that  church,  of 
which  he  is  now  an  elder.  Mr.  Bovard  is  a 
Ij^rge  man  of  fine  personal  appearance,  and  is 
courteous  and  accommodating  to  all  whom  he 
meets. 


JAMES  CUNNINGHAM,  of  Manorville, 
one  of  the  representative  business  men  and 
prominent  merchants  of  central  Armstrong 
county,  is  a  soti  of  James  and  Nancy  (Weaver) 
Cunningham,  and  was  born  at  Manorville, 
Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  April  1, 1862. 
The  Cunningham  family  is  of  Irish  descent,  and 
,  one  of  its  members,  Elisha  Cunningham  (graud- 
'  father),  was  born  in  Armstrong  county,  and  was 
a  bricklayer  by  trade.  He  died  in  1860,  when 
he  was  about  fifty-seven  years  of  age.  One  of 
his  .sons,  James  Cunningham,  (father)  was  born 
in  Armstrong  county  in  1823,  and  followed  his 
trade  of  bricklayer  until  1855,  when  he  en- 
gaged in  the  general  mercantile  business  at 
Manorville,  where  he  soon  secured  a  lucrative 
trade.     When  Manorville  post  office  was  estab- 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


613 


lished,  in  1862,  he  was  appointed  postmaster, 
which  position  he  held  for  twenty  years.  He 
was  tici<et,  freight  and  express  agent  from  the 
time  the  station  was  established  at  Manorville 
until  1882,  when,  in  crossing  the  railroad  track, 
he  was  struck  by  a  train  and  received  injuries 
from  which  he  died  March  21,  1882.  He  was 
a  republican  in  politics,  a  member  of  the  Kit- 
tanning  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  an  Odd 
Fellow  of  high  rank  and  an  energetic,  active 
business  man.  He  married  Nancy  Weaver,  a 
native,  who  was  born  in  1827.  She  is  the 
postmistress  at  Manorville  and  has  l^een  for 
many  years  an  esteemed  member  of  the  Meth- 
otlist  Episcopal  church. 

James  Cunuino'ham  was  reared  at  Manorville 
and  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  that  town.  Leaving  school,  he  assisted  his 
father  in  the  geueral  mercantile  business  until 
the  death  of  the  latter,  when  he  purchased  the 
store  and  was  appointed  ticket,  freight  and  ex- 
press agent.  In  1887  he  resigned  his  railroad 
positions  on  account  of  failing  health. 
Since  then  he  has  given  his  undivided  attention 
to  the  interests  of  his  general  merchandise  bus-  ; 
iness.  During  the  summer  of  1890  he  built  a 
large  and  commodious  establishment  which  is 
well  stored  with  everything  in  the  line  of  for- 
eign and  domestic  dry-goods,  groceries  and 
other  general  merchandise  required  by  his 
numerous  patrons.  [ 

On  July  8,  1883,  he  married  Annie  M. 
Asche,  daughter  of  J.  F.  Asche,  of  Butler 
county.  Their  union  has  been  blessed  with  one 
child,  a  daughter,  named  Bessie. 

James  Cunningham  is  a  republican  and  has 
been  for  some  time  a  member  and  secretiiry  of 
the  borough  school  board.  He  is  a  deacon  of  I 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  and  a  member 
and  seci'etary  of  Manorville  Lodge,  No.  290, 
Junior  Order  of  United  American  Mechanics, 
and  the  Union  Sabbath-school,  of  Manorville. 
Mr.  Cunningham  is  a  good  citizen  and  a  capa- 
ble and  energetic  business  man. 


pYRUS  A.  EVERHART,  a  faithful  soldier 
^  of  the  Army  of  the  James  and  one  of  the 
best  and  most  progressive  farmers  of  Kittanniug 
township,  was  born  in  Franklin  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  Indepen- 
dence Day,  18.33,  and  is  a  .son  of  Henry  and 
Susan  (Keck)  Everhart.  The  Everharts  were 
early  settlers  west  of  the  Allegheny  moun- 
tains. Cyrus  A.  Everhart's  paternal  great- 
grandfather, Everhart,  was  born  on  board  the 
ship  which  brought  his  parents  from  Germany 
to  this  country.  Christian  Everhart  (grand- 
father) came  from  Huntingdon  to  Westmore- 
land county  in  an  early  day  and  frequently  left 
his  farm  to  seek  safety  in  a  neighboring  fort 
from  the  Indians.  He  was  an  elder  in  the 
Lutheran  church,  served  in  the  war  of  1812 
and  died  in  Franklin  township,  aged  sixty-six 
years.  He  married  Mary  Snyder  and  one  of 
his  sons  was  Henry  Everhart  (father),  who  was 
born  in  1808.  He  came  in  1847,  from  West- 
moreland county  to  Kittanning  township,  where 
he  died  October  1,  1888.  He  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  a  democrat  in  political  faith  and  a 
lutheran  in  religious  belief.  He  had  been  an 
elder  in  his  church  for  many  years  and  had 
held  various  offices  of  his  township.  All  his 
methods  of  business  were  honorable  and  he  en- 
joyed the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  friends  and 
neighbors.  Although  an  unassuming  man,  yet 
he  was  an  active  worker  in  his  church  and  an 
energetic  business  man.  He  married  Susan 
Keck,  who  was  born  in  Mercer  county  Novem- 
ber 25,  1810,  and  died  in  this  township  April 
24,  1875.  She  was  a  lutheran  and  her  father, 
Christian  Keck,  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812, 
was  a  native  of  Mercer  county,  where  he  died 
in  1854,  aged  seventy  years.  Henry  and  Susan 
Everhart  had  six  children,  of  whom  five  are 
living. 

Cyrus  A.  Everhart  was  reared  in  Westmore- 
land and  Armstrong  counties  and  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools.  On  April 
15,  1864,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  H,  199th  regiment, 


514 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Pa.  Vols.,  aud  served  in  the  Army  of  the  James 
around  Petersburg,  where  he  was  in  some  of  the 
severest  and  bloodiest  engagements  of  the  war. 
He  was  honorably  discharged  from  tlie  Union 
service  in  Philadelphia,  on  July  8,  1865,  and 
returned  home,  where  he  remained  until  1878, 
when  he  was  appointed  as  one  of  the  attendants 
at  the  Soldiers'  Home  at  Dayton,  Armstrong 
county.  He  held  this  position  for  eighteen 
months  and  then  was  engaged,  during  1880-81, 
in  the  agency  business.  Since  then  his  health 
has  been  impaired  to  such  an  extent  as  to  disable 
him  from  physical  labor  and  he  has  given  his  time 
chiefly  to  managing  his  farm.  At  the  present 
time  he  is  serving  as  jury  constable  of  the  courts 
of  Armstrong  county. 

In  1854  he  united  in  marriage  with  Sarah 
Hcilman,  daughter  of  Fi-ederick  and  Margaret 
Heilman,  of  this  township.  They  have  been 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  five  are 
living :  R.  "Frederick,  married  to  Mollie  Heil- 
man, and  now  assisting  in  the  management  of 
liis  father's  farm  ;  James  Parks,  engaged  in  the 
dairy  business  at  Ford  City;  David  Lee,  a 
teacher;  Angeline,  wife  of  U.  F.  George,  of 
Kittanning;  and  Mary  E.,  at  home. 

Cyrus  A.  Everhart  owns  one  hundred  acres 
of  the  homestead  farm  in  Kittanning  township. 
It  is  well  improved  and  productive  land,  and 
Mr.  Everhart  has  brought  it  into  a  high  state 
of  cultivation.  He  has  studied  well  the  nature 
of  his  land  and  uses  methods  of  farming  which 
give  him  the  largest  returns  in  crops  while  thev 
do  not  exhaust  the  soil.  He  is  a  democrat  in 
political  sentiment  and  has  held  various  town- 
ship offices.  Genial,  courteous  and  obliging, 
he  is  justly  popular  in  his  community. 


"TOHN  FAIR,  a  prosperous  merchant  of 
^  Adrian,  and  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  East 
Franklin  township,  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Sarah 
(Fair)  Fair,  and  was  born  in  Washington  town- 
ship, Arm.strong  county,  Pennsylvania,  August 


31,  1831.  The  Fair  family  is  of  German  de- 
scent, and  one  of  its  members,  John  Fair  (grand- 
father), was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  a 
farmer  of  Indiana  county,  where  he  died, 
near  Black  Lick  station.  His  son,  Peter  Fair 
(father),  was  born  in  Indiana  county  in  1796, 
and  removed  about  1817  to  Armstrong  county, 
where  he  settled  in  what  is  now  Washington 
township.  He  engaged  in  farming  as  well  as 
working  at  his  trade  of  blacksmith.  He  was  the 
first  blacksmith  in  Washington  township,  was 
an  active  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church  and  died  in  1 878,  when  he  had  reached  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty-two  years.  He  married 
Sarah  Fair,  who  was  born  in  Armstrong  county 
in  1800,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church.  She  is  now  in  the  ninety-first  year  of 
her  age,  resides  with  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
and  is  very  active  for  a  woman  of  her  advanced 
years. 

John  Fairat  the  age  of  two  years  became  a  per- 
manent cripple,  caused  by  severe  sickness,  so  that 
all  through  life  he  has  been  comijelled  to  walk 
with  the  help  of  a  cane.  He  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Washington  townshij>,  and  after 
attending  the  common  schools  of  that  township 
(not  being  able  to  work  on  the  farm)  engaged  in 
teaching,  \vhich  he  followed  for  seventeen  years. 
From  1865  to  1872  he  was  employed  as  a  clerk 
with  different  mercantile  firms  in  the  states  of 
Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey,  and  in  the  latter- 
named  year  he  came  to  Adrian,  where  he  opened 
his  present  general  mercantile  establishment. 
Mr.  Fair  has  made  it  an  object  to  study  the 
wants  of  his  customers,  and  with  good  taste  al- 
ways selects  a  large  stock  of  goods  that  never 
fail  to  please  his  many  patrons  in  and  around 
Adrian.  In  addition  to  his  mercantile  business 
he  has  an  interest  in  a  large  farm  near  Adrian. 

September  5,  1881,  he  married  Emma  D. 
Quigley,  daughter  of  R.  O.  Quigley,  of  East 
Franklin  township.  To  their  union  have  been 
born  three  children :  James  F.,  Lawrence  H. 
aud  Carrie  B.     For  the  past  eight  years  Mrs. 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


515 


Fair  has  been  postmistress  at  Adrian,  where  the 
post-office  is  located  in  her  husband's  store. 

John  Fair  is  a  prominent  republican,  and  in 
May,  1880,  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  of 
East  Franklin  township.  He  served  his  term 
in  such  a  desirable  manner  to  the  public  that 
he  was  re-elected  in  1886.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  of  which  he 
is  a  trustee. 


pHAMBERS  FRICK,  one  of  the  leading 
^  business  men  and  public-spirited  citizens 
of  Adrian  and  of  East  Franklin  township,  is  a 
blacksmith  by  trade,  as  was  his  father,  grand- 
father and  trreat-trrandfather  before  him.  He  is 
a  son  of  Abraham  and  Delilah  (Bowser)  Frick, 
and  was  born  at  Adrian,  in  East  Franklin 
township,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania, 
November  26,  1852.  His  great-grandfather, 
F'rick,  was  of  German  descent,  and  came  about 
1840  from  Westmoreland  into  Armstrong 
county,  where  he  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land. 
He  was  a  blacksmitii  by  trade  and  his  son, 
Michael  Frick  (grandfather),  learned  black- 
smithing  with  him.  Michael  Frick  followed 
farming  in  connection  with  his  trade  in  this  and 
Butler  county,  to  which  he  removed  in  1854. 
He  was  a  republican  and  died  in  1863.  He  was 
a  class  leader  in  the  M.  E.  church,  and  while  in 
one  section  where  there  was  no  chiu'ch  he  gave 
his  house  for  religious  services,  in  which  he  gen 
erally  led.  His  sou,  Abraham  Frick  (father), 
was  a  blacksmith  by  trade  and  a  very  fine  work- 
man. He  was  a  resident  of  this  county  from 
1839  until  his  death,  in  1862,  when  he  was  in 
the  thirty-third  year  of  his  age.  He  and  his 
wife  were  members  of  the  Baptist  church,  and 
in  politics  he  affiliated  with  the  Republican 
party,  but  was  not  an  ultra  partisan.  He  fol- 
lowed his  trade  at  Adrian  during  the  last  eight 
or  ten  years  of  his  life.  He  married  Delilah 
Bowser,  daughter  of  Abraham  Bowser,  and  who 
died  March  15,  1873,  aged  forty-one  years. 


Chambers  Frick  was  reared  at  Adrian,  and 
received  his  education  in  the  common  schools. 
He  learned  the  trade  of  blacksmith,  and  after- 
wards became  mining  boss  at  Monticello  fur- 
nace, which  position  he  held  for  three  years.  In 
1878  he  opened  a  blacksmith  .shop  at  Adrian, 
which  he  operated  until  1881,  when  he  removed 
to  Templeton,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  carriages  for  three  years.  He 
then  became  a  clerk  in  the  hardware  and  agri- 
cultural implement  house  of  James  McCul- 
lough,  Jr.,  of  Kittanning,  and  also  acted  as  a 
traveling  .salesman  during  a  ])ortion  of  the  two 
years  he  remained  with  Mr.  McCullough.  In 
1887  he  returned  to  Adrian  and  engaged  in  his 
present  general  mercantile  business.  In  con- 
nection with  merchandising  he  operates  a  large 
blacksmith  shop,  in  which  special  attention  is 
given  to  general  repairing.  He  has  a  neat  and 
tasteful  store  which  is  well  stocked  with  first- 
cla.ss  dry- goods,  groceries  and  notions,  and  has 
the  public  approval  of  his  business  in  tiie  large 
patronage  which  he  enjoys.  Mr.  Frick  was 
only  ten  years  of  age  at  his  father's  death,  and 
from  that  time  on  had  to  do  for  himself.  He 
has  made  his  own  way  in  the  world  and  the 
success  which  he  has  won  and  the  competency 
which  he  has  acquired  are  the  results  of  his 
own  unaided  efforts. 

In  1870  Mr.  Frick  married  Nancy  Flinncr, 
daughter  of  David  Flinner,  of  this  county. 
They  have  seven  children  :  Mary,  Ada,  Rose, 
Lottie,  Lillie,  James  McCullough  and  Frances. 

Chambers  Frick  is  a  republican,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Jr.  O.  U.  A.  ]\I.  and  Montgomery- 
ville  Baptist  church. 


WILLIAM  A.  GRAHAM,  a  descendant  of 
an  old  and  substantial  family,  and  one  of 
the  young  and  energetic  fai-mers  of  Kittanning 
township,  is  a  son  of  William  and  Catherine 
(Blaney)  Graham,  and  was  born  in  Kittanning 
township,    Armstrong    county,    Pennsylvania, 


516 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


July  25,  1864.  The  Graham  family  settled  in 
Kittanning  township  at  an  early  day.  They 
were  of  that  sturdy  and  honest  class  of  j^eople 
who  predominated  so  largely  in  the  early  settle- 
ment of  Armstrong  county,  in  the  commence- 
ment of  the  present  century.  James  Graham 
(grandfather)  c;inie  to  the  United  States  and 
settled  in  this  county,  where  he  resided  until 
his  death.  His  son,  William  Graham  (father), 
has  always  followed  farming  and  stock-raising 
in  this  township.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church,  and  is  a  man  who  gives  most 
of  his  time  to  his  farm  and  its  improvement. 
A  democrat  in  politics,  he  always  gives  his 
jiarty  a  hearty  support,  and  has  been  chosen,  at 
different  times,  to  fill  township  offices.  He 
married  Catherine  Blaney,  who  died  some  years 
after  their  marriage. 

William  A.  Graham  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Kittanning  township,  and  received  his 
education  in  the  public  schools.  Leaving  school, 
he  engaged  in  farming,  which  he  has  pursued 
continuously  and  successfully  ever  since.  He 
owns  a  fine  farm  of  seventy  acres  of  land.  He 
is  conveniently  located  in  regard  to  church, 
school  and  market.  In  politics  he  is  a  demo- 
crat, and  has  always  cast  his  ballot  for  the  nom-, 
inees  of  his  party.  In  addition  to  farming  he 
is  also  engaged  in  stock-raising.  Mr.  Graham 
is  a  successful  farmer  and  a  careful  busiuess 
man.  He  is  pleasant  and  agreeable  in  manner, 
and  has  many  warm  friends  in  the  community 
in  which  he  resides. 

In  1884  he  united  in  marriage  with  Mary 
Ecker,  daughter  of  Emanuel  Ecker,  of  West- 
moreland county.  This  uuion  has  been  blessed 
with  three  children  :  Zora  B.,  Margaret  J.  and 
Marian  N. 


JOHN  P.  GUTHRIE,  a  descendant  of  the 
early-settled  Guthrie  family  of  Westmore- 
land county,  and  one  of  the  old  and  prosperous 
farmers  of  Manor  township,  is  a  son  of  John 


and  Catherine  (Buchanan)  Guthrie,  and  was 
born  February  15,  1820,  in  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  near  North  Washington. 
The  Guthrie  family  is  of  Irish  descent,  and  one 
of  its  members,  Capt.  John  Guthrie  (grand- 
father), emigrated  from  Ireland  to  Pennsyl- 
vania during  the  past  century,  and  became  one 
of  the  early  settlers  of  Westmoreland  county. 
He  was  elected  captain  of  one  of  the  companies 
organized  among  the  white  settlers  for  protec- 
tion against  the  Indians.  After  serving  in  one 
or  more  campaigns  on  the  western  frontier,  he 
went  to  Kentucky  with  the  intention  of  taking 
up  a  tract  of  government  land,  but  died  before 
he  had  secured  his  land.  His  son,  John  Guth- 
rie (father),  was  born  in  1791,  in  Westmoreland 
county,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  blacksmith, 
which  he  followed  until  he  removed  to  Arm- 
strong county,  in  1847.  He  then  bought  a 
farm,  upon  which  he  resided  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1866,  when  he  was  in  the 
seventy-sixth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  in  his  early 
life  was  an  old-line  whig.  In  1856  he  became 
a  republican,  and  supported  that  party  until  his 
death.  He  married  Catherine  Buchanan,  of 
Westmoreland  county.  Mrs.  Guthrie  was  a 
consistent  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
and  died  in  1876,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty- 
eight  years. 

John  P.  Guthrie  was  brought  to  this  county 
by  his  parents  when  he  was  seven  years  of  age, 
and  attended  the  subscription  and  jjublic  schools. 
His  first  employment  was  coal-digging,  which 
he  followed  for  two  years,  and  then  was  em- 
ployed for  some  time  at  the  Owen  salt-works, 
near  Apollo.  Upon  attaining  his  majority  he 
engaged  in  farming,  which  he  has  followed  ever 
since.  He  owns  his  father's  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  and  devotes  his  time 
chiefly  to  farming  and  stock-raising. 

In  1846  Mr.  Guthrie  married  Elizabeth 
Hancock,  who  was  a  daughter  of  John  Han- 
cock, of  Indiana  county,  and  died  in  1847.    He 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


517 


married,  in  1864,  Hannah  Iseman,  daughter  of 
Michael  Iseman,  of  Manor  township.  To  this 
second  union  have  been  born  four  children, 
three  sous  and  one  daughter :  John  I.,  David 
H.,  Thomas  W.  and  Sarah  P. 

Politically,  John  P.  Guthrie  is  a  republican, 
and  has  been  elected  to  various  township  offices, 
in  which  he  has  always  served  acceptably.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  and 
believes  that  the  principles  of  that  organization, 
if  carried  out,  would  be  iiighly  beneficial  to  the 
agricultural  interests  of  the  county. 


SAMUEL  HEILMAN.  The  late  Samuel 
Heilraan  was  one  of  the  well-known  farm- 
ers of  Kittanuing  township,  and  was  an  honor- 
able and  honest  man  of  excellent  character  and 
reputable  staudiug.  He  was  a  son  of  Daniel 
and  Lydia  (Youut)  Heilman,  and  was  born 
in  Kittanuing  township,  Armstrong  county, 
Pennsylvania,  August  29, 1822.  The  Heilmans 
(name  written  Hileman  and  Hyleman  in  old 
documents  and  records)  were  among  the  pioneer 
families  of  Kittanuing  township.  (See  sketch 
of  James  Heilman.)  Tiiey  were  among  the 
substantial  class  of  early  settlers,  and  their 
names  appear  on  the  assessment  lists  of  1807  as 
owners  of  mills,  distilleries  and  large  tracts  of 
land.  The  Younts  (name  written  Yundt  in  old 
records)  were  early  settlers  and  large  land-hold- 
ers in  the  township.  Daniel  Heilman,  the  father 
of  the  late  Samuel  Heilman,  was  of  German 
descent,  and  came  from  his  native  county  of 
Northampton  in  1810  to  Kittanuing  township, 
where  he  followed  farming  until  his  death,  in 
1832,  at  fifty  years  of  age.  He  married  Lydia 
Yount,  by  whom  he  had  eleven  children. 

Samuel  Heilman  was  reared  in  his  native 
township,  where  he  attended  the  schools  of  his 
neighborhood.  When  he  commenced  life  for 
himself  he  engaged  in  farming,  which  he  fol- 
lowed successfully  as  long  as  he  lived.      He 


owned  a  good  farm,  which  he  kept  in  good  order 
and  carefully  cultivated. 

On  January  7,  1847,  he  married  Martha  Ru- 
pert, who  is  a  daughter  of  Peter  Rupert,  who 
was  a  native  of  York  county  and  an  exemplary 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  came  with 
his  parents,  at  five  years  of  age,  to  tliis  county, 
where  he  died  in  1855,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight  years.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heilman  were 
born  two  sons  and  six  daughters  :  Thomas,  who 
married  Julia  Bailey  and  resides  in  Allegheny 
city  ;  Emma,  wife  of  J.  J.  Richard,  of  Gibbon, 
Neb. ;  Lou,  married  to  John  Murphy,  of  Kit- 
tanning;  Lydia,  wife  of  William  King;  Mollie, 
wife  of  R.  F.  Everhart;  Jennie,  Maggie  and 
Herman  C.  The  second  son,  Herman  C,  who 
has  the  management  of  the  home  farm,  was 
reared  and  received  his  education  in  his  native 
township.  He  is  a  young  man  of  good  business 
ability,  and  resides  with  his  mother. 

Samuel  Heilman  was  a  member  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  church,  in  which  he  was  serv- 
ing as  an  elder  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He 
was  a  strong  adherent  to  the  principles  of  the 
Democratic  party,  and  had  served  as  tax-collector 
and  as  a  member  of  the  school  board,  of  which 
he  had  been  treasurer  during  a  large  part  of  his 
term  of  office.  He  was  a  man  who  made  good 
and  diligent  use  of  his  opportunities  and  lived 
an  industrious  and  useful  life.  Respected  as  a 
citizen,  and  prudent  and  careful  as  a  farmer,  he 
enjoyed  the  good  will  of  his  neighbors  and  all 
who  knew  him.  When  in  his  sixty-sixth  year 
he  received  the  summons  which  must  come  to 
all  sooner  or  later,  and  passed  away  on  the  27th 
day  of  June,  1888.  His  remains  rest  in  Heil- 
man cemetery,  but  his  memory  is  lovingly  cher- 
ished by  his  family  and  a  wide  circle  of  friends. 


JAMES  HEILMAN,  oneof  Kittanuing  town- 
ship's most  substantial  and  progressive 
farmers  and  oldest  and  highly  respected  citizens, 
is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Susanna  (Waltenbaugh) 


518 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Heilman,  and  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which 
he  now  resides,  in  Kittauniug  township,  Arm- 
strong county,  Pennsylvania,  February  15, 1829. 
The  Heilman  and  Waltenbaugh  families  figure 
conspicuously  among  the  pioneer  settlers  and 
prominent  land-owners  of  Kittanning  township, 
and  in  the  old  legal  records  and  assessment  lists 
of  the  county.  The  Heilman  name  was  written 
Hileman  and  Hyleman,  and  the  Waltenbaugh 
name  was  spelled  Waltenbough.  Peter  Heil- 
man, the  grandfather  of  James  Heilman,  was 
born  on  shipboard,  while  his  parents  were  cross- 
ing the  Atlantic  ocean  from  Germany  to  the 
United  States.  He  was  reared  in  Northampton 
county,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  weaver. 
He  married  and  came  to  what  is  now  Kittan- 
ning township  in  1796.  His  son,  Jacob  Heil- 
man (father),  was  born  in  Northampton  county 
April,  1791,  and  died  in  Kittanning  township 
December  27, 1876,  aged  eighty-five  years.  He 
owned  eight  hundred  acres  of  land  and  was  a 
prominent  distiller  of  his  day,  when  Armstrong 
county  whiskey  had  a  reputation  as  far  south  as 
New  Orleans  for  being  good,  and  the  "Heilman 
whiskey"  was  highly  esteemed  as  one  of  the 
purest  whiskies  in  the  market.  Jacob  Heilman 
started  in  life  with  an  ax  and  grubbing  hoe,  and 
acquired  his  wealth  by  honest  labor  and  judicious 
management.  He  was  a  strict  lutheran,  and 
voted  the  democratic  ticket  until  1854,  when  he 
becamearepublican.  Hewasagood  businessman, 
served  his  township  as  school  director  and  mar- 
ried Susanna  Waltenbaugh,  daughter  of  Adam 
Waltenbaugh,  of  Fayette  county.  She  was  a 
consistent  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church,  and  passed  away  April  27,  1877,  when 
in  the  eighty-fifth  year  of  her  age.  They  had 
four  children,  of  whom  but  three  are  living. 

James  Heilman  was  reared  on  the  farm  and 
attended  the  schools  of  his  neighborhood,  in 
which  he  obtained  a  good  common  business  edu- 
cation. He  has  always  been  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, and  owns  the  part  of  the  old  homestead 
farm  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres  that 


was  cleared  and  improved  by  his  grandfather, 
Peter  Heilman.  For  the  last  ten  years  Mr. 
Heilman  has  made  a  specialty  of  stock-raising 
and  fruit-growing.  In  his  extensive  orchards 
he  raises  the  finest  variety  of  fruits  to  be  found 
in  Armstrong  county. 

October  9, 1856,  Mr.  Heilman  married  Mag- 
dalene Reichert,  daughter  of  G.  A.  Keichert,  of 
this  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heilman  have  seven 
children :  James  T.,  Ella  L.,  Rose  C,  Grace  R., 
Maggie  G.,  Emma  R.  and  Ethel ind. 

James  Heilman  is  a  republican  politically, 
has  served  as  school  director,  auditor  and 
assessor  of  his  township  and  ig  now  overseer  of 
the  poor.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  church,  and  is  well-known  in  his  com- 
munity for  his  strong  sense  of  justice  and  his 
unshaken  firmness  in  supporting  whatever  he 
conscientiously  believes  to  be  right. 


WILLIAM  HOOD,  one  of  the  trustworthy 
citizens  and  substantial  farmers  of  Val- 
ley township,  is  a  son  of  Joliu  and  Nancy 
(Hood)  Hood,  and  was  born  in  Hanover  town- 
ship, Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  Sep- 
tember 22,  1822.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
John  Hood,  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  where  he 
learned  the  trade  of  miller,  and  united  with  the 
Presbyterian  church.  He  and  someof  his  friends 
came  to  Pennsylvania  in  1794,  ascended  the 
Susquehanna  river  in  canoes,  and  crossed  to  the 
head-waters  of  the  Allegheny  river,  where  they 
launched  their  canoes  and  descended  that  stream 
into  what  is  now  Warren  county.  John  Hood 
followed  farming  and  milling  for  twenty  years 
at  Sugar  Grove  and  then  removed  from  War- 
ren to  Washington  county,  where  he  resided 
for  a  few  years.  He  then  came  to  Armstrong 
county,  where  he  lived  with  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  until  his  death,  which  occurred  April 
11,  1857,  at  ninety  years  of  age.  He  was  a 
presbyterian,  and  one  of  his  sons  was  John 
Hood  (father),  who  was  born  in  county  Antrim, 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


519 


Ireland,  March  12,  1794,  and  was  brought  by 
his  parents  to  Warren  county,  where  he  was 
reared  to  manhood.  He  then  went  to  Wash- 
ington county,  and  after  a  residence  of  a  few 
years  came  to  this  county,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  as  long  as  lie  lived.  He  was 
a  democrat  in  politics,  a  ruling  elder  in  the 
Presbyterian  church,  and  died  May  16,  1862, 
aged  sixty-eight  years.  He  marrietl  Nancy 
Hood,  who  was  born  in  Bucks  county,  May  15, 
1795,  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  and  died  October  5,  1851,  at  the  age 
of  fifty-six  years. 

William  Hood  was  reared  on  his  father's 
Washington  county  farm,  on  which  he  worked 
until  he  was  twenty-four  years  of  age,  when  he 
came  to  this  county  with  his  father  and  settled 
on  the  farm  which  he  now  owns.  This  farm 
was  then  in  the  woods,  and  he  aided  his  father 
in  clearing  and  improving  it.  His  farm,  which 
contains  eighty-eight  acres,  and  is  three  miles 
from  Kittanning,  on  the  Clearfield  pike,  is  very 
productive.  Besides  farming,  in  which  he  has 
been  very  successful,  Mr.  Hood  also  deals  in  stock. 

On  October  16,  1876,  he  married  Esther 
Patton,  daughter  of  Montgomery  Patton,  of 
Boggs  township.  They  have  three  children  : 
William  A.,  Louis  M.  and  Bessie  T. 

William  Hood  has  always  been  closely  atten- 
tive to  his  farm  and  business.  He  is  an  old- 
time  democrat  and  a  member  of  the  First  Pres- 
byterian "church,  of  Kittanning.  He  has  held 
the  various  offices  of  his  township.  While  a 
man  of  strong  will  and  great  determination, 
qualities  inherited  from  his  worthy  ances- 
tors, yet  he  is  kind-hearted  and  ever  ready 
to  assist  those  in  di.stress.  Mr.  Hood,  who  is 
six  feet  two  inches  in  height,  comes  of  a  race 
distinguished  for  fine  personal  appearance,  and 
some  of  whom  were  six  feet  and  seven  inches  in 
stature.  Successful  as  a  farmer,  honorable  as  a 
man  and  respected  as  a  citizen,  he  now  resides 
in  a  comfortable  home  and  enjoys  the  fruits  of 
half  a  centiny  of  his  honest  labors. 


JOHN  A.  LOGAN,  a  former  justice  of  the 
peace  and  a  worthy  citizen  of  Manor  town- 
ship, is  a  son  of  Tiiomas  and  Esther  (Hood) 
Logan,  and  was  born  at  Logansport,  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania,  December  19,  1840. 
John  Logan  (grandfather)  was  born  in  county 
Cork,  Ireland,  in  1756,  and  in  early  life  set- 
tled in  Pine  township,  Allegheny  county, 
where  he  engaged  in  fanning.  He  died  in 
1852,  when  he  was  in  the  ninety-sixth  year  of 
his  age.  One  of  his  son.s,  Thomas  Logan  (fa- 
ther), was  born  in  Allegheny  county  in  1709. 
When  a  young  man  he  was  engaged  in  distilling 
whiskey,  but  becoming  convinced  of  the  evils 
of  intemperance  he  abandoned  the  manufacture 
of  liquor  and  gave  his  attention  to  carding 
wool.  He  afterwards  removed  to  Logansport 
and  purchased  at  that  place  a  tract  of  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acres,  which  he  tilled  for  many 
years.  He  died  July  16,  1882,  aged  eighty- 
three  years.  He  was  a  successful  business  mau, 
a  life-long  whig  and  re])ublican,  and  an  es- 
teemed member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
He  was  widely  known  as  an  enthusiastic  Sun- 
day-school worker  when  Sunday-schools  were  a 
new  and  not  a  thoroughly  appreciated  institu- 
tion in  this  section  of  Armstrong  county.  He 
married  Esther  Hood,  a  native  of  county  An- 
trim, Ireland,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children, 
six  sons  and  three  daughters.  His  wife  was  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  died 
August  20,  1869,  in  the  sixty-seventh  year  of 
her  age. 

John  A.  Logan  was  reared  at  Logansport, 
and  attended  the  public  schools  of  that  town- 
ship. He  has  always  followed  farming  since 
leaving  school.  He  now  owns  some  seventy- 
three  acres  of  well-improved  land  in  Manor 
township,  upon  which  he  resides. 

On  October  SO,  1866,  Mr.  Logan  married 
Jannetta  Gibson,  daughter  of  Charles  Gibson, 
of  Allegheny  county,  and  to  them  was  born 
one  child,  a  daughter,  Jannetta,  who  is  still 
living.     After   the   death   of  Mrs.   Logan,   in 


620 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


1868,  Mr.  Logan,  February  16,  1871,  married 
Sarah  Bailey,  daughter  of  Richard  Bailey,  of 
Armstrong  county.  To  this  second  marriage 
have  been  born  two  children:  a  son,  Charles 
Bailey,  who  died  aged  two  years,  and  a  daugh- 
ter, Lydia  Martha. 

John  A.  Logan  is  a  worthy,  energetic  citizen, 
a  consistent  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
and  a  prominent  republican.  He  served  one 
year  as  constable,  was  elected  justice  of  the 
peace  in  1879,  and  held  that  office  until  1884. 
Mr.  Logan  raises  some  stock  in  addition  to 
farming.  He  has  learned  much  by  observation 
and  reading,  and  has  intelligent  and  decided 
opinions  upon  agricultural,  political  and  relig- 
ious affairs. 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON  LUKE,  M.D., 
of  Arnold,  an  efficient  and  successful  phy- 
sician of  Valley  township,  is  a  son  of  James 
and  Annie  (Lynn)  Luke,  and  was  born  in  Cam- 
bria county,  Pennsylvania,  Augu.st  24,  1835. 
His  paternal  grandparents  were  James  and  Mary 
(McLane)  Luke;  the  former  born  in  county 
Armagh,  Ireland,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  the 
highlands  of  Scotland.  They  came  to  Penn- 
sylvania in  1791,  and  purchased  a  farm  within 
two  miles  of  Armagh,  Indiana  county,  where 
they  resided  as  long  as  they  lived.  Their  son, 
James  Luke  (father),  was  born  in  1791  on 
shipboard  while  they  were  crossing  the  Atlantic 
ocean.  He  was  reared  in  Indiana  county, 
served  under  Gen.  Harrison  in  the  war  of 
1812,  and  afterwards  settled  in  the  forks  of 
Black  Lick  creek,  in  Cambria  county,  where  he 
remained  until  1861,  when  he  came  to  Arm- 
strong county.  Ten  years  later  he  passed  away 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty  years.  He  was 
a  stanch  democrat  and  married  Annie  Lynn,  of 
Bedford  county,  who  was  a  devout  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  passed 
from  the  toils  and  troubles  of  earthly  life  May 
20, 1864,  when  in  the  seventieth  year  of  her  age. 


George  Washington  Luke  was  reared  in 
Cambria  and  Clarion  counties  and  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  and  Dayton 
academy,  this  county.  From  twelve  years  of 
age  he  commenced  to  make  his  own  way  in  life, 
and  for  several  years  worked  at  any  kind  of 
labor  that  was  honorable.  In  1859  he  com- 
menced to  read  medicine  at  Reynoldsville,  Jef- 
ferson county,  and  two  years  later,  when  the 
storm  of  civil  war  burst  upon  the  land,  he  left 
his  studies  to  enter  the  Union  army.  He  en- 
listed on  August  29,  1861,  as  a  private  in  Co. 
H,  105th  regiment,  Pa.  Vols.,  and  four  months 
later  was  made  hospital  steward  of  Gen. 
Kearney's  division.  On  October  5,  1863,  he 
was  discharged  by  an  order  of  Secretary  Stanton 
for  the  purpose  of  giving  him  an  opportunity 
to  enlist  as  a  hospital  steward  in  the  United 
States  army,  which  he  accordingly  did.  He 
.served  until  November  10,  1865,  when  he  was 
honorably  discharged  at  Brownsville,  Texas 
While  in  the  service  he  was  captured  once  and 
was  confinefl  in  Libby  prison  for  one  month 
before  being  exchanged.  After  the  war  he  re- 
sumed his  medical  studies,  under  Dr.  D.  R. 
Crawford  of  Sniicksburg,  Indiana  county,  and 
attended  lectures  at  the  medical  department  of 
the  University  of  Michigan,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1867.  In  the  fall  of  1867  he 
opened  an  office  at  Goheenville,  but  in  May, 
1874,  on  account  of  his  wife's  health,  removed 
to  Templeton,  on  the  A.  V.  R.  R.,  where  he 
remained  until  December,  1876,  when  he  went 
to  Salem,  in  Clarion  county.  At  that  place  he 
remained  until  the  fall  of  1881,  when  he  came 
to  Valley  township,  where  he  has  had  a  large 
and  remunerative  practice  ever  since. 

April  7,  1870,  Dr.  Luke  married  Sarah 
Speace,  daughter  of  G.  W.  Speace,  of  Valley 
township.  They  have twochildren living:  Annie 
L.  and  Susie  B. 

Dr.  Luke  is  a  republican  in  politics  and  when 
Arnold  post-office  was  established,  in  1888,  he 
was  appointed   postmaster,  which  position   he 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


521 


has  held  ever  since.  He  owns  and  resides  upon 
a  farm  of  fifty  acres,  which  is  underlaid  with 
coal.  Dr.  Luke  has  always  been  successful  as 
a  physician  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the 
prominent  and  leading  citizens  of  Valley  town- 
ship. 


ARCHIBALD  W.  MARSHALL,  one  of  the 
useful  citizens  and  progressive  farmers  of 
Valley  township,  is  a  son  of  Archibald  and 
Rebecca  (Taylor)  Mai'shall,  and  was  born  on 
the  farm  on  which  he  now  resides  in  Valley 
township,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania, 
March  29,  1840.  Of  the  many  families  who 
left  Ireland  over  a  century  ago  and  made  Penn- 
sylvania their  home,  one  was  the  Marshall 
family,  from  which  Archibald  W.  Marshall  is 
descended.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Archibald 
Marshall,  Sr.,  died  November  28,  1888.  Of 
his  sons  who  grew  to  manhood,  one  was  Archi- 
bald Marshall  (father),  who  was  born  in  Indiana 
county  iu  1800  and  passed  away  in  1878,  when 
in  the  seventy-eighth  year  of  his  age.  In  early 
life  he  came  to  Valley  township,  where  he  fol- 
lowed farming  until  his  death.  He  was  a  dem- 
ocrat and  a  united  presbyterian  and  was  re- 
spected and  esteemed  in  the  community  in 
which  he  resided.  He  was  well  acquainte<l 
with  the  educational  interests  of  the  township, 
which  he  had  frequently  served  as  school  di- 
rector. Mr.  Marshall  married  Rebecca  Taylor. 
Mrs.  Marshall  was  a  member  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church  and  passed  away  in  1883, 
aged  eighty-four  yeai^s. 

Archibald  W.  Marshall  was  reared  on  a  farm, 
and,  like  the  most  of  farmers'  sons,  received  his 
education  iu  the  common  schools.  Since  attain- 
ing his-majority  he  has  been  engaged  in  farming 
except  from  1861  to  1864,  when  he  kept  the 
toll-gate  at  the  Kittanning  bridge.  His  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  productive 
land  is  three  miles  from  Kittanning  and  is 
situated  one-half  mile  back  from  the  Dayton 
31 


road.  A  heavy  vein  of  coal  underlies  the 
entire  farm  and  is  easily  accessible.  To  the 
permanent  improvement  and  successful  cultiva- 
tion of  his  farm,  Mr.  Marshall  has  given  con- 
siderable thought,  which  is  evinced  in  the  in- 
creased yield  of  iiis  fields  as  well  as  iu  the 
higher  valuation  of  his  land.  Mr.  Marshall  is 
a  republican  politically,  has  been  a  member  of 
the  school  board  and  is  now  serving  his  town- 
ship as  assessor.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Kit- 
tanning United  Presbyterian  church,  in  which 
he  has  been  an  elder  for  several  years. 

In  1867  he  married  Elizabeth  Speer,  daugh- 
ter of  Robert  Speer,  of  Manor  township.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marshall  have  been  born  four 
children,  three  sons  and  one  daughter.  Of  these 
children  three  are :  Jennie  R.,  Thomas  W.  and 
William  S. 


JOHN  H.  MATEER,  a  reliable  citizen  and 
^  the  owner  of  one  of  the  best  coal  farms  of 
Boggs  township,  was  born  in  Pine  township, 
Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  July  31, 
1846,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth 
(Ambrose)  Mateer.  His  grandflither,  John 
Mateer,  was  a  native  of  Dauphin  county,  from 
whence  he  removed  to  Franklin  township, 
Armstrong  county,  which  he  left  in  1855  and 
went  to  Wayne  county,  Illinois,  where  he  died. 
He  was  a  democrat,  and  married  IMargaret 
Montgomery,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children, 
five  sons  and  three  daughters.  One  of  these 
sons,  Samuel  Mateer  (father),  was  born  Novem- 
ber 16,  1818,  in  Armstrong  county,  and  has 
been  principally  engaged  in  farming,  although 
in  early  life  he  dealt  extensively  iu  stock  which 
he  drove  to  the  eastern  markets.  He  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Boggs  township,  a  democrat  in  politics, 
and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Ambrose,  a  daughter  of  Ben- 
jamin Ambrose,  a  farmer,  whig  and  presbyterian 
of  Westmoreland  county,  who  came  to  Franklin 
township,  where  he  reared  a  family  of  four  sons 


522 


BIOQRAFHIES  OF 


and  three  daughters.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mateer  are 
the  parents  of  seven  sons  and  three  daughters  : 
James  E.,  married  Esther  Lowry,  and  is  a 
farmer  of  Boggs  township ;  Johu  H.,  Dr.  Rob- 
ert M.,  graduated  from  Jefferson  Medical  col- 
lege, married  Mary  Donnelly,  and  is  practicing 
at  Elderton ;  Benjamin  F.,  a  farmer ;  Samuel 
S.,  living  on  his  father's  farm,  and  married  on 
Nov.  2,  1890,  to  Mary,  daughter  of  Henry 
Houser,  of  Goheenville  ;  Annie  J.,  wife  of  Wil- 
liam C.  Calhoun,  a  farmer ;  Margaret,  married 
to  Finley  P.  Wolfe,  an  attorney  of  Kittanning; 
Mary  E.,  widow  of  Joseph  Banks  ;  Ambrose 
M.,  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business,  and 
Alexander  M. 

John  H.  Mateer  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  common  schools. 
Leaving  school,  he  engaged  in  farming,  which  he 
has  followed  ever  since.  He  owns  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  well-improved  land 
in  Boggs  township.  This  farm  is  well-improved 
and  is  underlaid  with  veins  of  coal  and  lime- 
stone. He  raises  considerable  stock  in  addition 
to  farming. 

Ou  January  31,  1878,  he  married  Lavina  C. 
Calhoun,  daughter  of  J.  R.  Calhoun.  To  their 
union  have  been  born  five  children,  four  sons 
and  one  daughter:  Robert  Calhoun,  born  Janu- 
arys, 1874;  Samuel  Lee,  born  March  19,  1878; 
Iva  Blanche,  born  March  7,  1882;  Delbert 
Harvy,  born  January  29,  1884,  and  Findley 
Ambrose,  born  April  .30,  1888. 

John  H.  Mateer  is  a  democrat  in  politics,  and 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  Mr.  Mateer  takes  great  interest  in 
farming,  and  has  always  raised  good  crops  on 
his  farm,  which  is  fertile  and  productive. 


DANIEL  McAFOOS.  One  of  the  oldest,  if 
not  the  oldest,  native  residents  of  Valley 
township  is  Daniel  McAfoos,  whose  memory 
goes  back  almost  to  the  pioneer  days  of  Arm- 
strong county.     He  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Eva 


(Schreckengost)  McAfoos,  and  was  born  on  the 
farm  adjoining  the  one  upon  which  he  now  re- 
sides in  Valley  township,  Armstrong  county, 
Pennsylvania,  January  4,  1813.  Jacob  Mc- 
Afoos was  born  east  of  the  Allegheny  moun- 
tains, removed,  when  a  young  man,  to  West- 
moreland county,  where  he  remained  but  a  short 
time  and  then  came  to  what  is  now  called  Val- 
ley township,  but  which  was  then  an  almost 
unbroken  wilderness  filled  with  wild  animals, 
and  frequented  by  Indians.  He  was  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers  of  the  county,  killed  a  great 
many  bears  and  deer,  and  cleared  out  the  farm 
upon  which  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born. 
He  often  hunted  with  the  Indians  and  was  a 
great  favorite  with  them,  as  he  was  a  good 
wrestler,  a  swift  runner  and  a  fine  shot.  He 
was  a  presbyterian  and  an  old-line  whig,  and 
died  in  1859,  at  seventy-five  years  of  age.  He 
married  Eva  Schreckengost,  a  native  of  eastern 
Pennsylvania,  who  was  of  the  same  religious 
faith  as  her  husband  and  passed  away  in  1881, 
aged  eighty-four  years.  They  were  the  parents 
of  eight  children :  John,  Daniel,  Margaret, 
Jacob,  Mary,  David,  Elizabeth  and  Simon. 

Daniel  McAfoos  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  obtained  his  education  in  the  old  log 
school-house  of  jjioneer  days.  He  had  to  walk 
some  four  miles  to  school,  and  often  through 
snow  two  feet  deep.  These  schools  were  only 
kept  open  for  about  two  months  each  year  and 
afforded  all  the  02)portunities  for  education 
which  the  people  had  in  those  early  days.  He 
often  hunted  with  his  father  and  helped  to  kill 
bears,  deer  and  wild  turkeys.  Wlien  old 
enough  to  do  for  himself  he  engaged  in  farming 
which  he  has  followed  ever  since.  His  early 
farming  was  done  with  rude  tools  and  imple- 
ments. His  plow  he  made  and  equipped  with 
wooden  mold-boards.  His  corn  he  often  ground 
by  hand,  as  it  was  seven  miles  to  Kittanning  by 
a  mere  path  through  the  woods,  and  the  rude, 
primitive  fliill  there  was  often  crowded  with  a 
week's    grinding  ahead.     Mr.    McAfoos  owns 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


523 


a  farm  of  seventy-five  acres  of  good  farming 
and  grazing  laud  which  is  six  and  one-half  miles 
from  Kittanning. 

On  November  5,  1840,  he  married  Lydia 
Reynolds,  a  daughter  of  Job  Reynolds,  of  tins 
county.  To  them  were  born  five  children: 
Julia  A.,  Sarah  J.,  Henry,  Lizzie  and   Phoebe. 

Daniel  McAfoos  is  a  republican  in  political 
affairs  and  a  member  of  the  Reformed  Presby- 
terian church.  Now  almost  an  octogenarian, 
Mr.  McAfoos  can  look  back  over  a  long  life 
spent  in  clearing  a  wilderness  region  and  mak- 
ing a  comfortable  home  for  himself.  Within 
that  time  he  has  seen  a  prosperous  and  produc- 
tive country  grow  up  out  of  the  wilderness- 
sweep  in  whose  depths  he  had  often  heard  in 
his  boyhood  days  the  howl  of  the  wolf  and 
scream  of  the  panther. 


PF.  McCLARREN,  who  is  serving  his  sixth 
•  term  as  a  justice  of  the  peace  of  Manor 
township,  has  been  for  the  last  thirty-five  years 
one  of  the  lumber  dealers  of  the  county.  He  is 
a  son  of  Hugh  and  Mary  (Fair)  McClarren,  and 
was  born  in  Black  Lick  township,  Indiana 
county,  Pennsylvania,  July  11,  1824.  His 
grandfather,  Thomas  McClarren,  was  born  in, 
and  was  for  many  years  a  resident  of,  Alle- 
gheny county,  but  in  his  old  age  removed 
to  Westmoreland  county,  where  he  resided 
among  his  children  until  his  death.  He  was 
married  and  had  eleven  children,  nine  sous  and 
two  daughters  :  Robert  Kilgore  ;  William,  who 
was  killed  on  the  Pennsylvania  canal  b^'a  blow 
from  a  windlass,  while  attending  one  of  the 
locks  ;  Thomas,  Harrison,  who  died  in  Louis- 
ville, Ky. ;  Joseph  and  John,  who  operated  a 
steam  grist-mill  near  Pittsburgh,  and  both  died  in 
Allegheny  county  ;  David,  who  died  at  Bir- 
mingham, now  Southside,  Pittsburgh ;  James 
and  Hugh,  twins,  who  married  sisters;  Nancy 
married  James  Trunick,  the  operator  of  a  steam 
planing-mill  near  the  mouth  of  Saw-mill  run  ; 


and  Elizabeth,  who  married  Joseph  Bell,  a 
farmer  near  Pittsburgh.  Of  these  eleven  chil- 
dren, all  are  dead  but  James,  who  resides  near 
Corydon,  Indiana,  and  their  descendants  are 
scattered  all  over  the  Union.  Hugh  McClarren 
(father)  was  born  in  1797  in  Allegheny  county. 
Pa.,  where  ho  learned  the  trade  of  cabinet-maker, 
which  he  followed  as  long  as  he  livetl.  In  1862 
he  removed  to  Manortownship,  where  he  resided 
until  his  death,  in  1878,  when  he  had  attained 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty  years.  In  politics 
he  upheld  the  principles  of  the  republican 
party,  and  for  forty-six  years  was  a  consisteut 
member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church. 
On  December  6,  1821,  he  married  Mary  Fair, 
who  was  of  German  descent,  and  was  born  in 
Black  Lick  township,  Indiana  county,  in  1800. 
They  had  four  children,  two  sons  and  two 
daughters:  James,  who  died  in  1849,  at  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age;  P.  F.,  Nancy,  who  died  in 
the  sixth  year  of  her  age;  and  Hannah,  who 
married  J.  C.  Day,  formerly  of  Blairsville,  and 
died  at  Austin,  Minnesota,  leaving  five  children, 
one  son  and  four  daughters,  of  whom  three  of 
the  daughters  are  still  living.  Mr.  Day  and 
two  of  his  daughters  reside  within  fifty  miles  of 
San  Francisco,  California.  Tiie  eldest  daughter, 
Mary,  is  married  to  G.  F.  Trenwitli,  of  Santii 
Barbara,  California.  The  second  daughter, 
Adella,  was  married  to  Charles  Williams,  and 
the  third,  Laura,  was  married  to  G.  O.  Foster. 
Mrs.  McClari'en  (mother)  was  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  church,  and  died  in  1881,  at  eighty- 
two  years  of  age. 

P.  F.  McClarren  was  reared  principally  in 
Centre  township,  Indiana  county.  He  received 
his  education  in  the  subscription  schools,  and 
Indiana  and  Blairsville  academies.  In  1851 
he  came  to  Manor  township,  where  he  has 
resided  in  his  present  house  for  thirty-five  years. 
Ever  since  coming  to  Manor  township  he  has 
been  engaged  in  sawing  and  dealing  in  lumber 
as  well  as  managing  his  farm.  He  has  held  the 
office  of  justice  of  the  peace  almost  continuously 


524 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


since  1855,  and  has  been  so  careful  in  adminis- 
tering justice  that  there  has  never  been  a  case 
appealed  from  his  decision,  in  which  the  court 
decided  against  his  judgment. 

In  1850  he  married  Henrietta  C.  Reichert, 
the  eldest  daughter  of  Rev.  G.  A.  Reichert,  a 
Lutheran  minister  of  Philadelphia.  To  their 
union  were  born  five  children :  Laura  L.,  wife 
of  Alexander  Heilman,  of  Manor  township ; 
Ernest  R.  and  William  A.  R.  both  died  in 
1862 ;  George  K.,  married  Maiy  Mahon,  of 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  resides  at  Manorville ; 
and  Warren  T.,  a  book-keeper  for  the  firm  of 
W.  L.  Kahn  &  Co.,  of  Pittsburgh.  On  Sep- 
tember 30,  1884,  Mrs.  Henrietta  C.  McClarren 
died,  and  on  April  19,  1888,  Mr.  McClarren 
united  in  marriage  with  Emma  E.  Harrah,  of 
Lawrence  county,  Pa. 

P.  F.  McClarren  is  an  active  republican. 
Besides  acting  as  justice  of  the  peace,  he  has 
served  as  school  director  and  in  other  township 
offices  for  several  terms.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  of  which  he 
has  been  an  elder  for  a  number  of  years. 


WILLIAM  McCOLLUM,  one  of  the  well- 
known  and  highly  respected  citizens  of 
East  Franklin  township,  was  born  in  county 
Donegal,  Ireland,  February  3,  1825,  and  is  a 
son  of  William  and  Sarah  (McGarvey)  McCol- 
lum.  William  McCollum  left  his  native  coun- 
ty of  Donegal  in  1829,  and  came  to  what  is 
now  East  Franklin  township,  where  he  pur- 
chased two  hundred  acres  of  land,  and  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  his  death,  in  1853,  when 
in  the  seventy-sixth  year  of  his  age.  He  was 
an  early  settler  in  the  township,  was  a  member 
of  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  and  sup- 
ported the  Republican  party  from  the  time  of 
its  organization  until  his  death.  He  married 
Sai'ah  McCollum,  who  was  a  native  of  the  same 
county,  and  a  member  of  the  same  church  as 


himself.     She  died  in  1835,  when   only  thirty- 
five  years  of  age. 

William  McCollum  was  reared  from  four 
years  of  age  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  re- 
sides, and  has  always  resided  ever  since  his 
fourth  year.  He  attended  the  early  common 
schools  of  his  township,  and  then  engaged  in 
farming,  which  he  has  followed  until  the  pres- 
ent time.  He  owns  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  of  the  home  farm,  to  which  he  has  added 
forty-eight  acres  additional  by  purchase.  His 
farm  is  well-impi'oved  and  well-watered.  He 
raises  good  crops  of  grain  and  some  very  good 
stock.  He  is  a  stanch  democrat,  and  has  served 
his  township  as  assessor  for  one  term,  and  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board  for  several  terms. 
He  is  a  member  of  Limestone  Evangelical 
Lutheran  church.  Mr.  McCollum  is  of  rather 
a  retiring  disposition,  has  no  thirst  for  office  or 
political  position,  and  has  been  successful  in 
farming  and  stock-raising.  He  enjoys  the 
respect  of  his  neighbors,  has  a  comfortable 
home,  and  is  genial  and  hospitable. 

In  1851  he  married  Susan  Tarr,  daughter  of 
Joseph  Tarr,  of  this  township.  They  are  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  three  sons  and  six 
daughters:  Joseph,  who  married  Annie  Lem- 
mon  ;  Martha,  wife  of  Robert  Rogers,  an  oil- 
driller;  George,  of  Butler,  Pa.;  Mary,  married 
to  David  Bowser,  a  farmer  of  this  township ; 
William,  an  oil  contractor  of  Freeport,  and 
married  Aggie  Coleman  ;  Sarah,  wife  of  Wil- 
liam Rogers,  who  operates  a  flouring-mill ; 
Eliza,  wife  of  Robert  Thompson,  of  Leechburg; 
Margaret  and  Nancy. 


JOHN  B.  McGregor.  Success  in  any  oc- 
*-^  cupation  of  life  is  to  be  won  by  energy, 
determination  and  steady,  continuous  effort. 
One  who  has  thus  been  successful  is  John  B. 
McGregor,  an  enterprising  farmer  of  Valley 
township.     He   was  born   in   Bedford  county. 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


525 


Pennsylvania,  July  27,  1838,  and  is  a  son  of 
Christopher  and  Martha  (Barr)  McGregor. 
The  McGregors  are  of  Scotch  origin,  and  are 
descendants  of  the  McGregor  family  of  Scot- 
land, which  was  so  prominent  in  the  military 
history  of  that  country  during  the  seventeenth 
and  eighteenth  centuries.  Christopher  Mc- 
Gregor, tlie  father  of  John  B.  McGregor,  was 
born  and  reared  in  Bedford  county,  from  which 
he  came  in  1844  to  this  county.  He  worked 
for  many  years  on  public  works,  and  now  re- 
sides with  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  is  a 
republican  in  politics,  a  member  of  the  Re- 
formed church  and  is  a  man  who  is  well  pre- 
served for  his  eighty-three  years  of  age.  He 
married  Martha  Barr,  of  Bedford  county,  who 
was  a  member  of  the  Metliodist  Episcopal 
church,  and  passed  away  in  1857.  Tiiey  were 
industrious  and  honest,  and  reared  a  family  of 
several  sons  and  daughters. 

John  B.  McGregor  was  reared  principally  in 
this  county,  and  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools.  Leaving  school,  he  sought  for 
employment  at  the  public  works,  where  wages 
were  then  far  better  than  what  could  be  ob- 
tained for  day  labor  at  anything  else.  He 
worketl  steadily  at  different  works  until  1862, 
when  he  liad  accumulated  sufficient  means  to 
purchase  his  present  farm  of  seventy-five  acres 
of  land  in  Valley  township.  He  immediately 
moved  upon  this  farm,  which  he  has  been  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  tilling  ever  since.  Mr. 
McGregor  is  a  republican  in  politics,  and  served 
his  township  acceptably  for  eleven  years  as  con- 
stable, and  two  years  as  a  supervisor  of  roads. 
His  farm  is  heavily  underlaid  with  a  valuable 
vein  of  coal  which  he  has  opened  in  one  place 
and  from  which  he  obtains  a  very  marketable 
article. 

In  1861  lie  married  Sarah  E.  Baumgardner, 
then  of  Armstrong  county,  but  formerly  of 
Northampton  county.  To  their  union  have 
been  born  six  children,  four  sons  and  two 
daughters:  Annie  J.,  wife  of  George  Roney,  a 


farmer   of  Manor   township ;   Harry   B.,  who 

married  Mattie  Waugaman,  and  is  engaged  in 
farming  in  Jefferson  county ;  Ira  M.,  Thomas 
C,  OIlie  R.  and  Samuel  P. 

John  B.  McGregor  is  always  ready  and  ever 
willing  to  assist  or  aid  in  whatever  is  for  the 
l)enefit,  or  in  the  interest  of  his  community. 


LOUIS  MERGENTHALER.  one  of  Valley 
township's  substantial  citizens  and  the 
owner  of  a  remarkably  fine  agricultural  and  rich 
mineral  farm,  was  born  in  the  kingdom  of 
Wflrtembcrg  (now  a  province  of  the  German 
empire),  Germany,  January  22,  1832,  and  is  a 
son  of  Gotlieb  and  Barbara  Mergentiialer. 
Gotlieb  Mergenthaler  was  a  native  of  Witten- 
berg, where  he  followed  farming.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  churcii, 
and  died  in  1836.  His  wife,  Barbara  JNIergen- 
thaler,  was  a  native  of  Wurtemberg,  was  a  devout 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  died  in 
1 837.  They  were  a  pious  and  honest  couple, 
and  reared  a  respectable  family  of  children. 

Louis  Mergenthaler  was  reared  in  Wcirtem- 
berg,  where  he  received  his  education  in  excel- 
lent private  schools.  When  he  attained  his 
majority  he  was  drafted  for  military  service  in 
the  German  army,  but  purchased  his  time  from 
the  government,  and  at  twenty-two  years  of 
age  came  to  this  country.  He  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Allegheny,  this  State,  where  he  w'as  en- 
gaged for  four  years  in  the  butchering  busine.ss. 
He  then  came  to  Kittanning  with  his  brother, 
and  opened  a  butcher-shop  and  meat-market, 
which  he  run  successfully  for  two  years,  when 
he  removed  to  his  present  farm  in  Valley  town- 
ship. This  farm  is  two  and  one-half  miles 
from  Kittanning,  and  on  the  Kittanning  and 
Clearfield  pike.  It  contains  one  hundred  and 
thirty-eight  acres  of  good  producing  land,  and 
is  one  of  the  choice  mineral  farms  of  the  town- 
ship.    It  contains  three  veins  of  coal  a  vein  of 


.526 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


excellent  limestone,  and  a  large  bed  of  superior 
fire-clay. 

On  March  19,  1856,  he  married  Isabella 
Taylor,  daughter  of  Thomas  Taylor,  of  Valley 
township.  They  have  one  child,  a  daughter: 
Essie  Taylor.  Mrs.  Mergenthaler's  paternal 
grandfather,  Thomas  Taylor,  Sr. ,  was  a  native 
of  Scotland,  served  in  the  commencement  of  the 
Revolutionary  war  as  a  commissary,  and  died 
just  after  the  battle  of  Braudywine.  His  son, 
Thomas  Taylor  (father  of  Mrs.  Mergenthaler), 
was  born  west  of  the  Allegheny  mountains, 
served  in  the  war  of  1812,  married  Martha  Bell, 
and  owned  the  farm  upon  which  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Mergenthaler  reside.  He  was  a  Jack- 
sonian  democrat,  and  died  in  1847,  at  the  ripe 
old  age  of  eighty-eight  years. 

In  politics  Louis  Mergenthaler  is  a  democrat. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
and  ranks  as  a  man  of  solid  worth,  whose  life 
has  been  given  to  honest  and  useful  labor,  and 
whose  efforts  have  been  rewarded  with  substan- 
tial success. 


JOHN  MILLIKEN,  one  of  the  thorough- 
going and  most  successful  business  men  of  ' 
East  Franklin  township  and  western  Armstrong 
county,  is  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Margaret  i 
(Wiley)  Milliken,  and  was  born  in  East  Frank- 
lin townsip,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania, 
July  12,  1853.  He  is  descended  from  the 
Milliken  family  that  has  been  long  resident 
in  the  north  of  Ireland.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, Thomas  Milliken,  came  from  the 
"  Emerald  Isle "  to  the  United  States  during 
the  latter  part  of  the  last  century.  He  first 
settled  in  Erie  county,  but  soon  came  to  East 
Franklin  township,  where  he  purchased  a  farm 
of  two  hundred  acres,  and  followed  farming 
until  his  death.  His  son,  Andrew  Milliken 
(father),  was  born  in  Erie  county  in  1809,  and 
died  at  his  home,  in  this  township,  in  1880. 
He  came  with  his  father  to  East  Franklin  town- 


ship when  but  a  mere  child.  After  attaining  to 
the  years  of  manhood  he  entered  upon  a  most 
remarkable  and  wonderfully  successful  business 
career  as  a  farmer  and  stock  dealer.  Although 
starting  with  a  small  capital,  yet  irr  fifty  years 
he  had  amassed  an  estate  worth  nearly  one  hun- 
dred thou.sand  dollars.  He  was  a  presbyterian 
and  a  democrat,  and  filled  acceptably  several  of 
his  township's  offices.  Generous  and  kind  to 
to  the  poor,  his  character  was  above  the  taint  of 
suspicion.  He  married  Margaret  Wiley,  who 
was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and 
passed  away  in  1885,  when  in  the  seventy-first 
year  of  her  age. 

John  Milliken  was  reared  on  the  farm  and 
obtained  his  education  in  the  common  schools. 
At  fourteen  years  of  age  he  engaged  at  Adrian 
in  the  general  mercantile  business,  in  which  he 
continued  for  three  and  one- half  years.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  he  commenced  buying  and  sell- 
ing stock  on  a  large  scale,  and  has  been  dealing 
more  or  le.ss  in  stock  ever  since,  although  not 
so  extensively  as  he  did  during  the  first  ten 
years  after  engaging  in  the  stock  business. 
In  1885  he  purchased  his  present  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty-five  acres,  which  is  well- 
improved,  and  but  a  half-mile  distant  from 
Adrian. 

On  October  20,  1885,  Mr.  Milliken  married 
Belle  Thompson,  daughter  of  Archie  Thomp- 
son, of  Canada.  Two  children  have  blessed 
this  union  :  Andrew  and  Koscoe. 

John  Milliken  has  always  been  an  earnest 
democrat,  has  filled  several  township  offices  and 
is  never  lacking  in  support  of  his  party  and 
its  measures.  Mr.  Milliken  is  probably  as 
well  acquainted  with  everything  relating  to 
stock  business  as  any  man  in  the  county,  and 
his  excellent  judgment  of  weights  and  meas- 
ures contributes  no  little  to  his  success  in  cattle 
dealing. 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


o27 


JOHN  M.  NELSON.  One  who  passed 
^  through  all  the  perils  of  western  mining 
camps  in  the  gold  fields  of  California  and  risked 
his  life  on  southern  battle-fields  is  John  M. 
Nelson,  a  justice  of  the  peace  of  Manor  town- 
ship. He  is  a  son  of  George  and  Isabella 
(Montgomery)  Nelson,  and  was  born  in  Lan- 
caster county,  Pennsylvania,  March  13,  1837. 
George  Nelson  was  born  in  county  Antrim,  Ire- 
land, in  1795,  and  came  with  his  wife,  in  1832 
to  Pennsylvania,  where  he  settled  in  Lan- 
caster county.  In  1838  he  removed  to 
Pittsburg!),  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  of 
carpenter  until  1855,  when  he  purchased  a  farm 
in  Allegheny  county  and  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  seven  years.  He  dietl  in  1862,  at  sixty- 
seven  years  of  age.  He  was  a  republican  in 
politics  and  a  member  of  the  Covenanter  church 
and  married  Isabella  Montgomery,  a  native  of 
county  Antrim,  Ireland,  who  was  a  consistent 
member  of  the  Covenanter  church  and  died  in 
1888,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty  years. 

John  M.  Nelson  was  reared  principally  in 
Pittsburgh,  where  he  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  that  city.  In  1857  he 
joined  the  tide  of  emigration  to  the  gold  fields 
of  California  and  went  by  way  of  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama.  He  was  engaged  in  gold-mining 
until  1863,  when  he  enlisted  in  Co.  K,  1st  reg- 
iment, California  Vols.,  as  a  private,  and  served 
until  November,  1865,  when  he  was  discharged 
at  Fort  Riley,  Kansas.  He  participated  in  all 
the  skirmishes  and  battles  of  his  regiment,  un- 
til he  was  wounded  in  the  knee  at  Fort  Union, 
New  Mexico,  from  which  wound  he  suffered 
until  Dec.  5,  1890,  when  he  had  to  have  the 
limb  amputated.  After  being  discharged  he 
returned  to  Pennsylvania  and  was  engaged  for 
eleven  years  in  the  Igeneral  mercantile  busi- 
ness at  Millertown,  Allegheny  county.  In 
1878  he  was  appointed  deputy  in  the  office  of 
the  county  treasurer  of  Allegheny  county,  which 
position  he  held  until  1882,  when  he  entered  the 
United    States   revenue   service,   in    which   he 


served  for  five  years.  He  then  (1887)  came  to 
Ford  City,  where  he  still  resides. 

On  March  19,  1867,  he  married  Hannah  M. 
Howe,  daughter  of  James  Howe,  of  Allegheny 
county.  Their  union  has  been  blessed  with  one 
child,  a  daughter,  Eva. 

John  M.  Nelson  is  an  active  republican  in 
politics  and  in  Fehruar}',  1889,  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace  of  Manor  township.  He  is 
a  member  of  Tarentum  Post,  No.  135,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  Camp  No.  1,  Union 
Veteran  Legion,  of  Pittsburgh,  and  Pollock 
Lodge,  No.  502,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons, 
at  Tarentum,  and  a  member  and  trustee  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


MATTHIAS  R.  PEPPER  was  born  in  Keel, 
Staffordshire,  England,  March  29,  1846, 
and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Etlge) 
Pepper.  He  lived  with  his  parents  in  Keel  and 
vicinity  until  he  was  about  twelve  years  of  age, 
when  his  father  moved  to  Birmingham,  where 
he  was  employed  for  a  number  of  years  in  running 
a  stationary  engine  for  a  plate-glass  works. 

When  about  thirteen  years  of  age,  M.  R. 
Pepper  entered  the  Birmingham  plate-glass 
works,  where  he  was  employed  as  a  bench  boy 
in  the  polishing  department,  where,  by  work- 
ing industriously  and  step  by  step,  he  learned  the 
manufacturing  of  plate-glass  in  all  of  its  de- 
tails. At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  was  fore- 
man in  the  polishing  department. 

On  Sept.  30,  1866,  he  married  Esther  Coo- 
[>er,  daughter  of  John  and  Priscilla  (Gosling) 
Cooper.  They  have  five  children,  two  sons  and 
three  daughters :  Jennie,  who  is  married  to 
Chas.  Kier  of  Creighton,  Allegheny  county. 
Pa.,  John  A.,  Matthias  R.,  Jr.,  Esther  P.  and 
Lillian  A. 

In  1870  there  was  great  talk  in  England  of 
a  large  glass  works  being  built  by  Cajitain  J. 
B.  Ford,  of  Indiana,  who  is  the  founder  of  the 
first  plate  glass   M'orks   in  America.      M.    R. 


528 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Pepper's  father-in-law,  John  Cooper,  determined 
to  come  out  as  a  glass-grinder.  Captain  J.  B. 
Ford  then  had  a  grinder,  but  where  could  he 
get  a  man  that  understood  smoothing,  polishing 
and  tlie  finishing  of  glass  in  all  of  its  details? 
He  was  then  told  of  M.  R.  Pepper,  and  at  the 
wish  of  Captain  J.  B.  Ford,  Mr.  Pepper  came 
to  New  Albany,  Indiana,  where  he  acted  for 
Mr.  Ford  as  superintendent.  In  1883  he  went 
to  the  Pittsburgh  Plate  Glass  Co.,  Creighton, 
Pa.,  where  he  acted  for  Mr.  Ford  as  foreman 
polisher  for  two  years  and  then  became  superin- 
tendent of  the  works,  which  position  he  held 
three  years.  In  1888  he  was  offered  and  ac- 
cepted for  the  same  company  the  general  super- 
iutendency  of  the  Ford  city  plate-glass  plant, 
which  is  the  largest  glass  works  in  the  world, 
and  removed  to  that  place,  where  he  has  remain- 
ed ever  since.  He  is  the  first  practical  2>late- 
glass  worker  in  the  United  States.  He  polished 
the  first  plate-glass  that  was  made  in  this 
country,  and  it  was  ground  by  his  father-in-law, 
John  Cooper.  Matthias  R.  Pepper  is  a  i-epub- 
lican  in  politics.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Amer- 
ican Legion  of  Honor,  No.  932,  and  Kittanning 
Lodge,  No.  244,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 
Since  being  in  the  United  States  he  has  t^yice 
visited  the  land  of  his  nativity. 


ROBERT  G.  RALSTON,  M.D.,  an  active 
and  successful  physician  of  Middlesex, 
East  Franklin  township,  and  a  member  of  the 
Armstrong  Medical  society  and  the  Pennsylva- 
nia State  Medical  society,  is  a  son  of  James  and 
Jane  (Graham)  Ralston,  and  was  born  in 
Armstrong  county,  Pentisylvania,  January  22, 
1830.  Among  the  early  settlers  of  West- 
moreland county,  from  county  Tyrone,  Ireland, 
was  Matthew  Ralston,  the  paternal  grandfather 
of  Dr.  Ralston.  Matthew  Ralston,  who  was 
an  earnest  presbyterian,  settled  with  his  family, 
about  1799,  in  Westmoreland  county,  where  he 
followed  farming  until  his  death,  in  1839.     In 


religious  matters  he  was  strict  in  the  presbyter- 
ian faith  of  his  forefathers  and  in  political  af- 
fairs, in  this  county,  was  a  stanch  supporter  of 
the  Democratic  party.  Of  his  sons  born  in  the 
old  world,  one  was  James  Ralston  (father), 
who  was  reared  from  nine  years  of  age  in 
Westmoreland  county,  where  he  resided  until 
he  came  to  this  county.  Sixteen  years  later 
he  returned  to  Westmoreland  county,  and  after 
a  residence  of  sixteen  years  came  to  South 
Buffalo  township.  In  1866  he  came  to  East 
Franklin  township,  where  he  died  December 
30,  1876,  aged  eighty-six  years.  He  followed 
farming  and  was  a  member,  for  over  half  a 
century,  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  which, 
during  the  larger  part  of  that  time,  he  had 
.served  as  a  ruling  elder.  He  was  a  democrat  in 
politics  and  a  pillar  of  strength  in  his  church. 
He  was  a  life-long  democrat  and  a  successful 
farmer  and  married  Jane  Graham,  who  was  a 
native  of  Ireland  and  a  presbyterian  in  religious 
fnith  and  died  April  21,  1871,  aged  seventy- 
four  years  and  nine  months.  Her  father,  Joseph 
Graham  (maternal  grandfather),  came  about 
1800  from  county  Tyrone  to  Armstrong 
county,  where  he  followed  farming  as  long  as 
he  lived. 

Robert  G.  Ralston  was  reared  in  Westmore- 
land and  Arm.strong  counties  and  received  his 
literary  education  in  Jefferson  college,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1855.  Af- 
ter graduation  he  went  to  Kentucky,  where  he 
was  engaged  for  one  year  in  teaching.  Return- 
ing home  at  the  end  of  that  time,  he  read  medi- 
cine with  Dr.  Snowden,  of  Freeport,  Pa.,  and 
entered  Jefferson  Medical  college  October,  1857, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  March,  1860. 
One  year  later  he  located  at  Middlesex,  this 
township,  where  he  has  remained  ever  since,  in 
the  successful  practice  of  his  profession.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  county  and  State  medical  so- 
cieties. He  is  an  elder  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  a  democrat  in  politics. 

On    June   17,    1865,   Dr.    Ralston   married 


AMMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


520 


Martha  Terapleton,  daughter  of  John  Temple- 
tou,  of  Sugar  Creek  township.  To  this  union 
have  been  born  ten  cliiidren,  three  sons  and 
seven  daughters :  Nannie  B.,  married  to  Rev. 
J.  C.Ambrose;  Jennie,  Nettie  M.,  Elizabeth 
M.,  Ina  F.,  William  J.,  Catherine,  John  T., 
Virginia  and  Robert  S. 

Dr.  Ralston  owns  two  good  farms  in  this 
county  and  resides  upon  the  one  adjoining  Mid- 
dlese.x.  As  a  safe,  sound  and  successful  physi- 
cian, he  receives  the  well-merited  respect  of  his 
professional  brethren,  and  the  confidence  of  the 
community. 


ISAAC  REESE,  the  descendant  of  an  old  and 
J-  thrifty  family,  noted  for  its  longevity,  and 
the  inventor  of  the  Reese  silica  fire-brick,  now 
in  such  general  use  throughout  the  United  States, 
was  born  in  Wales,  in  1820,  and  is  a  son  of 
William  Reese.  The  Reese  family  is  remarka- 
ble for  the  great  age  attained  by  many  of 
its  members.  Isaac  Reese's  paternal  great- 
grandfather lived  to  be  one  hundred  antl  four 
years  of  age  and  one  of  his  sons  (grandfather) 
die<l  at  one  hundred  and  six  years  of  age.  Wil- 
liam Reese  (father)  married  and  came,  about 
1835,  to  western  Pennsylvania.  He  is  now 
engaged  in  the  fire-brick  business  at  Bolivar, 
Westmoreland  countv.  He  was  born  in  1787, 
and  although  now  in  the  one  hundred  and  third 
year  of  his  age,  yet  is  remarkably  hale  and 
hearty. 

Isaac  Reese  was  reared  in  Wales,  received  a 
good  business  education  and  came  to  Pennsylva- 
nia, where  he  located  in  Pittsburgh.  Soon  after 
his  arrival  in  the  Iron  City,  he  engaged  in  the 
fire-brick  business,  which  he  has  coutinued  ever 
since.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church 
and  a  republican  in  politics.  He  owns  some 
valuable  real  estate  in  Pittsburgh,  where  he  has 
always  resided  since  coming  to  this  country. 

He  married  Elizabeth  Jones,  who  is  a  native 
of  Wales. 


Isaac  Reese,  besides  his  Manorville  fire-brick 
plant,  owns  another  one  at  the  mouth  of  Cow- 
anshannock   creek,  in  Valley   township.     The 
Phcenix  Fire-brick  works,  at  Manorville,  were 
started,  in  1880,  to  make  ordinary  fire-brick, 
but  since  December  16,1  884,  when  Isaac  Reese 
patente<l   his  "  Reese  Silica  Brick,"  the  works 
have  run  night  and  day  to  supply  the  demand 
for  these  silica  brick.     Of  late  years  great  im- 
provements have  been   made   in  making   high 
grades  of  steel  and  a  continued  demand  has 
been  made  for  a  better  fire-brick  than  could  be 
obtained    in  the  United  States.       From    1863 
to  1884  the  demand  for  this  high-grade  brick, 
especially   by  open-hearth    steel-furnaces,    was 
supplied  by  brick  brought  from  Eurojje  at  a 
very    great   cost.     After   ten  years  of  experi- 
menting on  a  quartz  rock  which  he  found  on 
the  Allegheny  river,  Mr.  Ree.se  patented  a  silica 
brick   which   is  far  superior  to  the   Eiu'opean 
brick,   which   it    has  driven  entirely  from  the 
American   market.     The  Ree.se  Silica  brick  are 
of  uniform  size  and  weight,  are  practically  free 
from   expansion  or   contraction  under  varying 
temperatures  and  give  the  best  of  satisfaction  in 
the  construction  and  use  of  gla.ss,  open-hearth, 
copper  and  other  metallurgical  furnaces.  Wuth's 
analysis  of  this  brick  is  :  Silica,  97.52  parts; 
alumina,   1.72  ;  lime,  .57  ;  iron,  .16  ;  and  mag- 
nesia .03,  making  a  total  of  one  hundred  parts. 
The  material  is  induratetl  and  an  exact  amount 
weighed    into  the  mold  for  each   brick,  hence 
their  freedom  from  contraction  or  expansion  and 
their  uniform  weight.     Mr.  Reese  has  received 
hundreds  of  testimonials  in  regard  to  the  many 
good  qualities  of  his  brick  from  his  numerous 
patrons,  including  prominent  furnace,  gla.s.s  and 
plate-glass  companies. 

Mr.  Reese  employs  over  one  hundred  and 
forty  hands  at  his  two  Armstrong  county  fire- 
brick works,  which  he  runs  night  and  day 
and  from  which  he  turns  out  daily  eight 
thousand  silica  fire-brick.  His  works  have  a 
capacity  of  two  million  bricks  per  year  and  he 


530 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


ships  them  to  every  manufacturing  State  and 
territory  of  the  Union,  especially  to  the  gold, 
silver  and  copper-smelting  works  of  Colorado, 
and  exports  some  to  other  countries.  He  now 
manufactures  nothing  but  silica  brick  and  can- 
nut  fill  the  demand  for  them.  They  have  about 
driven  the  imported  article  from  the  market 
and  are  used  exclusively  by  all  the  plate-glass 
works  of  the  United  States.  He  is  assisted  in 
his  business  by  his  three  sons :  George  W., 
Benjamin  P.  and  Walter  L.,  of  whom  the  first 
is  general  superintendent  and  the  latter  two  are 
assistant  superintendents  of  the  works.  Isaac 
Reese,  in  his  process  of  manufacturing  silica  brick, 
has  secured  to  the  world  an  important  and  useful 
discovery  and  has  laid  the  foundation  of  a  valu- 
able branch  of  industry  in  western  Pennsylvania. 


GEORGE  ROSS,  a  descendant  of  one  of  the 
early  settled  families  of  Armstrong  county 
and  a  justice  of  the  peace  of  Manor  township, 
is  a  son  of  Washington  and  Margaret  (Copley) 
Ross,  and  was  born  in  Manor  township,  Arm- 
strong county,  Pennsylvania,  September  6, 
1846.  The  Ross  family  traces  its  ancestry  to 
the  nobility  of  Scotland.  Judge  George  Ross 
(grandfather)  was  born  in  Chester  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, in  1777  and  removed,  in  1800,  to 
Armstrong  county,  where  he  acted  as  a  deputy 
State  surveyor,  and  laid  out  Kittanning.  At 
one  time  he  was  one  of  the  largest  land-owners 
in  the  county  and  was  in  possession  of  over  700 
acres  of  land.  In  1805  he  was  elected  asso- 
ciate judge  of  the  county,  which  office  he  filled 
very  creditably  until  he  died,  in  1829,  when  he 
was  in  the  seventy-third  year  of  his  age.  He 
was  an  active  member  of  the  Appleby  Manor 
Presbyterian  church,  whose  house  of  worship 
he  was  mainly  instrumental  in  having  erected. 
He  was  prominent,  influential  and  highly  re- 
spected throughout  the  county.  Judge  Ross 
came  to  what  is  the  southwestern  part  of 
Manor    township  as  early  as  1807,  for  he  is 


first  assessed  in  Kittanning  township  in  1808. 
He  and  his  family  lived  for  some  time  in  a 
cabin  near  Fort  Green.  He  built  the  first 
stone  house  in  his  section  of  the  county.  He 
was  assessed  in  1808  with  one  hundred  acres  of 
land  and  in  1820  with  a  saw  and  grist-mill, 
which  were  at  what  was  afterwards  knowu  as 
"  Ross'  Mills."  Grists  were  brought  to  his 
mill  from  a  distance  of  from  twenty  to  thirty 
miles.  In  1807  he  purchased  "  Ross' "  island, 
opposite  the  mouth  of  Crooked  creek,  from  Wil- 
liam Green  for  one  hundred  dollars.  His  son, 
Washington  Ross  (father),  was  born  on  his 
father's  farm,  in  Manor  township,  iu  1817. 
In  early  life  he  owned  and  operated  a  steam 
saw-mill,  but  soon  afterwards  engaged  iu  farm- 
ing, which  he  followed  actively  until  of  late 
years.  He  owns  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
seventy  acres  of  land  and  gives  a  portion  of  his 
time  to  its  management.  He  now  resides  at 
Kittanning.  He  has  been  very  successful  in  his 
business  ventures,  and  iu  1854  laid  out  on  his 
lands  the  towu  of  Rosston,  which  was  named 
after  him.  He  is  a  rejjublican  in  politics  and  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  mar- 
ried Margaret  Copley,  who  was  born  in  Phila- 
delphia iu  1826. 

George  Ross  was  reared  on  the  farm  ou 
which  both  he  and  his  father  were  born.  After 
attending  the  public  schools  of  Mauor  township 
and  Kittanning  seminary,  he  entered  the  employ 
of  W.  D.  Robinson,  a  merchant  of  Rosston, 
with  whom  he  remained  one  year.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  he  engaged  in  farming,  which  he 
has  followed  until  the  present  time.  During  a 
part  of  the  years  1888  aud  1889  he  acted  as 
assistant  postmaster  at  Ford  City. 

On  January  28,  1874,  he  married  Eva  Mc- 
Kee,  daughter  of  Thomas  V.  McKee,  one  of 
the  commissioners  of  Armstrong  county.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ross  have  been  born  .six  chil- 
dren, three  sons  and  three  daughters:  May, 
James  G.,  Bessie,  Thomas,  Washington  and 
Josephine. 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


531 


111  politics,  George  Ross  is  an  independent 
republican.  In  1884  he  was  elected  justice  of 
the  peace  of  Manor  township,  which  office  he 
filled  for  five  years.  He  has  also  been  elected 
at  various  times  to  the  offices  of  school  director 
and  auditor.  Mr.  Ross  owns  a  good  farm,  has 
been  successful  in  farming  and  stock-raising 
and  commands  the  respect  and  esteem  of  the 
community  in  which  he  resides.  j 


DAVID  RUPP,  an  intelligent  and  respected  ' 
citizen  of  Kittanning  township,  is  one  of 
the  few  Union  soldiers  of  the  late  war  who 
witnessed  Robert  Lee  tender  his  sword  at  Ap-  ' 
pomattox  Court-house  to  Ulys.ses  S.  (rrant.  He 
is  a  son  of  Francis  and  Elizabeth  (Olinger) 
Rui)p,  and  was  born  in  Kittanning  township, 
Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  January  .30, 
1828.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Francis  Rupp, 
Sr.,  was  a  native  of  Germany,  and  came,  before 
1800  to  this  township  where  he  purchased  and 
cleared  out  a  large  farm  when  Indians  were  ; 
still  in  the  country.  His  maternal  grandfather,  : 
Adam  Olinger,  was  a  native  of  esistern  Penn-  ! 
sylvania  and,  like  Francis  Rupp,  became  an 
early  settler  and  large  land-holder  of  Kittan- 
ning township,  in  which  he  died.  Francis  Rupp 
(father)  was  born  in  1799  and  died  in  1847. 
He  was  a  prosperous  farmer,  an  old-line  whig 
and  an  elder  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He 
had  an  older  brother,  Adam  Rupp,  who  served 
in  the  war  of  1812.  Francis  Rupp  married 
Elizabeth  Olinger,  who  was  born  in  eastern 
Pennsylvania,  united,  at  an  early  age,  with  the 
Lutheran  church  and  died  in  1853,  aged  fifty- 
nine  years. 

David  Rupp  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  ob- 
tained his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  neigh- 
borhood. Trained  to  farm  work  and  farm  man- 
agement, he  engaged  in  farming  when  he  came 
to  do  for  himself.  On  September  16,  1864. 
he  enlisted  in  Co.  H,  199th  regiment,  Pa. 
Vols.,  and  served  until  June  28,  1865,  when  he 


was  honorably  discharged.  Although  serving 
but  eight  months,  yet  he  saw  as  much  hard 
fighting  as  some  of  the  men  who  served  for 
three  years.  He  was  in  the  engagements  March 
29,  1865,  in  front  of  Petersburg  and  at  Rice's 
station  and  Appomattox  Court-house.  At  the 
clo.se  of  the  war  he  returned  to  Kittanning 
township,  where  he  has  been  engaged  in  farming 
ever  since.  He  owns  a  good  farm  of  sixty 
acres  of  land,  which  is  well  improved  and  lies 
in  a  productive  part  of  the  township. 

In  1852  Mr.  Rupp  united  in  marriage  with 
Sarah  Moorhead,  daughter  of  John  Moorhead, 
Sr.,  of  Manor  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rupp 
have  had  eleven  children,  seven  sons  and  four 
daughters:  Sarah  E.,  John  F.,  Samuel  W., 
Margaret  F.,  David  M.,  Mary  A.,  Hannah  A., 
Arthur  L.,  Norman  H.,  Charles  H.,  and  James 
W.,  who  died  May  6,  1889,  aged  twenty-eight 
years. 

David  Rupp  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  church  and  a  pronouncetl  republican 
in  politics.  He  has  filled  acceptably  the  offices 
of  supervisor  of  roads  and  school  director. 
Honest,  reliable  and  industrious,  Mr.  Rupp 
commands  the  respect  of  his  neighbors  and  is 
well  situated  to  enjoy  the  comforts  of  life. 


SIMON  P.  SCHALL,  a  leading  farmer  and 
stock-raiser  of  Manor  township,  and  an 
influential  citizen  in  the  community  in  which 
he  resides,  is  a  son  of  Israel  and  Sarah  (Hild- 
man)  Schall,  and  was  born  in  Kittanning  town- 
ship, Armstrong  county,  Penu.sylvania,  Febru- 
ary 20,  1 838.  His  grandfather,  Michael  Schall, 
was  born  in  eastern  Pennsylvania  in  1776,  and 
removed  to  Armstrong  county,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  farming  for  over  fifty  years.  He 
died  in  1856,  aged  eighty  years.  He  was  an 
industrious  farmer,  a  peaceable  man  and  a 
member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church. 
One  of  his  sous,  Israel  Schall  (father),  was  born 
in  Kittanning  township    in   1802,  and  resided 


532 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


there  until  his  death.  He  was  a  farmer  by 
occupatiou,  a  prominent  democrat  in  polities 
and  at  different  times  held  various  of  his  town- 
ship's offices.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  a 
deacon  in  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  of 
which  both  he  and  his  wife  were  consistent 
members.  He  died  in  1868,  when  in  the  sixty- 
sixth  year  of  his  age.  He  married  Sarah  Hild- 
niau,  who  was  born  in  Kittanniiig  township  in 
18011.  Mrs.  Schall  is  still  living  in  Kittauning 
township  and  is  very  active  for  a  woman  of 
eighty-one  years  of  age. 

Simon  P.  Schall  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  after  receiving  a  common-school  edu- 
cation, learned  the  trade  of  carpenter,  which  he 
followed  for  fifteen  years.  He  then  engaged  in 
farming,  which  he  has  followed  ever  since.  He 
now  owns  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  thirty 
acres,  some  six  miles  from  Kittauning,  on  the 
KittanninsT  and  Leechburtr  road.  In  addition 
to  farming  Mr.  Schall  makes  a 
live  stock,  which  he  raises  for 
markets. 

In  1860  he  married  Eliza  Patrick,  a  daughter 
of    Robert  Patrick,    of  Kittauning    township. 
They  have  been  the  parents  of  seven  children  . 
Sarah    M.,    Warren,    Laura,    Kobert,    Joseph 
Harry,  and  one  which  died. 

Simon  P.  Schall  is  a  trustee  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  of  which  he  is  a  consistent 
member.  He  is  a  republican  in  politics,  has 
filled  various  township  offices  and  is  esteemed 
in  the  community  in  which  he  resides  as  an  en- 
ergetic and  substantial  citizen,  who  is  ever  ready 
to  assist  in  any  and  every  good  cause.  He  is 
firm  in  his  convictions  of  what  he  believes  to  be 
right,  yet  is  considerate  of  the  feelings  and  opin- 
ions of  others,  and  never  forces  his  views  on 
any  one. 


specialty  of 
the   eastern 


JOSEPH  J.  SCHRECKENGOST,  a  de- 
"  scendant  of  two  substantial  and  early 
families,  and  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Kittanning 


township,  is  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Susanna 
(Oury)  Schreckengost,  and  was  born  in  Kittan- 
ning township,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania, 
April  29,  1829.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
Coonrod  Scheckengost,  Sr.,  was  a  native  of 
Germany,  and  came  to  Bucks  county,  where  he 
remained  a  short  time.  He  then  came  to  Kit- 
tanning  township,  where  he  purchased  a  farm 
and  followed  farming  and  gunsmithing  until 
his  death.  He  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
this  township  and  was  accompanied  here  by  his 
son,  Coonrod  Schreckengost  (father),  who  was 
born  in  Bucks  county.  Coonrod  Schrecken- 
gost, who  lived  to  be  eighty-two  years  of  age, 
was  a  miller  by  trade,  but  gave  part  of  his  time 
to  farming.  He  was  a  lutheran  in  religious 
belief,  and  a  republican  in  political  opinion  and 
married  Susanna  Oury.  Mrs.  Schreckengost, 
was  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church. 

Joseph  J.  Schreckengost  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm  in  a  day  when  farmers'  sons  had  to 
encounter  privations  and  hardships  of  which 
they  know  nothing  to-day.  He  obtained  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  his  neighborhood, 
which  were  as  good  as  any  in  the  county  at  that 
period.  Leaving  school,  he  learned  the  trade  of 
millwright,  which  he  followed  for  eight  years. 
He  then  embarked  in  the  milling  business, 
which  he  followed  for  eight  years,  and  at  the 
end  of  that  time  engaged  in  farming,  in  which 
he  has  continued  successfully  ever  since. 

J.  J.  Schreckengost  united  in  marriage  with 
Rachel  J.  Bouch,  daughter  of  Eli  Bouch,  of 
Kittanning  township.  They  have  six  children 
living,  four  sons  and  two  daugbtere,  of  whom 
five  are :  Susanna  P.,  Nathaniel,  William  E., 
Sarah  Adaline  and  David  A. 

In  religious  belief  Mr.  Schreckengost  is  a 
methodist,  being  a  member  of  one  of  the 
churches  of  that  denomination.  In  political 
opinion  he  is  a  republican.  He  owns  a  very 
good  farm  of  sixty-five  acres  of  land,  which  he 
carefully  cultivates.     The  Schreckengost    and 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


533 


Oury  families  were  early  settlers  of  this  town- 
ship. In  the  assessment  list  of  1807  there  are 
four  of  the  name  of  Schreckengost,  who  were 
land-owners,  and  on  the  same  list  appears  the 
names  of  Christopher  Onry,  who  owned  a  dis- 
tillery, and  Adam  Oury,  a  farmer. 


SHEDRICK  A.  STARR,  one  of  the  young, 
ambitious  and  successful  farmers  and  stock- 
dealers  of  Valley  township,  is  a  son  of  Joseph 
and  Mary  (Lucas)  Starr,  and  was  born  in  Val- 
ley township,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania, 
June  lit,  1800.  Joseph  Starr,  who  is  a  promi- 
nent farmer  and  very  successful  business  man, 
was  born  in  1818,  in  this  county,  where  he  has 
always  resided.  He  commenced  the  battle  of 
life  for  himself  with  but  little  capital,  but  by 
hard  labor,  good  management  and  judicious  in- 
vestments, he  has  secured  a  comfortable  compe- 
tency and  now  owns  four  well-improved  and 
well-stocked  farms,  besides  having  an  interest  iu 
several  business  enterprises.  In  connection 
with  farming  he  has  always  dealt  largely  in 
stock.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Pine  Creek  Bap- 
tist church,  in  which  he  has  served  for  several 
years  as  a  deacon.  He  married  Mary  Lucas, 
who  is  a  member  of  the  same  church  to  which 
her  husband  belongs. 

Shedrick  A.  Starr  wsis  reared  iu  this  town- 
ship and  received  his  education  iu  its  common 
schools.  Leaving  school,  he  engaged  in  farming 
until  1887,  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born 
and  reared.  In  the  spring  of  the  la.st-naraed 
year  he  removed  to  his  present  farm,  which  is 
conveniently  situated  in  regard  to  market,  church 
and  school. 

In  1883  he  united  in  marriage  with  Phebe 
Slagle,  daughter  of  Daniel  Slagle,  of  Valley 
township.  Their  union  has  been  blest  with 
three  children,  one  son  and  two  daughters.  Two 
of  their  children  are  :  Charles  C.  and  Lulu  M. 

In  religious  faith  Mr.  Starr  is  a  baptist  and 
a  member  of  Pine  Creek  chui-ch  of  that  tlenomi- 


nation.  In  political  sentiment  he  is  a  democrat 
and  believes  iu  the  principles  of  that  party  as 
practiced  by  Andrew  Jackson  and  Grover  Cleve- 
land. He  has  served  as  auditor  of  Valley  town- 
ship for  six  years.  He  deals  largely  iu  stock, 
which  he  ships  to  the  eastern  markets.  His 
farm  contains  si.\ty-six  acres  of  good  farming 
land,  which  is  well  improved.  It  is  underlaid 
with  coal,  which  is  equally  accessible  for  mining 
purposes  with  the  other  coal  lands  of  that  sec- 
tion. Mr.  Starr  has  devoted  his  time  largely 
to  farming  and  stock-dealing,  and  has  met  with 
good  success  in  his  chosen  line  of  business.  He 
is  always  ready  to  aid  the  need}',  and  takes  a 
Justifiable  pride  iu  the  progress  and  prosperity 
of  his  township. 


JOHN  STEWART,  one  of  the  prosperous 
farmers  and  respected  citizens  of  Valley 
township,  was  born  in  county  Donegal,  Ireland, 
in  May,  1823,  aud  is  a  son  of  James  and  Re- 
becca (Doak)  Stewart.  James  Stewart  left  his 
native  county  of  Donegal  and  came  in  1827  to 
Philadelphia,  where  he  remained  l)ut  six  months 
before  removing  to  Westmoreland  county,  in 
which  he  resided  for  nearly  three  years.  He 
then  came  to  Armstrong  county,  where  he  set- 
tled in  Mahoning  township  and  was  engaged  in 
farming  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1813, 
wheu  in  the  seventieth  year  of  his  age.  He  was 
an  industrious  man  and  a  consistent  member  of 
the  Presb3'terian  church.  He  married  Rebecca 
Doak,  who  was  like  himself  a  native  of  county 
Donegal,  and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  She  was  bom  iu  1785  and  died  in 
1863,  wheu  lacking  but  two  years  of  being  an 
octogenarian.  They  were  a  well-respected 
couple  in  the  community  in  which  they  resided, 
and  had  a  family  of  four  sons  and  one  daughter. 
John  Stewart  was  reared  from  seven  years  of 
age  on  his  father's  farm  in  Mahoning  township, 
where  he  received  a  practical  common  business 
education    in  the  country  schools  of  that  day. 


534 


BIOQBAPHIES  OF 


Upon  attaiDing  his  majority  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, which  he  has  pursued  profitably  ever  since. 
Mr.  Stewart  owns  two  good  farms  in  Valley 
township,  and  his  home  farm,  which  he  bought  , 
in  1846  and  on  which  he  resided  since  1852, 
containing  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  well- 
improved  and  tillable  laud.  He  also  erected  his 
comfortable  residence  and  the  convenient  barn 
and  numerous  out-buildings  which  are  on  liis  : 
home  farm.  ' 

On  December  9,  1852,  Mr.  Stewart  married 
Elizabeth  Harris,  daughter  of  Joseph  Harris,  a 
native  of  Ireland.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stewart 
have  been  born  seven  children :  Rebecca  Ann, 
born  April  8,  1854,  died  July  8,  1859;  Eliza- 
beth J.,  born  October  18,  1856,  died  June  8, 
1878  ;  Margaret  A.,  Mary  T.,  who  was  a  teacher 
in  the  Kittanuing  schools  for  three  years  and 
marrietl  Hugh  Mclsaac,  Indiana  county,  and 
Emma  F.  A.,  Anabel  B.  and  Rebecca. 

John  Stewart  is  neutral  in  politics  and  a 
member  and  elder  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian 
church.  He  is  one  of  the  substantial  and  in- 
dustrious farmers  of  this  prosperous  township. 


ANDREW  H.  WARNER,  the  present  post- 
master and  a  successful  merchant  of 
Greendale,  is  one  of  the  leading  citizens  and 
representative  business  men  of  Valley  town- 
ship. He  was  born  in  the  kingdom  of  Wiir- 
temberg,  Germauy,  January  27,  1843,  and  is 
a  son  of  Henry  and  Mary  (Warner)  Warner. 
Henry  Warner  was  a  life-long  resident  of 
Wiirtemberg,  in  which  he  followed  farming. 
He  was  a  steady,  honest  man,  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  church,  and  died  in  1845.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  Warner,  a  native  of  Wiirtemberg, 
who  is  a  lutheran  iu  religious  faitii,  and  resides 
now  at  Greendale. 

Andrew  H.  Warner  was  reared  in  Germany 
until  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
came  with  his  mother,  in  1857,  to  Lawrence 


county,  where  she  resided  for  thirty  years.  He 
received  his  education  in  the  excellent  public 
schools  of  Germany  and  the  common  schools 
of  Pennsylvania.  At  seventeen  years  of  age 
he  went  to  Pittsburgh,  where  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Cleveland  and  Pittsburgh  R.  R. 
company.  He  remained  with  them  for  twenty- 
four  years,  and  during  that  long  period  of  time 
served  as  lost  car  agent,  yard  dispatcher,  and 
in  various  other  trustworthy  and  responsible 
positions.  In  1884  he  resigned  the  position 
which  he  then  held  in  the  company's  service, 
and  came  to  Valley  township,  to  his  present 
farm,  which  he  had  purchased  iu  1876.  From 
1884  to  1890  he  devoted  his  time  chiefly  to 
farming  and  stock-raising.  In  the  spring  of 
1890  he  opened  a  general  mercantile  store  at 
Greeudale,  which  is  well  stocked  with  dry- 
goods,  groceries,  hardware,  notions  and  every- 
thing needed  in  the  mercantile  line  iu  his 
section.  Greendale  seems  to  be  a  good  loca- 
tion for  a  store,  as  he  has  built  up  an  unex- 
pectedly large  trade  iu  the  few  months  since  he 
commenced  business. 

On  Aug.  30,  1863,  he  married  Fredericka 
Shurke,  a  native  of  Germany.  They  have 
eight  children,  five  sons  and  three  daughters: 
Annie,  John,  Edward,  Lydia,  Margaret,  Charles, 
William  and  Ralph. 

A.  H.  Warner  is  a  republican  in  politics, 
and  has  served  Valley  township  as  auditor.  He 
was  appointed  postmaster  at  Greendale  in  April, 
1890,  which  position  he  still  holds.  In  re- 
lijrious  fiuth  he  is  a  member  of  the  Reformed 
church.  His  farm  of  one  hundred  and  ninety 
acres  was  originally  two  farms,  which  he  bought 
in  1876.  In  farming  and  merchandising  Mr. 
Warner  has  been  successful.  To  whatever 
business  he  has  in  hand  he  gives  that  close  at- 
tention which  is  essentially  necessary  to  sub- 
stantial success.  As  a  citizen  and  a  business 
man  he  stands  well  with  the  public. 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


535 


MARCUS  D.  WAYMAN,  of  Ford  City,  who 
has  been  interested  in  the  plate-glass 
business  for  twenty  years,  has  made  more  ma- 
chinery for  plate-glass  works  than  any  other 
man  in  the  United  States.  He  is  a  sou  of 
Garey  and  Nancy  (Shellers)  Wayman,  and  was 
born  in  Washington  county,  State  of  Indiana, 
March  10,  1830.  Garey  Wayman  was  born  in 
1809,  in  Maryland,  and  when  a  young  man 
went  to  Lexington,  Ky.,  where  lie  entered  and 
served  for  some  time  in  a  printing  establish- 
ment. He  then  removed  to  New  Albany,  In- 
diana, where  he  made  his  home  until  his  death, 
in  tiie  fall  of  1843,  when  he  was  only  thirty- 
eight  years  of  age.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  church,  and  married  Nancy  Shellers, 
a  daughter  of  John  Shellers,  of  Frankfort,  Ky., 
by  whom  he  had  six  children.  Mrs.  Way- 
man  was  born  in  Frankfort  in  1809,  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  church,  and  now  resides 
with  her  sou,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Marcus  D.  Wayman  was  principally  reared 
in  Kentucky,  where  he  received  a  common- 
school  education  and  learned  the  trade  of  foun- 
dryman.  In  1850  he  and  nineteen  other  young 
men  crossed  the  plains,  with  ox-teams,  to  the 
gold  regions  of  California.  After  five  years' 
successful  experience  in  gold-digging,  he  re- 
turned to  Louisville  and  purchased  a  foundry, 
which  he  has  operated  ever  since.  In  this 
foundry  he  built  the  machinery  for  a  large 
immber  of  steamboats,  and  has  fitted  out  as 
high  as  eleven  steamboats  a  year.  During  the 
late  civil  war  he  had  charge  of  the  government 
works  at  Cairo,  111.,  and  since  1870  Mr.  Way- 
man  has  been  connected  with  Mr.  Ford  in  the 
manufacture  of  plate-glass.  In  1870,  under  a 
contract  with  J.  B.  Ford,  of  New  Albany,  In- 
diana, he  built  the  first  machinery  made  in  the 
United  States  for  a  plate-glass  works,  and  since 
that  time  has  constructed  the  machinery  for  the 
following  plate-glass  works  :  the  Crystal  works 
of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  the  Louisville  plant,  the  Jef- 
fersouville  plant,  the  Creighton  plant,  the  Taren- 


tum  plant  and  the  two  plate-glass  works  at 
Ford  City.  In  1880  he  moved  from  Louis- 
ville, Ky.,  to  Tarentum,  Pa., and  ten  years  later 
to  Ford  City,  where  he  has  resided  ever  since. 

On  Sept.  20,  1871,  he  married  Margaret 
Mongavin,  daughter  of  Thomas  Mongaviu,  of 
Louisville,  Ky.  To  their  union  have  been  born 
six  sons  and  four  daughters:  Mary,  Albert, 
Marcus  D.,  Jr.,  Samuel,  Thomas,  Garey,  Mar- 
garetta,  Ruth,  Ruby  and  Kenneth. 

Marcus  D.  Wayman  is  a  liberal  republican 
in  politics.  He  is  chairman  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  Ford  City  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  of  which  he  is  a  member.  Mr.  Way- 
man  is  the  pioneer  in  the  manufacture  of  Amer- 
ican plate-glass  machinery,  and  is  known  as  an 
energetic,  practical  business  man. 


TOHN  WIBLE,  a  comfortably  situated  farmer 
^  of  East  Franklin,  and  a  Union  soldier  in 
the  famous  old  14th  Pa.  Cavalry,  is  a  son  of 
Isaac  and  Mary  (Daiigherty)  AA^ible,  and  was 
born  in  East  Franklin  township,  Armstrong 
county,  Penu.sylvania,  April  6,  1825.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  John  Wible,  was  a  life- 
long resident  of  Westmoreland  county,  where 
he  followed  farming  until  his  death.  His  pa- 
rents were  of  that  industrious  and  sturdy  class 
of  early  .settlers  in  this  State  that  is  known  as 
Penasylvania  German.  One  of  John  Wible's 
sons  was  Isaac  Wible,  the  father  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  Isaac  Wible  was  born  \n  the 
first  year  of  the  present  century,  and  in  1818 
came  from  Westmoreland  to  Arm.Strong  county, 
where  he  purchased  a  farm  of  three  hundred 
and  twenty-five  acres  of  laud  and  became  an 
extensive  farmer  and  stock-raiser.  He  was  a 
republican  politically  and  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  whose  every-day  walk  in 
life  corresponded  with  his  religious  profession. 
He  died  in  1882,  aged  eighty-two  years.  He 
married  Mary  Daugherty,  who  was  born  in 
1801  (see  G.  B.  Daugherty's  sketch  of  Kittan- 


536 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


ning)  and  whose  father,  Patrick  Daugherty, 
was  a  native  of  Ireland.  Her  mental  faculties 
are  wonderful  for  one  who  is  verging  on  her 
ninetieth  year,  and  is  reraarl<ably  active  for  a 
woman  of  nearlyt  hree  hundred  pounds  weight. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wible  were  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  of  whom  seven  are  living. 

John  Wible  was  born  and  reared  on  his 
father's  farm  and  received  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  his  neighborhood.  Leaving  school, 
he  engaged  in  farming,  which  has  been  the 
main  business  of  his  life  ever  since.  On  No- 
vember 23,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  M,  14th 
Pa.  Cavalry  (or  159th  regiment.  Pa.  Vols.), 
and  served  until  June  3,  1865,  when  he  was 
discharged  at  Washington  City.  During  his 
term  of  service  he  participated  in  over  forty 
skirmishes  and  battles  of  his  regiment,  which 
encountered  all  manner  of  privations  and  hard- 
ships in  the  two  Virginias. 

In  1854  he  married  Elizabeth  Bowser, 
daughter  of  Samuel  D.  Bowser,  of  this  town- 
ship. They  have  three  children,  two  sons  and 
one  daughter  :  Rebecca  J.,  Thomas  L.,  a  car- 
penter at  Apollo;  and  John  M.,who  is  engaged 
in  well-drilling. 

John  Wible  is  a  republican  in  politics  and  a 
member  of  Glade  Run  Presbyterian  church. 
He  served  his  township  as  road  supervisor, 
when  elected  as  such,  but  is  no  aspirant  for 
office.  His  farm  is  three  miles  from  Kittan- 
ning  and  contains  sixty  acres  of  good  farming 
and  grazing  land.  He  is  well  situated  and  has 
the  respect  of  all  who  know  him. 


ROBERT  WALTER  SMITH  "was  born  at 
Litchfield,   New    Hampshire,   June    16, 


1816,  at  the  residence  of  his  grandfather  (on 
the  maternal  side),  Judge  Parker.  His  great- 
grandfather, Ebenezer  Smith,  was  au  officer 
throughout  the  whole  of  the  Revolutionary  war, 
and  was  appointed  captain  of  the  guard  over 
Maj.  Andre  the  night  before  his  execution.  His 
grandfather,  the  Rev.  David  Smith,  D.D.,  was 
at  the  time  of  his  death  iu  his  ninety-fifth  year, 
probably  the  oldest  Yale  college  graduate  in 
the  United  States.  His  father,  the  late  Rev. 
David  M.  Smith,  was  also  a  graduate  of  Yale 
college,  being  a  member  of  the  class  of  1811. 
He  studied  theology  at  Andover,  Ma.ssachusetts, 
and  was  ordained  a  minister  in  the  Presbyterian 
church." 

R.  W.  Smith  graduated  from  Hamilton  col- 
lege in  1837,  read  law  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  prior  to  1846.  In  that  year  he  came  to 
Kittanuing,  where  he  practiced  his  profession 
for  thirty-five  years.  In  1881  he  visited  his 
brother  at  Brouxville,  New  York,  where  he 
died  on  December  6th  of  that  year.  He  was 
county  superintendent  of  free  schools  from  1856 
to  1860  and  from  1863  to  1866.  He  was  a 
careful  lawyer  and  an  efficient  county  superin- 
tendent, but  it  is  as  the  author  of  "  The  Arm- 
strong County  History "  that  his  name  will  be 
preserved  for  all  time  to  come  iu  Armstrong 
county. 

"  He  was  a  man  of  studious  habits  and  liter- 
ary tastes.  Conceiving  the  idea  of  writing  an 
elaborate  history  of  the  county,  he  entered  upon 
his  arduous,  self-imposed  task  with  the  deter- 
mination of  making  it  thorough  and  reliable. 
Toward  this  end  he  toiled  patiently  for  full  five 
years.  Sadly  enough  the  author  was  not  per- 
mitted the  quiet  .satisfaction  of  seeing  the  book 
on  which  he  had  so  long  toiled  come  from  the 
press." 


RED  BANK,  WAYNE,  COWANSHANNOCK,  PLUM  CREEK  AND 

SOUTH  BEND  TOWNSHIPS. 


Historical  and  Descriptive. — These  five  town- 
ships lie  aloug  the  eastern  boundary  line  of 
Armstrong  county.  Nearly  all  of  Red  Bank 
and  Wayne  townships  are  in  the  Lower  Pro- 
ductive Coal  measures,  and  have  heavy  veins 
of  ferriferous  lime,  while  small  areas  of  these 
measures  are  to  be  found  in  the  western  part  of 
Cowanshannock,  the  southeastern  and  south- 
western parts  of  Plum  Creek  and  the  central 
and  western  parts  of  South  Bend.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  three  last-named  townships  are 
in  the  Lower  Barren  measures,  and  contain 
valuable  beds  of  the  Upper  Freeport  coal.  A 
small  area  of  the  Pittsburgh  Coal-bed  lies  in 
the  southwestern  part  of  South  Bend  township. 

Red  Bank  Toionship  wa.s  organizetl  Septem- 
ber 18,  1806,  and  now  contains  only  about  one- 
seventh  of  its  original  territory.  In  the  north- 
western part  of  the  township  was  "Old  Town," 
an  Indian  village,  which  was  founded  prior  to 
1770. 

Presque  Isle  was  founded  in  1850,  and  Inde- 
pendence was  established  in  1855. 

Wayne  Township  was  formed  from  Plum 
Creek,  on  March  19,  1821,  and  was  named  in 
honor  of  Gen.  Anthony  Wayne.  The  North 
American  and  Holland  land  companies  owned 
considerable  land  in  this  township.  Glade  Run 
Presbyterian  church  was  organized,  in  1808, 
with  eight  members :  James  and  Margaret 
Kirkpatrick,  Williatu  and  Mary  Mai-shall, 
William  and  Martha  Kirkpatrick  and  Wil- 
liam and  Mary  Shields.  The  first  grist-mill 
32 


was  built  by  Joseph  Marshall,  Sr.,  in  1822,  the 
first  fulling-mill  was  erected  in  1828  by  David 
Lewis,  and  the  first  grange  in  the  county  was 
organized  in  Wayne  township.  Glade  Run 
post-ofBce  was  established  Dec.  17,  1828,  Bel- 
knap, Sept.  21,  1855,  and  Echo,  July  14,  1857. 

Cowanshannoch  Town.ihijy  was  formed  from 
parts  of  Kittanuing,  Plum  Creek  and  Wayne 
townships,  on  December  22,  1848,  and  was 
named  after  the  creek  of  that  name.  On  the 
Thomas  McCausland  form  are  vestig&s  of  an 
old  fort  of  Mound-builder  origin.  Atwood, 
named  from  being  at  or  near  the  woods,  was 
founded  by  Dr.  Allison,  who  cleared  the  town 
site  in  1860. 

Green  Oak  was  laid  out  in  1  BCD,  by  W. 
Chrisman,  and  Rural  Valley  dates  its  existence 
as  a  town  from  the  establishment  of  its  post- 
office,  in  1830,  but  was  not  laid  out  until  six 
years  later. 

Plum  Creek  Township  was  taken  from  Kit- 
tanning  on  June  20,  1810,  and  derived  its 
name  from  Plum  Creek.  Several  townships 
have  been  carved  out  of  its  original  territory. 
It  was  settled  at  an  early  day  and  contained 
two  block-houses,  one  of  which,  on  the  Downs 
farm,  was  ouce  attacked  by  Indians,  wiio  cap- 
tured and  carried  off  John  Sloan  and  his  sister 
Nancy.  Among  the  early  settlers  were  George 
Miller,  who  came  in  1766,  and  Absalom  Wood- 
ward, Sr.,  who  arrived  in  1788.  Elderton  was 
laid  out  by  the  name  of  New  Middletown,  on 
Nov.  20, 1820,  by  Robert  J.  Elder,  and  Whites- 

537 


538 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


burg,  named  in  honor  of  Major  James  White, 
was  founded  in  1828.  Cajit.  Andrew  Sharp, 
who  served  under  Washington,  came  to  this 
township  in  1784,  and  ten  years  later  traded 
his  farm  for  one  in  Kentucky,  and  with  his 
wife  and  six  children  and  some  twelve  others 
embarked  on  a  flat-boat  to  make  the  trip  to  his 
southern  home.  At  tlie  mouth  of  Two  Mile 
creek,  below  the  site  of  Apollo,  where  he  had 
fastened  up  the  boat  for  the  night,  he  was  fired 
on  by  seven  Tndiaus.  While  cutting  his  boat 
loose  he  received  two  balls,  one  in  his  left  side 
and  the  other  in  his  right  side.  He  died  from 
the  eifects  of  these  wounds  at  Pittsburgh,  on 
July  8,  1794,  forty  days  after  he  was  wounded. 
South  Bend  Township. — On  June  4,  1867, 
South  Bend  was  formed  out  of  part  of  Kiski- 
minetas  and  Plum  Creek  towhships.  Thirty-five 
tracts  of  land  in  this  township  were  surveyed 
as  early  as  1773.  There  was  a  block-house  on 
Jones'  Hill  and  another  at  Townsend's  Mills, 
both  of  which  were  built  prior  to  1795.  This 
township  had  one  of  the  numerous  Soldiers'  Aid 
societies  that  were  formed  in  the  county  during 
the  late  war.  Among  the  early  settlers  were 
the  Browns,  Clarks,  Hoovers,  Householders, 
Kings,  Sloans,  Todds  and  Woodwards. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


JOHN  A.  BLANEY,  an  influential  citizen 
of  Plum  Creek  township,  a  business  man 
of  great  energy,  and  the  present  postmaster  of 
Whitesburg,  is  a  son  of  Hugh  and  Hannah 
(Shots)  Blaney,  and  was  born  September  11, 
1832,  in  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania. 
Hugh  Blaney  (fiither)  was  born  in  Ireland  in 
1796,  and  emigrated  from  that  country  to  Arm- 
strong county  about  1815,  when  the  old  "State 
road"  was  being  built.  That  great  highway 
of  traffic  started  from  Philadelphia  and  passed 
through  Harrisburg  to  Pittsburgh.     This  pike 


was  the  great  road  through  Armstrong  county 
until  the  era  of  railroads.  Hugh  Blaney  was 
a  shoemaker  by  trade,  but  after  coming  to  this 
country  he  bought  a  farm  which  he  tilled  until 
his  death.  He  was  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  and  married 
Hannah  Shots,  of  Kittauning  township,  by 
whom  he  had  seven  children. 

John  A.  Blaney  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
attended  the  subscription  schools  in  Plum  Creek 
township  during  his  boyhood.  He  then  worked 
on  his  father's  farm  for  one  dollar  and  fifty 
cents  a  month,  which  sum  was  afterwards 
increased  to  three  dollars  per  month.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  he  was  twenty-four  years 
of  age,  since  which  time  he  has  been  engaged 
in  mercantile  pursuits.  He  owns  a  large,  well- 
cultivated  farm  on  which  are  built  six  dwell- 
ings and  an  equal  numl)er  of  barns;  this  farm 
is  well  stocked  with  cattle,  sheep  and  horses. 
He  has  made  a  specialty  of  the  dairy  business, 
and  has  a  large  creamery  from  which  he  sells 
two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  butter  per 
week.  He  has  a  general  mercantile  store  at 
Whitesburg,  and  carries  a  heavy  stook  of 
goods. 

In  1857  he  married  Minerva  St.  Clair,  of 
Plum  Creek  township.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bla- 
ney have  been  born  twelve  children,  eight  of 
whom  are  living:  William  E.,  born  in  1862,  a 
farmer  and  merchant ;  Hannah  Jane,  born  iu 
1864;  Rose,  born  in  1866;  Ellen,  born  iu 
1868;  Maggie,  born  in  1870;  Frank,  born  in 
1872;  Belle,  born  in  1874;  and  Joseph  A., 
born  iu  1876. 

John  A.  Blaney  is  a  republican  leader  in 
Armstrong  county,  has  been  postmaster  of 
Whitesburg  for  many  years,  and  served  several 
terms  as  overseer  of  the  poor.  By  reason  of 
his  sympathetic  nature  he  was  well  adapted 
to  fill  the  latter  office.  He  now  resides  at 
Whitesburg,  where  he  owns  a  comfortable 
and  tasteful  home  and  a  large  and  well-ap- 
pointed store-room,  which  he  constantly  keeps 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


539 


filled  vvitii  first-class  goods.  He  has  slowly 
but  surely  widened  out  his  sphere  of  commer- 
cial operations  until  he  now  employs  from 
eight  to  twelve  men  in  his  various  business 
enterprises.  He  is  a  highly  esteemed  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  very  active  in 
her  various  charities.  He  was  for  some  years 
an  active  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  the 
Patrons  of  Husbandry.  Mr.  Blaney  has  ac- 
quired his  fortune  by  the  labor  of  his  own 
hands ;  he  is  a  man  of  character  and  good  so- 
cial and  mercantile  standing,  and  well  and 
favorably  known  throughout  the  township  and 
the  southeastern  part  of  Armstrong  county. 


ABRAHAM  W.  BLEAKNEY,  one  of  the 
enterprising  and  substantial  farmers  of 
Plum  Creek  township,  is  the  fifth  child  of 
William  and  Mary  (Yakey)  Bleakuey,  and  was 
born  April  16,  1827,  in  Plum  Creek  township, 
Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania.  William 
Bleakney  (father)  was  born  in  Franklin  county, 
Pa.,  in  1790.  He  received  a  common  and  pi-ac- 
tical  education,  was  a  clerk  for  some  time  In  his 
father's  store  and  then  engaged  in  farming  for 
himself.  He  owned  a  fine  farm  given  him  by 
his  father.  He  took  a  great  interest  in  politics 
and  was  a  prominent  leader  of  the  Democratic 
party  in  the  community  in  which  he  resided. 
He  was  a  presbyterian  in  religious  faith,  and 
belonged  to  the  church  of  that  denomination  at 
Concord.  In  1817  he  married  Mary  Yakey, 
second  daughter  of  John  and  Nancy  Yakey,  of 
this  county.  They  had  eleven  children,  seven 
sons  and  four  daughters,  of  whom  seven  are 
living. 

Abraham  W.  Bleakney  was  reared  on  the 
farm  and  received  a  common-school  education. 
Leaving  school,  he  learned  the  millwright  trade, 
at  which  he  worked  for  eleven  years,  when  he 
went  to  California  and  followed  mining;  for 
several  years.     He  then  went  to  Ohio,  where  he 


worked  at  hife  trade  for  some  time  and  after- 
wards was  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  stock 
for  seven  years.  At  the  end  of  this  time  he  re- 
turned to  Plum  Creek  township,  where  he  began 
farming,  at  which  he  has  continued  successfully 
ever  since.  He  has  a  well-cultivated  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  ninety-one  acres  and  takes  con- 
siderable interest  in  stock-raising. 

In  1863  he  was  married  to  Kate  Bleakney, 
eldest  daughter  of  Robert  and  Margrette  Bleak- 
ney, of  Adams  county,  this  State.  To  their 
union  have  been  born  seven  children  :  Mary  A., 
born  in  1864;  William  IL,  born  in  1867; 
Robert  W.,  born  in  1870;  Samuel  M.,  born  in 
1872  ;  Emma,  born  in  1874,  aud  died  same 
year;  Lydia  M.,  born  in  1877 ;  aud  Thomas  B., 
born  in  1882. 

In  political  opinion  Mr.  Bleakney  is  a  strong 
democrat  aud  takes  great  interest  in  local  politics. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church,  a  liberal  contributor  to  all  churches  and 
has  always  been  the  friend  of  the  poor.  He  is 
a  quiet,  industrious  farmer,  a  peaceable,  law- 
abiding  citizen  and  a  man  who  gives  close  atten- 
tion to  his  own  business  affairs. 


GEORGE  A.  BLOSE,  M.D.,  who  has  been 
iu  the  active  and  successful  practice  of  his 
chosen  profession  at  Eddy  ville  since  1883,  is  a  son 
of  David  and  Rachel  (Cociirane)  Blose,  and  was 
born  in  Perry  township,  Jefferson  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, June  23, 1855.  The  Blose  family  is  of 
German  descent,  and  one  of  its  members,  George 
Blose  (great-grandfather),  was  one  of  the  pioneer 
farmers  of  Westmoreland  comity,  but  later  in 
life  moved  to  Jefferson  county,  where  he  dial. 
One  of  his  sons,  Boaz  Blose  (grandfather),  was 
born  about  1802.  He  is  a  farmer  by  occupation 
and  a  republican  in  politics.  He  married  Sarah 
Jane  Murpiiy,  of  near  Irwin,  Westmoreland 
county,  by  whom  he  had  six  children,  five  sons 
and  one  daughter,  and  two  of  his  sons  serve<l 


540 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


in  the  late  civil  war.  David  Blose  (father) 
was  born  near  Perrvsville,  JeiFerson  countv 
about  1834,  and  has  been  a  farmer  and  lumber- 
man of  his  native  county  for  many  years.  He 
resides  at  Perrvsville  and  is  a  republican  in 
polities.  He  married  Rachel  Cochrane,  a  grand- 
daughter of  Matthew  Cochrane,  of  Indiana 
county,  and  a  daughter  of  James  Cochrane 
(maternal  grandfather),  who  was  a  farmer  of 
Indiana  county  and  married  a  Miss  Miller,  by 
whom  he  had  one  son  and  four  daughters. 
After  her  death  Mr.  Cochrane  marrie<l  Jane 
Walkup,  and  his  third  wife  was  a  Miss  Curry. 
To  David  and  Rachel  Cochrane  were  born  eight 
children,  three  sons  and  five  daughters:  Dr. 
George  A.,  !Mary,  James,  who  married  Maggie 
Adams,  and  is  a  farmer ;  Addison,  married  to 
Ida  Moser  and  engaged  in  farming;  Laura, 
wife  of  Eltoen  Smith,  a  farmer  of  Jeffei-son 
connty  ;  Meli.ssa,  Ida  and  Cora. 

Dr.  George  A.  Blose  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  after  attending  the  academy  at  Perrys- 
ville,  read  medicine  and  entered  Jefferson  Meili- 
cal  college,  of  Philadelphia,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  April,  1883.  In  June  of  that 
year  he  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine  at 
Eddyville,  where  he  has  a  very  good  practice, 
which  is  constantly  increasing  and  rapidly 
extending  over  a  large  area  of  surrounding 
country. 

On  August  4,  1885,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Laura  Smith,  daughter  of  John  W.  Smith, 
a  farmer  of  Red  Bank  township.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Blose  have  two  children  :  Johu  Barthalow,  born 
May  29,  1887,  and  Matthew  S.,  born  October 
29,  1889.  Dr.  Blose  and  his  wife  are  membei"s 
of  the  Eddyville  Reformed  church.  He  is  a 
republican  in  politics,  but  not  strenuous  in  polit- 
ical matters.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Sterling  Lodge,  No. 
245,  Knights  of  P\-thias,  and  the  Senior  Order 
of  L^nited  American  Mechanics. 


GEORGE  G.  BORLAND,  of  Wayne  town- 
ship, who  ser\-ed  in  the  army  of  the  Cum- 
l>erland  during  the  late  civil  war,  is  a  son  of 
William  and  Margaret  (Gartley)  Borland,  and 
was  born  in  AVayne  township,  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania,  May  24,  1837.  Robert 
Borland  (grandfather)  was  a  native  of  county 
Donegal,  Ireland,  and  in  1821  settled  in  Salem 
township,  Westmoreland  county.  Ten  years 
later  he  removed  (1831)  to  that  part  of  Arm- 
strong county  now  known  as  Wayne  town- 
ship, and  located  one  mile  from  tlie  l)orough  of 
Dayton,  where  he  took  up  one  hundred  and 
nineteen  acres  of  land,  which  he  farmed  success- 
fully up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church. 
He  united  in  marriage  with  Jane  Borland,  of 
Ireland,  and  their  union  was  blessed  with  four 
sons,  all  of  whom  were  born  in  the  Emerald 
Isle,  and  all  of  whom  came  with  their  parents 
to  America.  Each  of  these  sons  purchasetl  large 
tracts  of  land  adjoining  their  father's  in  Wayne 
township  and  followed  farming.  One  of  these 
sons  was  William  Borland  (father),  who  was 
born  in  January,  1801.  He  died  in  1874  on 
the  farm  on  which  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  born.  He  was  a  large  land-owner,  holding 
in  his  own  right  about  four  hundred  acres.  He 
was  in  his  latter  years  a  wide-awake  republi- 
can, interested  in  the  cause  and  anxious  for  the 
success  of  his  party,  but  never  aspired  to  office. 
In  religion  he  was  an  Episcopalian.  He  mar- 
ried Margaret  Grartley,  daughter  of  Andrew 
Gartley,  of  Westmoreland  county.  They  had 
four  sons  and  one  daughter.  Their  sons  were  : 
John  W.  (deceased),  George  G.,  William  P. 
and  Robert  J. 

George  G.  Borland  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
received  a  good  common-school  education  in  the 
common  schools.  Leaving  school,  he  engageil 
in  teaching  and  at  the  end  of  his  fourth  term, 
in  1861,  he  entered  the  Union  army.  He  en- 
listed in  Co.  "  G,"  78th  regt.  Pa.  Vols.,  and 
served  three  years,  the  greater  part  of  which 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


54! 


time  he  acted  as  sergeant.  He  took  part  in  the 
battles  of  La  Verne,  Tenn.,  Stone  River,  Chiek- 
ainauga,  Chattanooga,  Buzzard's  Roost,  Pumpkin 
Vine,  and  several  of  the  more  important  battleis 
of  the  Army  of  Cumberland.  He  was  wound- 
ed at  the  Battle  of  Stone  River.  When  the 
war  was  over  he  returned  to  Armstrong  county 
and  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-dealing, 
which  he  has  followetl  successful ly  ever  since. 

He  is  a  stanch  republican,  and  although 
never  seeking  office,  yet  was  elected  as  auditor, 
which  position  he  held  from  1867  to  1870.  He 
also  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  his  town- 
ship two  terms,  beside  having  held  nearly  all  the 
other  offices  in  his  township.  He  is  a  member 
of  Dayton  Lodge,  No.  738,  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  J.  Ed.  Turk  Post,  No.  321, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  the  Union 
Veteran  Ijegion,  at  Smicksburg,  and  the 
Farmers'  Alliance.  He  owns  a  farm  of  two 
hundre*!  acres  of  well-improved  grain  and 
grazing  land.  Mr.  Borland  deals  largely  in 
stock  and  by  perseverance  and  industry  has  ac- 
cumulatetl  a  competency. 


SAMUEL  S.  N.  CALHOUN,  one  of  Wayne 
township's  leading  citizens,  is  a  son  of 
Judge  John  and  Elizabeth  (Anthony)  Calhoun, 
and  was  born  in  Wayne  township,  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania,  March  23,  1823.  James 
Calhoun  (paternal  grandfather)  was  a  native  of 
Donegal  county,  Ireland,  and  settled  in  Lan- 
caster county,  but  soon  afterwards  removed  to 
Indiana  county.  He  was  one  of  the  early 
school-teachers  of  that  county,  where  he  re- 
mained but  a  few  years,  and  then  came  to 
Boggs  township,  Armstrong  county,  where  he  i 
resided  daring  the  remainder  of  his  life.  In 
religious  belief  he  was  a  seceder.  He  married  , 
a  Mrs.  Mar}-  Walker,  and  reared  a  large  family 
of  children.  Hon.  John  Calhoun  (father)  was, 
in  all  probability,  born  in  Armstrong  county,  ' 
where  he  spent  nearly  all  of  his  life  in  Boggs 


and  Wayne  townships.  In  early  manhood  he 
was  a  carj^enter  ;  but  in  later  years  he  engaged 
in  farming.  In  ])olitics  he  endorsed  the  senti- 
ments of  the  whig  party  until  late  in  life,  when 
he  became  a  strong  democrat.  He  was  among 
the  first  militia  captains  in  the  State,  and  sub- 
seijuently  beamie  a  colonel.  He  servetl  as  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  for  thirty  years,  being  first 
appointed  under  Gov.  Wolfe.  He  was  com- 
missioned twice  as  a.ssociate  judge  of  Armstrong 
county ;  first,  by  Gov.  Wolfe,  and  then  by 
Gov.  Porter,  and  served  very  creditably  during 
both  of  his  terms  (1840  to  1840)  of  office.  He 
took  an  active  and  intelligent  part  in  jiolitics, 
and  in  all  else  that  concerned  the  good  of  the 
people.  He  was  in  early  life  a  member  of  the 
Seceder  church,  but  aftenvards  united  with  the 
Presbyterian  church,  and  became  one  of  the 
founders  and  ruling  elders  of  the  Glade  Run 
and  Concord  churches  of  that  denomination. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Anthony,  daughter  of 
Jacob  Anthony,  of  Indiana  county.  They  had  six 
children  :  Noah,  a  farmer  in  Wayne  township, 
who  died  in  1889;  William  (deceased),  who  was 
a  carpenter  and  farmer  in  Wayne  township  ; 
Mary,  who  married  Thomas  Kichey,  of  Wayne 
township,  and  is  dead ;  Nancy  (deceased),  who 
was  married  to  Samuel  H.  Porter ;  James  R., 
who  followed  farming  for  several  years,  but  is 
now  a  resident  of  Dayton  ;  Sarah  (deceased), 
who  was  marrie<l  to  James  Calhoun,  of  Boggs 
township;  Samuel  S.  N.  and  John  K.  (de- 
ceased), who  was  a  resident  of  Kittanning  and 
a  prominent  member  of  the  Armstrong  county 
bar.  Mi-s.  Calhoun  died  in  September,  1828, 
and  Judge  Calhoun  afterwards  married  for  his 
second  wife,  Catherine  Marshall,  who  bore  him 
one  child:  Elizabeth,  who  married  Robert  An- 
thony, of  Frostburg,  Jefferson  county,  Pa. 

Samuel  S.  N.  Calhoun  received  his  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  township. 
He  has  always  followed  farming  and  stock- 
raising  with  good  success,  and  bears  the  reputa- 
tion of  being  an  excellent  farmer.     He  owns  a 


542 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


good  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  in  Wayne  town- 
ship, which  is  well  improved  and  conveniently 
situated  in  regard  to  school,  church  and  market. 
On  October  17,  1849,  Samuel  S.  N.  Calhoun 
united  in   marriage  with   Hannah  Sheridan,  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Campbell)  Sheri- 
dan.     Mrs.  Calhoun's  father  was  a  native  of 
Cambria  county,  Pa.,  and  her  mother  of  West- 
moreland county.     She  was  one  of  six  children, 
and    her   brother,    Dr.    Campbell,    is   a    prac- 
ticing physician  of  Johnstown,  Pa.     Mr.  and 
Mrs.   Calhoun    have    had    ten  children,  all  of 
whom   were  sons:  Rev.   Joseph   P.,   who   was 
born   February  15,  1852,  received  a  classical 
education  at  Glade  Run  academy,  attended  Al- 
legheny   Theological    seminary,   wa.s    j)astor  of 
Cherry  Run   Presbyterian  church,  Kittauning 
Presbytery,  five  years,  and  in  September,  1870, 
installed    pastor   of   Slate    Lick    Presbyterian 
Church,    and    married    Madge    Stockdell,    by 
whom  he  has  one  child, — John  R. ;    John  S., 
born    February  8,  1854,  was  admitted  to   the 
bar  in  Clarion  county,  practiced  in  Armstrong 
county    five   years,    and    is    now    a    lawyer    of 
Oklahoma,    Indian    Territory ;    Dr.   Grier    O., 
born  April  26,  1856,  studied  medicine  with  his 
cousin,  Dr.   N.  F.    Caliioun,    of   Dayton,    was 
graduated  from  the  Baltimore  Medical  college 
in   1884,  after  which  he   practiced  in  Illinois, 
Clarion  county,  and  in  1888  located  at  Fisher; 
Dr.  Chambers  D.,  born  August  17,  1858,  read 
medicine,  was  graduated  from  Jefferson  ISIedical 
college  in  1882,  aud  located  at  Elburu,  Illinois, 
where  he  married  Sophia  Martin  ;  Rev.  Harry 
C,  born  March  8,  1861,  graduated  at  the  Chi- 
cago   Theological    Seminary,   and    pastor  of  a 
Congregational  church    in    Iowa,  May,  1890; 
William  J.,  born  October  6,  1862,  who  will  be 
graduated    in   the  spring  of   1891   from  West. 
Penn.  Medical  college;    Samuel  C,  born   Sep- 
tember 14,  1865,  and  assisting  his  father;  Asa 
Parker  and  Cyrus  P.,  who  were  born  July  4, 
1869,  and  of  whom  Asa  Parker  is  dead;   and 
Herbert  B.  S.,  a  farmer,  born  Oct.  7,  1872. 


S.  S.  N.  Calhoun  is  a  democrat  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Concord, 
in  which  he  has  frequently  held  the  office  of 
trustee.  He  is  a  member  of  Dayton  Lodge, 
No.  408,  Independer  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
and  Wayne  Grange,  No.  360,  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry. He  is  known  as  a  public-spirited  citi- 
zen, who  is  ever  interested  in  the  advancement 
of  his  township,  as  well  as  a  well-read  man 
upon  all  current  issues  of  the  day. 


JOHNSON  C.  CUDDY,  a  leading  merchant, 
and  the  present  efficient  burgess  of  the 
flourishing  borough  of  Atwood,  is  a  son  of 
Samuel  and  Mary  (Wilson)  Cuddy,  and  was 
born  in  Penn  town-^hip,  Allegheny  county, 
Pennsylvania,   November    4,    1837.      Samuel 

1  Cuddy  (f\ither)  was  born  in  1800,  in  Ireland, 
and  in  1822  emigrated  to  America,  and  settled 

j  in  Allegheny  county.  In  1865  he  came  to 
Cowanshannock  township,  and  afterwards  re- 
moved to  Valley  township,  where  he  followed 
farming  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1873,  when  he  was  in  the  seventy-fourth  year 
of  his  age.  He  was  a  democrat  in  politics. 
During  his  early  life  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Seceder  church,  but  afterwards  became  a  united 
presbyterian.  He  married  Mary  Wilson,  who 
was  also  a  member  of  the  U.  P.  church,  and  a 
dauo-hter  of  James  Wilson,  a  native  of  Ireland, 

[  who  settled  in  Allegheny  county,  served  in  the 
United  States  army  during  the  war  of  1812, 
then  removed  to  Westmoreland  count}^,  and 
afterwards  went  to  Butler,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits  until  his  death. 
He  was  a  democrat  in  politics,  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  and  reared  a  family  of 
seven  children,  of  whom  three  were  sons: 
Thomas,  John  and  James,  Jr.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cuddy  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  six 
sons  and  four  daughters :  James,  William,  Fran- 
cis, John,  Thomas,  Johnson  C,  Margaret,  wife 
of  James  Hilty,  a  farmer  of  Cowanshannock 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


543 


township;  Mary  A.,  married  to  W.  A.  Mor- 
row, a  farmer  of  Mahoning  township ;  and 
Esther  and  Rebecca. 

Johnson  C.  Cuddy  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  received  a  common-school  education,  and 
engaged  in  farming  in  Allegheny  county  until 
about  1805,  when  he  came  to  Cowanshannock 
township,  where  he  purchased  a  farm,  and  also 
embarked  in  huckstering.  In  1880  he  came 
to  Atwood,  where  he  engaged  in  his  present 
hotel  and  general  mercantile  business.  He  has 
a  first-class  store,  enjoys  a  large  trade,  and  is  one 
of  the  leading  business  men  of  the  borough, 
lie  owns  two  houses  and  two  lots  besides  his 
store  and  hotel.  In  1863  he  enlisted,  in  Co. 
K,  54th  regiment,  Pa.  Infantry,  and  was  pres- 
ent at  the  capture  of  Gen.  Morgan. 

On  Feb.  18, 1864,  he  married  Catherine  H. 
Lewis,  a  daughter  of  Ezra  Lewis,  a  wagon- 
maker  of  Westmt)reland  county.  To  their 
union  have  been  born  seven  children,  five  sons 
and  two  daughters:  Samuel  L.,  a  carpenter  of 
Pittsburgh,  who  married  Sadie  McLain,  of  At- 
wood, and  has  two  children — Reed  and  Arthur 
R.;  John  W.,  Mary  M.,  born  October  14, 
1868,  and  died  February  11,  1876;  Amanda 
E.,  born  June  5,  1870,  and  died  February  23, 
1873;  David  F.,  born  May  13,  1872,  and  died 
February  24,  1876  ;  Harvey  J.,  born  Ai)ril  16, 
1874,  and  died  February  13,  1876  ;  and  Wil- 
liam, born  February  11,  1878. 

Johnson  C.  Cuddy  was  always  a  democrat  in 
politics  until  of  late  years.  He  is  now  a  pi'ohi- 
bitionist,  and  strongly  advocates  the  doctrines 
of  that  party.  He  is  the  present  burgess  of 
Atwood,  which  was  incorporated  as  a  borough 
in  1884.  He  is  an  elder  of  the  United  Presby- 
terian church,  of  which  both  he  and  his  wife 
are  members. 


REV.    DAVID   K.    DUFF    was   a    well- 
known  and  efficient  minister  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church,  and  labored  for  thirty-two 


years  as  a  settled  pastor  in  Westmoreland  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania. 

He  was  well  and  favorably  known,  not  only 
in  his  own  county,  but  also  in  the  surrounding 
counties  of  Indiana,  Clarion  and  Jefferson, 
where  his  ministerial  duties  called  him  to  labor. 
He  was  a  man  of  strong  convictions  and  fear- 
less in  pnxjlaiming  the  truths  of  the  Gospel 
and  maintaining  the  principles  of  the  church  of 
his  choice.  Wise  in  council,  of  good  judgment, 
unassuming  in  manner  and  possessed  of  a 
kindly,  congenial  disp(«ition  and  a  forbearing 
temper,  he  was  naturally  qualified  to  make 
friends,  and  was  held  in  high  esteem  both  as  a 
minister  and  a  friend.  Rev.  D.  K.  Duff  was  the 
fourth  son  of  James  and  Mary  (Kennedy)  Duflf 
and  was  born  near  Enon  Valley,  in  Beaver 
county,  May  8,  1825,  where  his  parents  con- 
tinued to  reside  until  death.  His  father  died 
in  1870  in  his  eighty-fourth  year.  His  mother 
lived  some  eight  years  longer  and  was  also  in 
her  eighty-fourth  year  at  the  time  of  her  death. 
His  parents  were  members  of  the  Associate 
Presbyterian  (now  United  Presbyterian)  church. 
His  father  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  a 
whig  in  politics. 

David  K.  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm 
until  seventeen  years  of  age.  He  then  entered 
Darlington  academy,  remaining  two  years,  and 
from  thence  went  to  New  Athens  college,  Ohio, 
where  he  finished  his  collegiate  course  in  1849. 
He  then  taught  school  about  one  year  at  Mount 
Jackson,  Pa.,  after  which,  having  decided  upon 
the  ministry  as  his  life-work,  he  entered  the 
theological  seminary  at  Canuonsburgh,  Pa. 
(now  located  at  Xeuia,  Ohio),  in  1850.  After  a 
careful  theological  course  of  three  years  he  was 
licensed  to  preiich  the  Gospel  in  November, 
1853.  For  two  yearshe  labored  asa  missionary  in 
Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Iowa  aud  eastern  New 
York,  and  also  in  the  cities  of  Philadelphia 
and  Baltimore.  His  travels  in  the  western 
states  were  performed  on  horse-back  and  were 
consequently  very  laborious. 


544 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


In  May,  1856,  he  received  a  call  to  become 
pastor  of  the  U.  P.  Congregation  of  Dayton  and 
Lower  Piney  (now  Mount  Zion),  which  he  ac- 
cepted, and  immediately  entered  upon  its  duties. 
Soon  after  settlement  he  also  accepted  the  posi- 
tion of  principal  of  Dayton  Union  academy, 
wiiere,  by  his  faithfulness  as  a  teacher,  and  his 
firm  yet  gentle  discipline,  he  made  hosts  of 
friends  and  was  iield  in  high  esteem  by  tiie  many 
students  who  were  under  his  care.  He  labored 
faithfully  as  pastor  and  teacher  until  September, 
1862,  when,  believing  it  to  be  his  duty  to  serve 
his  Master  by  defending  the  unity  of  the  gov- 
ernment, he  gave  himself  to  the  cause. 

He  enlisted  as  a  private,  but  was  immediately 
offered  the  command  of  a  company,  which  was 
soon  recruited  from  tlie  homes  of  those  among 
whom  he  labored,  a  number  of  them  being 
students  of  the  academy.  He  served  as  captain 
from  that  time  until  he  was  honorably  discharged 
in  June,  1865,  by  reason  of  wounds  received 
which  unfitted  him  for  further  military  duty. 

He  was  respected  by  iiis  men  and  recognized 
throughout  the  regiment  as  a  brave  soldier  and 
a  courteous,  Christian  gentleman,  and  justly 
earned  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  bravest 
officers  of  the  celebrated  14th  Pennsylvania 
Cavalry.  Even  at  this  remote  date  such  tributes 
as  these  often  come  to  his  family  from  men  who 
were  with  him  on  the  tented  field,  on  the  march 
and  on  the  battle-ground:  "There  was  not  one 
drop  of  cowardly  blood  in  his  veins,"  "  He  was 
always  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight."  "Always 
leading  his  men  Avhere  he  thought  they  could 
do  the  best  work,"  "  It  was  always  come  boys. 
He  never  asked  his  men  to  do  what  he  was  un- 
willing to  do  himself,"  "  He  was  one  whom  to 
know  was  to  love  for  his  gentleness  of  disposi- 
tion, his  love  of  virtue,  his  meekness,  gentle 
iiess  and  truth,  and  for  his  bravery  and  devotion 
to  the  cause  of  his  country."  He  participated 
with  his  regiment  in  its  many  hard,  weary 
marches  through  the  mountains  of  West  Vir- 
ginia, and  was  actively  engaged  in  twenty-two 


battles  and  skirmishes.  His  last  engagement 
was  at  Ashby's  Gap,  Va.,  in  February,  1865. 
Here  he  received  three  wounds — a  ball  passed 
through  the  fingers  of  the  left  hand,  another 
inflicted  a  scalp  wound,  leaving  a  scar  of  two 
and  a  half  to  three  inches  in  length,  and  a  third 
passed  through  tiie  right  arm  near  tiie  shoulder, 
partially  disabling  him  through  life  and  causing 
him  untold  sufferings. 

Of  his  bravery  on  the  battle-field,  let  a  mag- 
nanimous foe  add  his  testimony.  Years  after 
the  close  of  the  war,  one  of  Col.  Mosby's  offi- 
cers, C.  R.  Dear,  of  Little  Washington,  Va., 
relates  the  following  incident  to  Captain  W.  D. 
Preston,  of  the  Philadelphia  Times: 

He  says :  "  I  think  the  bravest  man  I  ever 
met  on  your  side  was  Captain  D.  K.  Duff,  of 
the  14th  P.  V.  C.  I  had  a  hand-to-hand  fight 
with  him  in  which  we  used  pistols  and  sabres 
until  I  brought  him  down.  I  tell  you  he  was 
a  plucky  fellow  and  worthy  any  man's  .steel. 
After  the  fight  I  found  him  covereil  with  blood 
composedly  sitting  in  the  barn  where  we  put 
our  prisoners.  His  courageous  and  gentlemanly 
conduct  challenged  my  admiration.  I  sought 
our  captain  and  asked  as  a  personal  favor  that 
he  be  allowed  to  go,  as  he  was  in  such  a  physical 
condition  that  it  was  not  likely  that  he  would 
do  us  more  harm.  '  Just  as  you  please  said  he.'  I 
then  went  to  Duff  and  told  him  to  follow  me, 
and  leading  him  out  of  camp  I  told  him  to  find 
his  way  to'his  friends  as  soon  as  possible.  If 
ever  you  meet  Captain  Duff  tell  him  I  hold 
him  in  remembrance  as  the  bravest  fellow  I 
ever  met."  After  being  discharged,  Captain 
Duff  returned  home  and  resumed  the  pastorate 
of  Dayton  and  Pine  Greek,  also  the  principal- 
ship  of  the  academy,  which  he  retained  until 
1877.  June  1st,  1866,  he  took  charge  of  Con- 
cord (now  Atwood)  congregation,  in  connection 
with  the  others,  giving  to  each  one-third  time. 
As  these  congregations  were  each  separated  from 
the  other  by  twelve  miles,  "  o'er  hill  and  vale," 
'  we  need  not  tell  you  that  his  life  was  not  one  of 


ARMSTRO^'G  COUNTY. 


545 


flowery  ease,  yet  he  performed  his  duties  cheer- 
fully and  faithfully.  He  was  also  au  efficient 
helper  in  the  establishing  and  maintenance  of 
the  Soldiers'  Orphan  school  carried  on  for  many 
years  successfully  at  the  village  of  Dayton.  In 
1870  he  resigned  the  pastorate  of  Lower  Piney, 
giving  one-half  time  to  each  of  the  others  until 
Sept.  1,  1886,  when,  by  reason  of  increasing 
intirmities  caused  by  wounds  received  and 
hardships  endured,  he  was  compelled  to  retire 
from  the  pastorate  of  Dayton  after  thirty  years 
service.  Residing  at  Atwood,  he  was  still  able 
to  ccmtinue  his  care  of  it,  and  preached  every 
Sabbath  except  one  preceding  the  one  on  which 
he  was  released  by  his  Master  and  called  up 
higher  td  receive  the  reward  of  a  well-spent 
life. 

He  died  on  Sunday,  April  15,  1888,  after  an 
illness  of  only  nine  days,  and  although  his  suf- 
ferings were  intense,  yet  he  bore  them  with  the 
same  Christian  courage  aud  fortitude  which  he 
ever  displayed  through  life.  "  His  was  a  heroic 
life  both  in  peace  and  war."  Rev.  Duff  was  a 
large,  portly  man  of  fine  personal  appearance, 
six  feet  in  height  and  weighing  two  hundred 
and  fifty  pounds  at  time  of  his  death.  Politically 
he  was  a  republican  and  later  a  stanch  prohibi- 
tionist. He  took  a  deep  interest  in  all  matters 
pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  his  fellow-men  and 
of  his  country.  His  usefulness  was  not  confined 
to  those  of  his  own  congregations,  but  extcndetl 
throughout  the  sections  of  country  where  he 
dwelt.  He  was .  well-knowu  as  the  friend  of 
education  and  progress,  and  always  ready  to 
lend  a  helping  hand  to  the  needy. 

On  October  27,  1868,  he  married  Nannie 
Henry,  daughter  of  James  and  Sarah  (Rich- 
mond) Henry,  who  were  natives  of  Ireland,  but 
cameto  Ameriaiabout  1834  aud  settled  in  Frank- 
lin township,  Armstrong  county.  jNIr.  Henry 
was  a  stone-mason  by  trade  ;  also  was  the  owner 
of  a  farm  ;  politically  a  republican.  Mrs.  Henry 
died  in  1878  and  Mr.  Henry  in  1883,  one  eighty- 
four  years  of  age,  and  the  other  about  eighty -six. 


They  were  members  of  the  Associate  (now  U. 
P.)  church,  in  which  he  was  an  elder  for  many 
years.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children, 
two  sons  and  seven  daughters.  Both  sous  served 
in  the  civil  war.  David,  the  eldest,  enlisted  in 
1862,  in  the  100th  Pa.  Vols,  and  was  killed  by 
guerrillas  June  2, 1864,  near  Cold  Harlxjr,  Va. 
James  served  in  the  14th  P.  V.  C.  from  1862 
to  the  close  of  the  war,  and  was  killed  in  July, 
1882,  on  his  own  farm  by  being  thrown  under 
his  mowing  machine. 

To  Captain  and  Mrs.  Duff  were  born  seven 
children,  six  sons  and  one  daughter.  Two  sons 
died  in  infancy,  their  dust  resting  beside  that  of 
their  father  in  the  Atwood  cemetery.  The 
oldest  son  is  pursuing  a  course  of  medicine  at 
a  medical  college.  The  others  remain  at 
home  with  their  mother,  being  yet  too  young 
to  choose  their  life-work.  May  they  emulate 
the  virtues  of  their  father. 


ARCHIBALD  FINDLEY,  one  of  Cowan- 
shaunock  township's  most  reliable  and 
substantial  tarmers,  is  a  son  of  Abel  and  Mary 
(Marshall)  Findley,  and  was  born  in  Wayne 
township,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania, 
October  3,  1819.  His  grandfather,  Archibald 
Findley,  was  a  farmer  of  Brush  Valley,  Indi- 
ana county,  where  his  son,  Abel  Findley  (father), 
was  born  April  18,  1784.  He  removed  to 
\Yayue  township,  Armstrong  county,  where  he 
purchased  land  at  different  times  until  he  had  a 
tract  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres.  He  was 
a  carpenter  and  cabinet-maker  by  trade,  but 
after  his  removal  to  Wayne  township  he  de- 
voted the  most  of  his  time  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits. He  died  February  5,  1850,  when  he  was 
in  the  sixty-seventh  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a 
democrat  in  politico,  an  active  member  of  the 
Presbyteriau  church  and  was  prominent  in  the 
organization  of  the  first  Sunday-school  con- 
nected with  his  church  in  that  vicinity.  He 
married  Mary  Marshall,  who  was  born  Septem- 


546 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


ber  26,  1788.  Her  father,  William  Marshall, 
a  native  of  Adams  county,  Pa.,  came  in  early 
life  to  near  the  present  site  of  Dayton,  where  he 
reared  a  family  of  six  sons  and  three  daughters. 
To  Abel  Findley  and  his  wife  were  born  six 
children,  three  sons  and  three  daughters  :  Wil- 
liam M.,  born  June  16, 1817,  and  died  in  1866; 
Archibald,  born  October  3, 1819;  Mary  A.,  born 
February  1.3,  1822,  wife  of  J.  K.  Orman,  of 
near  Eldertou  ;  Catherine,  born  May  9,  1825, 
married  to  .John  Marshall  (now  deceased) ; 
Margaret  J.,  born  August  7,  1827,  and  died  in 
1830;  and  Abel  A.,  born  December  14,  1831, 
married  Margaret  McGaughey,  and  is  a  farmer 
of  Wayne  township. 

Archibald  Findley  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  received  a  common  business  educa- 
tion. He  commenced  life  for  himself  on  the 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  on  which 
he  now  resides,  when  it  was  in  the  woods.  He 
not  only  cleared  out  his  farm,  but  has  it  well 
improved.  He  erected  all  his  present  build- 
ings, cultivates  his  land  carefully  and  raises  con- 
siderable stock. 

On  October  3,  1848,  he  married  Lavina  E. 
Brink,  who  was  born  INIarch  30, 1830,  and  died 
March  31,  1852.  To  their  union  were  born  two 
daughters  :  Mary  E.,  born- October  4,  1849,  and 
wife  of  John  C  McGaughey,  a  jeweler  and  sil- 
versmith of  Clearfield  county,  and  Rebecca  C, 
born  March  21,  1852,  wife  of  Alexander  G- 
AValker,  a  farmer  of  Wayne  township.  After 
the  death  of  his  wife,  Mr.  Findley  married 
Eliza  Jane  McComb,  who  was  born  July  18, 
1822,  and  died  September  7,  1856,  leaving  no 
offspring,  as  her  two  children  died  in  their  in- 
fancy. On  February  17,  1859,  Mr.  Findley 
married  for  his  third  wife  Mary  Kirkpatrick, 
who  was  born  January  7,  1828,  and  died  August 
16,1890. 

Archibald  Findley  is  a  republican  in  politics 
and  has  filled  the  offices  of  school  director  and 
assistant  assessor  of  Cowanshannock  township. 
He  has  been  a  member  and  elder  of  the  Presby- 


terian church  for  over  a  half  century  and  for  the 
last  fifty  years  was  leader  of  the  singing  and 
church  choir.  He  has  well  discharged  every 
duty  in  life  which  has  devolved  upon  him.  By 
honorable  toil  he  has  won  a  competency,  and  by 
honesty  and  straightforwardness  has  secured  the 
respect  of  his  neighbors. 


ADDISON  H.  GIBSON,  a  substantial  mer- 
chant of  Elderton  for  the  last  twelve  years, 
and  a  man  of  intelligence  and  education,  is  a 
son  of  Squire  Robert  M.  Gibson,  and  was 
born  at  Elderton,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, November  30,  1860.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Gibson,  came  from  Ireland  in  1787 
and  settled  in  Indiana  county,  where  he  followed 
farming  and  stock-raising.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  chureli  and  voted  the  dem- 
ocratic ticket.  One  of  his  sons.  Squire  Robert 
M.  Gibson  (father),  was  born  in  this  county, 
November  1, 1814.  He  attended  the  subscrip- 
tion schools  of  Plum  Creek  township  and  as- 
sisted his  father  on  the  farm  until  he  was  sev- 
enteen years  of  age,  when  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  a  mercantile  firm  at  Shelocta,  as  a  clerk. 
After  oue  year's  experience  in  mercantile  busi- 
ness he  then  returned  to  Elderton,  where  he 
opened  a  general  mercantile  store,  which  he 
conducted  for  many  years.  He  was  an  elder  in 
the  Presbyterian  church,  became  a  prominent 
republican,  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for 
twenty-five  years,  and  was  president  for  several 
yeare  of  the  Mahoning  bank,  at  Punxsutawney, 
Jefferson  county.  He  was  one  of  the  most 
prominent  men  and  influential  citizens  of  El- 
derton at  the  time  of  his  death. 

In  1842  he  married  a  Miss  Lytle,  of  Elder- 
ton,  by  whom  he  had  two  children,  who  are 
both  dead.  After  his  first  wife's  death  he  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Allison,  of  Cannonsburg,  Washing- 
ton county,  who  died  and  left  three  children,  of 
whom  two  are  living.  He  married  for  his  third 
wife  a  Miss  Montgomery,  of  South  Bend.     To 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


547 


this  third  union  were  born  two  children  :  Addi- 
son H.,  and  Wilda  J.,  born  June  7, 1866.  Mrs. 
Montgomery  (maternal  grandmother)  was  of 
Irish  descent,  and  was  born  near  Mount  Royal, 
in  Canada,  in  1793,  and  diet!  in  Indiana  county 
in  1837. 

Addison  H.  Gibson  attende<l  the  public 
schools  of  Elderton,  and  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years  entered  Elderton  academy,  where  for  six 
years  he  followed  a  course  of  English  literature 
and  higher  mathematics.  On  leaving  the  acad- 
emy, he  engaged  in  the  general  mercantile  busi- 
ness with  his  father  at  Elderton.  Afterwards 
he  purchased  the  establishment  and  stock  of 
goods  of  his  father  and  since  then  has  given  his 
time  principally  to  building  up  the  extensive 
patronage  which  he  now  enjoys.  His  establish- 
ment is  on  Main  street,  and  he  deals  in  dry- 
goods,  groceries,  hardware,  queensware  and 
everything  which  is  usually  found  in  a  first- 
class  general  mercantile  store.  He  has  been 
very  successful  as  a  merchant  and  in  all  busi- 
ness enterprises  in  which  he  has  invested.  He 
owns  some  valuable  pri)pcrty  at  Elderton,  and  is 
regarded  as  a  man  of  good  financial  ability  and 
a  citizen  of  public  spirit  and  usefulness. 


ABRAHAM  GOOD.  Of  those  who  have 
steadily  followed  farming  successfully  for 
nearly  half  a  century,  is  Abraham  Good,  of 
Wayne  township,  Armstrong  county.  He  is  a 
son  of  Abraham  and  Margaret  (Bnrkett)  Gootl 
and  was  bora  in  Blair  county,  near  Frankstowu" 
Pennsylvania,  October  13,  1824.  His  paternal 
grandfather  Good  was  a  native  of  Maryland, 
and  one  of  his  sons,  Abraham  Good  (father),  was 
born  near  Hagerstown,  in  that  State,  from 
which  he  removed  in  early  life  to  Indiana 
county.  He  died  in  1855  at  fifty-six  years  of 
age.  He  married  Margaret  Burkett,  by  whom 
he  had  eleven  children,  eight  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing. 

Abraham  Good  was  reared  on  his  father's 


farm,  received  a  common  business  education,  and 
upon  attaining  his  majority  engaged  in  farming 
in  his  native  township,  which  he  steadily  fol- 
lowwl  until  1864,  when  he  came  to  AVayne 
township,  Armstrong  county,  where  he  now  owns 
two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land  in  two  good 
farms,  on  one  of  which  he  now  resides. 

On  April  26,  1854,  he  married  Hannah  C. 
Irwin,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Irwin,  and  to 
liieir  union  were  born  five  children,  four  sons 
and  one  daughter :  Alonzo,  who  married  Isa- 
bella F.  Jewel,  and  is  assisting  his  father  in 
farming  ;  Rev.  Adolphus  C,  married  to  Lydia 
B.  Walker,  was  graduated  from  Washington  & 
Jefferson  college,  and  then  completed  his  theo- 
logical course  of  study  in  the  Allegheny  Sem- 
inary, after  which  he  was  sent,  in  1882,  as  a 
missionary  by  the  Presbyterian  church  to  west- 
ern Africa,  where  he  is  located,  at  Lumbarene 
Gaboon,on  the  Agowa  river;  Elmer  E.,  a  mer- 
chant in  Nebraska  ;  Ulysses  S.,  a  farmer  and 
teacher  in  Nebraska,  and  Rosa  Ida,  who  died  in 
April,  1864.  Mrs.  Hannah  C.  Good  died  June  4, 
1890,  when  she  was  in  the  sixty-ninth  year  of 
her  age.  Mr.  Good  has  five  grandchildren — his 
son  Alonzo's  four  sons  :  James  A,,  Thomas  G., 
Frank  J.  and  Edward  C. ;  and  his  son,  Rev. 
Adolplius  C.'s  son  :  Albert  Irwin. 

Abraham  Good  is  a  stanch  republican  in  poli- 
tics, and  has  filled  the  offices  of  school  director, 
constable  and  overseer  of  the  poor,  and  has 
served  as  trustee  and  elder  of  Glade  Run  Pres- 
byterian church,  of  which  he  is  a  member.  To 
agriculture  Mr.  Good  has  devoted  nearly  fifty 
years  of  his  life,  with  highly  encouraging  and 
very  profitable  results.  The  competency  which 
he  has  acquired,  and  the  valuable  farms  which 
he  owns,  are  evidences  of  his  success  as  a 
farmer. 


GEORGE  A.  GOURLEY.     But  few  men  in 
the  county  have  had  a  longer  or  more  suc- 
cessful career  in  the  mercantile  business  than 


548 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


George  A.  Gourley,  a  resident  of  Rural  Valley 
and  now  one  of  the  most  substantial  farmers  of 
Cowanshannock  township.  He  was  born  near 
Saltsburg,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1821,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Martha 
(Scott)  Gourley.  The  Gourley  family  traces  its 
ancestry  to  Ireland,  where  Samuel  Gourley,  the 
grandfather  of  George  A.  Gourley,  was  born. 
He  came  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he  purchased 
a  farm  in  Westmoreland  county  and  resided 
until  his  death.  He  was  a  whig  in  politics,  and 
married  Catherine  Dickey,  by  whom  he  had 
several  children.  John  Gourley  (father)  was 
born  near  Hanuastown,  Westmoreland  county- 
He  taught  for  many  yeqrs  in  his  native  county, 
was  an  excellent  }>enman  and  accountant  as 
well  as  a  skillful  surveyor.  In  1843  he  came 
to  Cowanshannock  township,  where  he  died 
some  three  years  later.  In  1816  he  married 
Martha  Scott,  and  to  their  union  were  born  four- 
teen children,  of  whom  seven  lived  to  maturity  : 
Lavina,  Belinda,  Juliet,  George  A.,  Joini,  Samuel 
and  Benjamin,  who  enlisted  in  Co.  D,  62d  regi- 
ment. Pa.  Vols.,  in  1863,  and  after  serving 
about  four  months  died  of  quinsy  in  the  hospital 
near  Washington,  D.  C.  Mrs.  Gourley's  father, 
a  Mr.  Scott,  was  a  native  of  Westmoreland 
county,  from  whence  he  removed  to  Columbus, 
Ohio,  where  he  died. 

George  A.  Gourley  was  reared  on  the  farm 
and  received  his  education  in  the  schools  taught 
by  his  father.  In  1852  he  entered  tiie  employ 
of  Philip  Mechling,  of  Kittanning,  as  a  clerk 
and  remained  with  him  until  1856.  He  then 
embarked  in  the  general  mercantile  business  at 
Rural  Valley,  which  he  followed  successfully 
for  twenty-three  years.  Since  1879  he  has  not 
been  actively  engaged  in  any  special  line  of  busi- 
ness and  has  given  a  part  of  his  time  to  the 
management  of  his  home  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  of  land  near  Rural  Valle}',  and 
another  farm  which  he  owns  but  a  short  distance 
from  the  same  place. 

On   September  22,  1860,  he  married  Ellen 


Earhart,  daughter  of  Jacob  Earhart,  of  Salts- 
burg. Their  union  has  been  blessed  with  four 
children,  one  son  and  three  daughters  :  Mary  A., 
wife  of  Dr.  Stockdill,  a  prominent  physician  of 
Rural  Valley  (see  his  sketch) ;  Olive  B.,  married 
to  Harper  Ambrose,  a  farmer ;  Laura  B.  and 
George  A.,  Jr. 

In  politics  Mr.  Gourley  is  a  republican,  and 
has  always  voted  that  ticket.  He  was  remark- 
ably successful  as  a  merchant,  and  is  prosperous 
as  a  farmer.  His  farms,  in  appearance  and  in 
the  crops  which  they  afford,  give  evidence  of  his 
agricultural  knowledge  and  good  management. 


JACOB  S.  HAINES,  a  well-known  citizen 
^  and  the  proprietor  of  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful flouring-mills  of  Wayne  township,  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Mansfield)  Haines, 
and  was  born  in  Hempfield  townsiiip,  West- 
moreland county,  Pennsylvania,  October  17, 
1827.  Frederick  Haines  (grandfather)  was  a 
native  of  Northampton  county,  wliere  his  fatiier, 
who  was  a  native  of  Germany,  had  settled. 
Frederick  Haines  removed  from  his  birth-place 
to  Hempfield  township  and  engaged  in  shoe- 
making  and  farming.  He  was  an  unassuming, 
quiet  man,  a  member  of  the  Lutiieran  church, 
and  in  politics  was  an  old-time  democrat.  He 
married  a  Miss  Jarett  and  their  union  was 
blessed  with  six  children,  three  sons  and  three 
daughters.  Jacob  Haines  (father)  was  born  in 
Northampton  county  and  settled  in  \Vayne  town- 
siiip in  1844,  where  he  died  in  the  spring  of 
1880,  aged  eighty-four  years.  He  was  a  strong 
democrat,  and  a  consistent  member  of  the  Re- 
formed church.  He  married  Margaret  Mans- 
field, daughter  of  Jacob  Mansfield,  an  early 
settler  near  Mansfield,  Oiiio,  which  city  was 
named  after  him.  They  had  seven  children: 
Frederick,  of  Wayne  township,  who  served 
tlirough  the  Mexican  and  the  late  civil  wars ; 
Benjamin,  of  Brookville,  who  is  engagetl  in  the 
milling  business ;  William  Alexander,  who  en- 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


549 


tered  the  Union  army  from  Jeffereou  county, 
iu  the  105th  regiment,  served  three  years  in 
the  Army  of  the  Potomao,  and  was  killed  in  a 
mill  after  the  close  of  the  war ;  Philip,  of 
Leechburg,  who  served  iu  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  until  he  was  wounded  and  discharged ; 
Hanuah,  married  to  Michael  J.  Smith,  owner 
of  a  foundry  in  Red  B;uik  township  (see  his 
sketch) ;  Catherine  and  Jacob  S. 

Jacob  S.  Haines  was  reared  on  the  farm  and 
obtiiined  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
Wayne  township.  Leaving  school,  he  learned 
milling  at  Salenij  where  he  continued  in  that 
business  for  seven  years.  At  the  expiration  of 
that  time  he  returueil  to  Wayne  township  and 
commenced  milling,  where  he  now  owns  a  good 
mill  and  where  he  has  also  been  engaged  in 
farming  ever  since.  He  enlisted  October  1 
1861,  in  Co.  M,  2d  regiment,  Penna.  Cavalry, 
and  served  until  December  IGth,  when  he  re- 
enlisted  in  the  same  regiment  and  served  until 
1865.  He  was  in  the  Aimy  of  the  Potomao, 
was  promotccl  to  sergeant  and  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Spottsylvania  Court-house,  Antietam, 
Gettysburg,  the  Wilderness  and  in  the  fights  in 
front  of  Petersburg.  He  made  a  goixl  record 
as  a  soldier  and  always  performed  with  alacrity 
whatever  tluty  was  assigned  him. 

On  October  10,  1850,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Martha  Jane  Ridgeway,  daughter  of  Ziba 
L.  and  Clarissa  (Weir)  Ridgeway.  Mrs.  Haines' 
grandfather,  Matthew  Ridgeway,  went  from 
New  England  to  New  York,  where  he  dial. 
Her  maternal  grandfather,  Abraham  ^\'eil■,  was 
a  native  of  New  York,  where  he  also  died,  and 
his  son,  Ziba  Ridgeway,  removed  to  Connells- 
ville,  Fayette  county,  where  he  reared  a  family 
of  seven  children,  five  sons  and  two  daughters, 
of  whom  the  eldest  son,  William  E.,  entered  the 
Union  army  from  Wisconsin  and  died  in  the 
service.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Haines  have  three  chil- 
dren :  Mary  A.,  who  mairied  Abraham  Good, 
of  near  Smicksburg,  and  has  three  children, 
Martha  E.,  Jacob  C.  and  Emma;  William   H., 


married  to  Jennie  Bowse,  living  at  East  Brady, 
Pa.,  and  has  three  sons,  Herbert,  Curt  and 
Dickey  ;  and  Charles  W. 

In  politics  Mr.  Haines  is  a  republican.  He 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Dayton  Metho- 
dist church,  of  which  he  is  a  steward. 


JOHN  HECKMAN,  a  leading  merchant  and 
highly-respected  citizen  of  Eldertoii,  is  the 
eldest  son  of  Michael  Heckman,  and  was  born 
near  Leechburg,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, August  24,  1828.  His  grandfather 
Heckman  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  West- 
moreland county,  and  married  Maria  Iseman, 
by  whom  he  had  nine  children.  One  of  these 
children  was  Michael  Heckman  (father),  who 
was  born  in  1800,  in  Westmoreland  county. 
He  attended  the  subscription  schools  of  that 
period.  He  wa.s  a  farmer  by  occupation,  own- 
ing one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  on 
which  he  raised  large  crops  of  grain  and  con- 
siderable stock.  He  was  an  uncompromising 
democrat,  and  took  an  active  part  in  local  poli- 
tics. He  died  in  1882,  a  consistent  member  of 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church.  He  married 
and  reared  a  family  of  seven  children,  of  whom 
one  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

John  Heckman  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  at- 
tended school  in  the  log  school-house  situated 
some  two  miles  from  his  father's  house.  He 
began  life  as  a  farmer,  assisting  his  father  until 
he  was  twenty-eight  years  of  age.  He  then 
purchased  a  farm  which  he  tilled  until  1868, 
when  lie  engaged  in  the  huckster  business,  which 
he  followed  for  the  ensuing  seven  years.  From 
1875  to  1885  he  was  engaged  iu  firming,  and 
then  removed  to  Eldcrton,  where  he  resided  for 
three  years.  In  1888  he  embarked  iu  his  pres- 
ent general  mercantile  business  (m  Main  street, 
at  Elderton.  He  carries  a  complete  and  care- 
fully-selected stock  of  goods,  well  adapted  to 
the  numerous  wants  of  his  many  patrons. 

He  married  Catherine  Dice,  daughter  of  John 


550 


MIOQRAPHIES  OF 


and  Catherine  (Sipes)  Dice,  of  Armstrong  coun- 
ty. They  have  had  four  children :  Michael, 
Harvey  (dead),  Thomas  M.,  born  in  1857,  and 
Anna  Maria,  born  in  1860,  and  now  a  partner 
with  her  father  in  the  mercantile  business. 

Politically,  Mr.  Heckman  is  a  Jacksonian 
democrat,  and  has  been  elected  by  his  party  as 
inspector  of  elections,  school  director  and  mem- 
ber of  the  town  council.  He  has  always  taken 
an  active  part  in  the  work  of  the  Lutheran 
church,  of  which  he  is  an  elder  and  has  served 
as  deacon  and  trustee.  He  owns  a  fine  two- 
story  brick  residence  at  Elderton,  besides  his 
store-room  and  other  valuable  property.  He 
has  acquired,  by  honesty  and  industry,  a  com- 
petency, and  is  known  as  one  of  the  reliable 
business  men  and  prosperous  citizens  of  the 
county.  The  Heckman  family  is  of  German 
origin,  but  for  over  a  century  has  been  Amer- 
ican by  citizenship.  It  is  a  family  that  pos- 
sesses many  worthy  qualities  of  character,  and 
ranks  as  one  of  the  substantial  families  of 
Armstrong  county. 


MICHAEL  HECKMAN,  a  prominent  citi- 
zen and  successful  merchant  of  St.  Thomas, 
is  a  son  of  John  and  Catherine  (Dice)  Heck- 
man, and  was  born  April  22,  1855,  in  Arm- 
strong county,  Pennsylvania.  The  Heckman 
family  is  of  German  descent,  and  Michael 
Heckman's  great-grandfather,  Philip  Heckman, 
was  an  early  settler  of  Westmoreland  county. 
He  married  Maria  Iseman,  of  Armstrong  coun- 
ty, and  had  a  family  of  nine  children.  One 
of  his  sous,  Michael  Heckman  (grandfather), 
was  born  in  Westmoreland  county  in  1800. 
His  son,  John  Heckman  (father),  was  born 
August  24,  1828  (see  his  sketch).  In  early 
manhood  he  followed  farming,  but  during  the 
latter  part  of  his  life  has  been  succes.sfully  en- 
gaged in  the  general  mercantile  business  at 
Elderton.  He  is  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Evangelical    Lutheran    church,    a    thorough- 


going business  man  and  a  strong  democrat.  He 
married  Catherine  Dice,  daughter  of  John  and 
Catherine  (Sipes)  Dice.  They  have  had  five 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is 
the  eldest. 

Michael  Heckman  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  at  Elderton,  and  received  a  good 
common-school  education.  Leaving  school,  he 
assisted  his  father  on  the  farm  and  in  the  store 
until  1881,  when  he  engaged,  at  St.  Thomas, 
in  the  mercantile  business  for  himself,  as  junior 
member  of  the  firm  of  Hileman  &  Heckman. 
In  the  same  year  he  purchased  Mr.  Hileman's 
interest,  and  formed  a  partnershij]  with  his 
brothers,  Harvey  and  T.  M.  Heckman,  under 
the  firm-name  of  Heckman  Bros.  His  brother 
Harvey  dying,  he  and  his  brother  T.  M.  have 
continued  in  the  mercantile  business  at  St. 
Thomas  until  the  present  time.  They  have  in- 
vested some  ten  thousand  dollars  in  their  busi- 
ness, and  have  one  of  the  largest  stocks  of  gen- 
eral merchandise  in  that  section  of  the  county. 
Their  store-room  is  commodious  and  convenient 
for  the  display  of  their  choice  and  well-assorted 
stock  of  dry-goods,  groceries,  hardware,  cloth- 
ing and  notions  which  are  necessary'  to  accom- 
modate their  patrons.  In  addition  to  his  mer- 
cantile interests  Mr.  Heckman  owns  a  large 
amount  of  valuable  farming  land  in  Plum  Creek 
township,  which  is  worth  several  thousand  dol- 
lars. He  has  acquired  what  he  owns  by  his 
own  efforts  and  judicious  management,  and 
never  received  any  material  aid  from  any  one. 

On  April  1,  1885,  he  married  Mary  Thomas, 
the  fourth  daughter  of  Johnson  and  Mary 
Thomas,  of  Plum  Creek  township.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Heckman  have  been  born  four  children  : 
Maud  E.,  born  April  3,  1885  ;  Veruie  B.,  born 
May  1,  1886,  and  died  Dec.  27,  1887  ;  Selah 
O.,  born  July  13,  1887  ;  and  John  C,  born 
June  19,  1889. 

In  politics  Mr.  Heckman  is  an  active  democrat, 
and  has  held  the  offices  of  overseer  of  the  poor, 
and  auditor  and  inspector  of  elections.     He  is  an 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


651 


elder  of  the  Lutheran  church  at  St.  Thomas, 
and  a  member  of  the  Elderton  Conclave,  No. 
1105,  Royal  Arcanum.  Michael  Heckman  is 
widely  known  as  an  honest,  reliable  business 
man,  full  of  enterprise  and  energy. 


MARGARET  CLARK  HERRON,  an  intel- 
ligent woman  of  good  financial  ability 
and  great  energy,  and  a  resident  of  Plum  Creek 
township,  is  a  daughter  of  William  Todd  and 
Jane  (Cummins)  Clark,  and  was  born  on  the  old 
Clark  homestead  in  Plum  Creek  township, 
Armstrong  county,  Pennsyh'ania,  May  16, 
1826.  The  Clark  family  was  among  the  very 
earliest  settled  families  of  Plum  Creek  town- 
ship. Joseph  Clark  (grandfather)  and  James 
Clark  (great-grandfather)  built  the  first  block- 
house in  the  county  (about  1774),  and  it  was 
used  as  a  refuge  for  the  families  in  that  neigh- 
borhood whenever  an  invasion  of  Indians  was 
anticipated.  His  wife  was  accustomed  to  ac- 
company him  in  tiie  fields  while  he  plowed, 
or  was  otherwise  engaged  in  work,  and  would 
stand  near  him  with  his  gun  watching  for 
sudden  attacks  of  Indians.  One  of  their  sons, 
William  Todd  Clark  (father),  was  born  on 
the  home  farm  April  26,  1799,  received  his 
eflucatiou  in  the  subscription  schools  of  the 
county,  and  followed  farming  all  his  life.  He 
was  a  prominent  presbyterian,  and  was  one  of 
the  organizers  of  the  Plum  Creek  Presbyterian 
church.  In  1820  he  married  Jane  Cummins, 
second  daughter  of  William  aud  Margaret  Cum- 
mins, of  Indiana  county.  They  had  four  chil- 
dren. 

Margaret  Clark  Ilerron  received  a  common- 
school  education,  and  on  January  1,  1846,  mar- 
ried William  Herron,  son  of  David  Herron,  of 
Westmoreland  county,  who  was  born  June  9, 
1810.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  died 
Jan.  10,  1883.  To  them  were  born  two  chil- 
dren: John  C.  Herron  and  Nancy  Jane,  wife 
of  T.  S.  Wilson,  of  Indiana  county. 


Since  her  husband's  death  Mrs.  Herron  has 
successfully  managed  the  farm,  which  contains 
one  hundred  and  fifty-six  acres  of  well-im- 
proved land,  and  kept  it  in  a  high  state  of  pro- 
ductiveness. She  resides  in  a  large  two-story 
frame  house,  and  the  farm  is  tilled  under  her 
personal  supervision,  and  in  addition  to  grain- 
raising  she  keeps  a  large  herd  of  cattle.  She 
is  a  member  of  the  Elderton  Presbyterian 
church.  Mrs.  Herron  is  prudent,  active  and  en- 
ergetic, and  occupies  a  prominent  position  in  her 
community,  not  only  on  account  of  her  family 
history  aud  respectable  connections,  but  also  by 
reason  of  her  business  enterprise  and  tireless 
energy. 

Joseph  Clark  (grandfather),  married  Ann 
Todd,  and  their  family  consisted  of  two  sous, 
Alexander  W.,  who  married  Jane  Armstrong, 
and  had  ten  children;  and  Clark;  and  six 
daughters:  Barbara,  Ann,  Louisa,  Elizabeth, 
Margaret  aud  Mary,  the  wife  of  Jonathan  Agey, 
and  the  only  one  of  the  family  now  living. 


STEPHEN  JONES,  one  of  Soutii  Bend 
township's  prosperous  and  comfortably 
situated  farmers,  is  a  sou  of  John  and  Mary 
Jones,  and  was  born  in  Wales  in  1808.  He 
was  carefully  trained  to  habits  of  industry,  hon- 
esty and  economy,  and  received  his  education  in 
the  excellent  schools  of  his  native  country, 
from  which  he  emigratetl  to  the  United  States 
in  1839.  Like  many  another  artisan  of  the  old 
world,  who  found  all  trades  there  overcrowded, 
he  sought  a  wider  field  for  work  in  the  iiew 
world.  For  two  years  he  followed  his  trade  in 
New  York  city  aud  Pittsburgh.  In  1860  he 
came  to  Armstrong  county,  where  he  purchased 
his  present  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twelve 
acres,  in  South  Bend  township,  and  has  been 
engaged  in  farming  ever  since.  His  industry 
here  as  a  farmer  has  been  well  rewarded  with 
good  crops,  while  his  well  improved  farm  has 
increased  largely  in  value  since  he  purchased  it. 


552 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


111  1866  he  married,  aud  his  wife  died  soon 
after  marriage.  In  1858  he  married  a  Miss 
Barrel.  To  this  second  union  have  been  born 
two  children  :  Stephen,  Jr.,  born  in  1860 ;  and 
Mary,  born  in  1862. 

Stephen  Jones  has  been  an  earnest  supporter 
of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party  since 
his  residence  in  this  country.  He  has  carefully 
reared  his  children,  trained  them  to  habits  of 
industry  and  economy,  aud  giveu  them  the  ad- 
vantages of  a  good  practical  education.  His 
life  has  been  one  of  continual  activity  aud  hon- 
est hard  labor.  Although  past  his  four-score 
years,  he  still  exercises  an  active  supervision 
over  his  farm  and  all  other  propei'ty  which  he 
owns.  His  rule  through  life  has  been  to  de- 
pend upon  himself,  and  his  success  attests  how 
well  he  has  practiced  that  rule. 


TOHN  T.  KIRKPATRICK,  one  of  the 
^  oldest  merchants  in  the  county  and  post- 
master of  Barnard'  s  ever  since  its  establishment 
as  a  post-office  in  1861,  is  a  son  of  David  and 
Mary  (Thompson)  Kirkpatrick  and  was  born 
near  Freeport,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania* 
in  August,  1823.  The  Kirkpatricks  are  Scotch- 
Irish.  James  Kirkpatrick  (graudfather)  was 
born  in  Cumberland  county,  from  whence  he 
moved  in  early  life  to  Westmoreland  county, 
where  he  livetl  a  few  years.  In  1798  he  located 
in  Plum  Creek  township  (now  Cowanshan- 
nock).  When  living  on  Cherry  run,  near 
Elderton,  his  house  was  attacked  by  Indians 
and"  two  of  its  inmates  were  killed,  while  a 
young  child  was  wounded,  but  its  mother  made 
her  escape  with  it  to  Loyalhanna,  Westmore- 
land county,  where  it  died.  James  Kirkpat- 
rick was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  a  whig  in  pol- 
itics and  an  active  member  and  elder  of  the  first 
Presbyterian  chureh  organized  at  Glade  run, 
near  Dayton.  He  married  Mary  Larimer  and 
to  their  union  were  born  eight  children,  four 
sons  and  four  daughters.     One  of  these  sons, 


James,  Jr.,  served  in  the  war  of  1812  and 
another  son,  David  Kirkpatrick  (father),  was 
born  iu  1778,  in  Westmoreland  county.  He 
came  to  Plum  Creek  township,  Armstrong 
county,  with  his  father,  aud  engaged  iu  farm- 
ing. He  died  in  1844,  when  he  was  in  the 
sixty-seventh  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a  whig 
in  politics,  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
and  married  for  his  first  wife  Elizabeth  Varus, 
by  whom  he  had  two  children :  William  and 
James.  Mrs.  Kirkpatrick  died  and  Mr.  Kirk- 
patrick married  Mary  Thompson,  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Jane  (Riddle)  Thompson.  To  this 
second  union  were  born  eight  children,  of  whom 
one,  Robert  B.,  enlisted  in  1861,  in  the  78tli 
regiment.  Pa.  Vol.  Infantry,  and  served  three 
years.  Mrs.  Mary  Kirkpatrick's  father,  John 
Thompson,  was  a  native  of  Allegheny  county, 
to  which  his  father  had  come  from  Ireland.  John 
Thompson  was  a  farmer  and  a  whig  and  mar- 
ried Jane  Riddle,  by  whom  he  had  three  chil- 
dren. His  wife  died  and  he  married  for  his 
second  wife  a  Miss  Breckeuridge,  who  bore  him 
eight  children,  three  sons  and  five  daughters. 

John  T.  Kirkpatrick  was  reared  on  a  farm 
and  received  his  education  in  the  subscription 
schools  of  his  day.  He  commenced  life  as  a 
clerk  at  Smicksburg,  but  afterward  went  to 
Kittanniug  and  entered  the  employ  of  a 
merchant,  with  whom  he  remained  until  his 
father's  death,  in  1844.  He  then  opened  a  gen- 
eral mercantile  store  at  Barnard's,  where  he  has 
continued  in  that  line  of  business  ever  since. 
He  has  a  heavy  stock  of  merchandise,  enjoys  a 
good  trade  from  a  large  section  of  country  and 
was  appointed  postmaster  of  Barnard's,  when 
that  post-office  was  established  iu  1861.  In 
addition  to  his  mercantile  business,  Mr.  Kirk- 
patrick is  engaged,  to  some  extent,  in  farming 
in  Cowanshannock  township,  where  he  owns 
one  hundred  and  six  acres  of  land. 

He  married  Sarah  McGaughey,  daughter  of 
John  McGaughey,  of  Wayne  township.  To 
their  union  has  been  born  one  child,  John  M. 


ARMSTROiSG   COUNTY. 


553 


Johu  T.  Kirkpatrick  is  a  member  of  Glade 
Run  Presbyterian  church  and  a  republican  in 
political  opinion.  Half  a  century  of  experience 
as  a  clerk  and  a  merchant  has  well  qualified  Mr. 
Kirkpatrick  for  the  mercantile  business,  in  which 
he  has  always  been  honest  and  honorable. 


I 


riALVIN  P.  McADOO,  M.D.,  one  of  At- 
^  wood's  well-read  and  most  successful  phys- 
icians, is  a  son  of  Dr.  John  E.  and  Hannah 
(McCune)  McAdoo,  and  was  born  in  Cowan- 
shannock  township,  Armstrong  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, March  12,  1849.  John  McAdoo, 
grandfather  of  Dr.  Calvin  P.  McAdoo,  was  in 
all  probability  a  native  of  Indiana  county,  from 
whence  he  removed  to  Armstrong  county, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  until  his 
death.  One  of  his  sons.  Dr.  John  E.  McAdoo 
(father),  was  born  in  Indiana  county,  graduated 
from  Jefferson  Medical  college  of  Philadelphia, 
and  afterwards  moved  to  Ohio,  where  he  prac- 
ticed medicine  till  his  death.  He  was  a  repub- 
lican in  politics  and  married  Mrs.  Hannah 
(McCune)  McCreery.  They  had  one  child,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  Mrs.  McAdoo's  father, 
Christopher  McCune,  was  a  native  of  Ireland, 
and  settled  in  Indiana  county,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness at  Plumville,  at  which  place  he  afterwards 
died.  He  was  a  member  of  the  United  Pres- 
byterian church  and  a  republican  in  politics, 
and  served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  several 
years.  Mrs.  McAdoo's  first  husband  was  Wil- 
liam McCreery,  and  they  had  two  children : 
Margaret,  who  married  a  Mr.  Des  Moines  (now 
deceased),  and  is  a  matron  in  a  State  Normal 
school;  and  Mary,  the  wife  of  James  Duff. 

Calvin  P.  McAdoo  was  reared  in  his  native 
township  and  after  completing  the  full  course  of 
study  at  Rural  Valley  academy,  read  medicine 
with  Dr.  J.  W.  Morrow,  of  Atwood.  He  then 
practiced  for  a  short  time  under  Dr.  Smith,  of 
Apollo,  and  afterwards  entered  the  medical  de- 
33 


partment  of  Wooster  University  of  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated 
in  1882.  Immediately  after  graduation  he 
came  to  Atwood,  where  he  has  successfully  prac- 
ticed his  profession  ever  since. 

He  married  Charlotte  Wagner,  daughter  of 
John  Wagner,  of  Washington  township,  Indi- 
ana county.  Their  union  has  been  blessed  with 
six  children,  three  sons  and  three  daughters  : 
Nancy  V.,  married  to  William  Earhart,  of  At- 
wood, and  has  one  child,  Glenard  Cloyde; 
Charles,  John,  Margaret,  Harry  and  Winona. 

Dr.  Calvin  P.  McAdoo  is  a  democrat  in  poli- 
tics and  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church  of  Atwood.  He  enjoys  a  good  practice 
at  Atwood  and  in  its  surrounding  section  of 
country. 


DAVID  McCULLOUGH.  A  much-missed 
citizen  and  business  man  of  Atwood  is 
the  late  David  McCuUough,  who  was  a  wounded 
veteran  of  tlie  14th  Pa.  Cavalry.  He  was  a 
sou  of  David  and  Eh'zaboth  (George)  McCul- 
lough,  and  was  born  in  Plum  Creek  township, 
Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  November  8, 
1824.  The  McCullough  family  is  of  Scotch 
descent  and  one  of  its  members,  David  McCul- 
lough, Sr.  (grandfather),  a  native  of  Scotland, 
emigrated  from  Scotland  to  Peimsylvania, 
where  he  settled  in  Indiana  county.  He  there, 
in  1782,  married  Hannah  Rutherford  and  one 
of  their  sons  was  David  McCullough,  Jr. 
(father),  who  was  born  January  3,  1817.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church,  a  democrat  in  politics  and  at  one  time 
served  as  constable  of  his  township.  He  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  George,  a  daughter  of  Alexander 
George,  a  native  of  Ireland  and  a  farmer  of 
Plum  Creek  township.  To  David  McCul- 
lough, Jr.,  and  his  wife  were  born  seven  chil- 
dren :  John,  born  September,  1822,  and  is  a 
farmer  of  near  Elderton  ;  David,  Alexander, 
born  December  30,  1826  ;  Robert,  born  May  1 , 


554 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


1829,  now  living  near  Elderton  ;  William,  born 
April  23,  1831;  Jackson,  born  May  2,  1835; 
and  James  born  June  10,  1837. 

David  MeCullough  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm  and  received  a  good  common  business 
education,  after  which  he  learned  the  trade  of 
blacksmith.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  Co.  K, 
14th  regiment,  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  as  a 
blacksmith  and  farrier,  although  he  partici- 
pated in  most  of  the  battles  in  which  his 
regiment  was  engaged.  He  was  wounded  in 
the  shoulder  in  the  battle  of  Gilmore's  Mill 
June  13,  1863,  and  was  mustered  out  June  2, 
1865.  Returning  from  the  army,  he  resumed 
blacksmithing,  which  he  followed  until  hisdeath. 
He  passed  away  on  October  15,  1889,  after  a 
life  of  honest  and  honorable  toil.  He  was  suc- 
cessful in  his  business  and  had  acquired  a  farm 
of  ninety  acres  adjoining  Atwood,  upon  which 
his  widow  now  resides. 

On  August  12,  1856,  he  married  Jane  Dow- 
ney, a  daughter  of  Jacob  Downey,  wlio  was 
born  in  Indiana  county,  where  he  followed 
blacksmithing.  He  was  a  republican  in  politics, 
a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church, 
and  married  Elizabeth  Cannon,  by  whom  he  had 
eight  children,  of  whom  five  are  living:  John, 
of  Jacksonville,  who  served  in  a  Pennsylvania 
volunteer  regiment  during  the  late  civil  war; 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  Samuel  Spence,  of  Wayne 
township  ;  Jane,  Isabelle,  who  married  John 
Neil,  a  farmer  of  Indiana  county  ;  and  Mary.  To 
David  and  Jane  MeCullough  have  been  born 
seven  children,  three  sons  and  four  daughters  : 
Mary  T.,  wife  of  Elder  Kebbler,  a  farmer  of 
Indiana  county ;  Anna  B.  (deceased) ;  Eliza- 
beth D.  (deceased) ;  Abraham  Lincoln,  a  car- 
riage manufacturer  of  Dayton ;  Samuel  G., 
Martha  B.  (deceased) ;  and  David  H. 

David  MeCullough  was  a  republican  in  poli- 
tics, a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church  and  a  man  who  was  well  respected  by 
his  neighbors. 


JAMES  D.  McLEAN,  now  prominent  in  the 
political  and  business  life  at  Atwood,  is 
one  of  the  Union  soldiers  who  were  confined  in 
Libby  prison  during  the  late  war.  He  is  a  son 
of  Alexander  and  Mary  (Duncan)  McLean, 
and  was  born  in  Cowanshaunock  township, 
Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  February  2, 
1837.  He  is  of  Scotch  descent  and  his  great- 
grandfather, James  McLean,  came  from  Scot- 
land to  Pennsylvania,  where  he  settled  in  Indi- 
ana county,  near  Livermore.  He  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation  and  a  strong  opponent  of  the 
Democratic  party.  He  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace  for  a  number  of  years  and  was  a  member 
of  the  old  Seceder  church.  He  married  a  Miss 
Miller  and  to  their  union  were  born  seven  chil- 
dren, three  .sons  and  four  daughters.  The  sons 
were  :  John,  Col.  Alexander  and  Samuel. 
Col.  Alexander  McLean  commanded  a  regi- 
ment of  Pennsylvania  troops  in  the  war  of  1812. 
John  McLean  (grandfather)  was  born  on  his 
father's  farm  near  Livermore,  and  in  1813 
removed  to  Jefferson  county,  Indiana,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  August,  1828,  when 
he  was  in  the  sixtieth  year  of  his  age.  He  was 
a  whig  in  politics,  a  member  of  the  Seceder 
church  and  married  Rachel  Matthews  (wi)o  died 
in  1826),  by  whom  he  had  eight  children,  four 
sons  and  four  daughters.  One  of  these  sons, 
Alexander  Mclican  (father),  was  born  on  the 
old  homestead  farm  in  Indiana  county,  Septem- 
ber 25,  1810,  and  removed  with  his  father, 
three  years  afterwards,  to  Indiana.  In  1829 
he  returned  to  Indiana  county,  and  in  1835 
moved  to  Plum  Creek  township  (now  Cowan- 
shaunock), where  he  cleaied  out  a  farm  upon 
which  he  now  resides.  He  was  a  whig  and  is 
now  a  republican  in  politics.  He  has  served  as 
supervisor  and  tax-collector  of  Cowanshaunock 
township.  Hehasheld  membership  since  1830, 
in  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  he 
has  been  an  elder  for  fifty  years.  He  married 
Mary  Duncan,  who  bore  him  five  children,  four 


ARMSTRONO   COUNTY. 


sons  and  one  daughter.  Of  these  sous,  Ebene- 
zer  enlisted  in  1864,  in  Co.  K,  14tli  regiment, 
Pa.  Cavahy,  and  died  the  following  year  in  the 
hospital  at  Frederick  City,  and  Samuel  enlisted 
in  1861,  in  Co.  E,  11th  regiment,  Pa.  Reserves, 
and  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Gaines'  Mill,  1862. 
John  McLean,  the  oldest  son,  is  a  farmer  and 
Dorcas,  the  daughter,  is  living  with  her  brother 
J.  D.  Mrs.  McLean  died  in  1842,  and  in 
1843,  Mr.  McLean  married  for  his  second 
wife  Rebecca  McCauslaud,  who  died  in  1849. 
To  this  .second  marriage  were  born  three  chil- 
dren :  David  M.,  Mary  and  W.  H.  McLean. 
In  1853,  Mr.  McLean  married  Margaret  Gil- 
lespie, and  to  this  third  union  have  been  born 
three  children  :  Nancy  J.,  Sai'ah  E.  and  Mattie 
J.  Mrs.  Mary  McLean  was  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  Duncan  (maternal  grandfather),  a  na- 
tive of  eastern  Pennsylvania,  and  a  weaver  by 
trade.  He  came  to  Armstrong  county,  where 
he  engaged  in  farming.  He  married  Dorcas 
Todd,  who  bore  him  seven  children,  three  sons 
and  four  daughters. 

James  D.  McLean  was  reared  in  Cowanshan- 
nock  township,  attended  the  common  schools  of 
that  township,  the  normal  school  at  Indiana  and 
Rural  Valley  academy,  and  taught  two  terms. 
In  1861  he  enlisted  in  Co.  A,  78th  regiment. 
Pa.  Vols.,  and  served  three  years,  tw-o  months 
and  three  days  in  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland. 
During  the  battle  of  Stone  River  he  was  taken 
prisoner  and  .sent  to  Libby  Prison,  where  he 
was  held  thirty-one  days.  After  he  was  di.s- 
charged  he  returned  home  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, but  finding  his  .strength  insufficient  for  that 
occupation,  embarked,  in  1870,  in  the  mercan- 
tile business  at  Atwood.  He  has  a  large  and 
well-assorted  stock  of  general  merchandise,  and, 
by  fair  and  honest  dealing,  he  has  succeeded  in 
building  up  a  substantial  trade. 

May  27,  1865,  he  married  Amanda  McCaus- 
laud, daughter  of  James  McCauslaud,  of  Cow- 
aushannock  township.  To  their  union  have 
been  born  seven  children  :    Sarah,  married  to 


Samuel  Cuddy,  a  carpenter  of  Pittsburgh ; 
Mary  L.,  Samuel  A.,  Porter  D,,  at  home ; 
James  M.,  died  in  1873;  Dorcas  B.  L.,  who 
died  in  1876  ;  and  Reed  A.,  who  died  in  1882. 
Politically,  Mr.  McLean  is  a  republican  and 
is  now  serving  as  justice  of  the  peace,  school 
director  and  councilman  of  the  borough  of  At- 
wood. He  is  a  member  of  the  United  Presby- 
terian church,  of  which  he  has  been  a  trustee  for 
several  years.  He  is  a  member  of  Anderson  Post, 
No.  149,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  of 
Rural  Valley. 


ANTHONY  MONTGOMERY  is  a  care- 
ful and  prosperous  farmer  of  South  Bend 
township.  The  Montgomery  family  is  of  Irish 
descent.  Anthony  Montgomery's  father  was 
born  in  Ireland  on  May  10,  1790,  and  came 
from  the  Emerald  Isle  to  Greensburg,  West- 
moreland county,  in  1800,  near  which  he  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  his  death.  He  married 
a  Miss  Wood  ward,  daughter  of  Absalom  Wood- 
ward. To  their  union  were  born  nine  childi'en, 
of  whom  six  are  living,  four  sons  and  two 
daughters.  Two  of  these  children  are  Isabella 
C.  and  Anthony,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Anthony  Montgomery  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm,  and  attended  the  subscription 
schools  of  South  Bend  township.  He  has  been 
a  fiirmer  all  his  life,  and  by  patient  toil  and 
frugality  has  established  himself  in  comfortal)Ic 
circumstances.  He  owns  a  one-half  interest  in 
the  homestead,  of  one  hundred  and  eighty 
acres,  which  is  well  cultivated.  He  and  his 
sister  Lsabella  live  in  the  old  homestead  farm- 
house. He  manages  his  farm  very  successfully 
and  raises  considerable  stock.  He  makes  a 
specialty  of  fine  horses. 

Isabella  Montgomery  owns  one-half  of  the 
homestead  farm,  which  is  cultivated  by  her 
brother  Anthony.  She  is  a  woman  of  consid- 
erable business  tact,  and  has  accumulated  suffi- 
cient  means  to  be  able  to  live  in  comfort.     She 


556 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


takes  an  active  interest  in  all  matters  affecting 
the  community  in  which  she  resides. 


SMITH  NEAL,  one  of  the  largest  land- 
holders of  eastern  Armstrong  county,  and 
a  prominent  and  influential  member  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  church  in  Cowanshannock 
township,  was  born  in  Butler  county,  Pa., 
January  25,  1822,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert  and 
Sarah  (Love)  Neal.  The  Neal  family  is  of  Ger- 
man descent,  and  one  of  its  members,  Henry  Neal 
(great-grandfather),  was  a  farmer  in  the  Cum- 
berland Valley,  who  had  three  brothers  who 
served  in  the  Colonial  army  in  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  were  all  killed  in  the  battle  of  Bran- 
dy wine.  He  married  a  Miss  Smith,  by  whom 
he  had  three  sons :  William,  who  settled  in 
Armstrong  county  ;  John,  who  became  a  farmer 
in  Butler  county,  and  Smith  Neal  (grandfather), 
who  was  born  March  5,  1764,  in  the  Cumber- 
land Valley,  from  whence  he  removed  to  Butler 
county.  He  enlisted  in  the  Colonial  array  during 
the  Revolution  and  served  one  day.  He  was  also 
a  soldier  during  the  war  of  18 12,  and  the  gun  that 
he  carried  has  been  preserved  in  the  family,  and 
is  now  in  the  possession  of  his  grandson  and 
namesake,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  In  1833, 
Smith  Neal  removed  to  Armstrong  county, 
where  he  purchased  a  farm,  which  he  cultivated 
until  his  death,  August  5,  1863,  when  he  was 
in  the  one  hundredth  year  of  his  age.  He  was 
a  millwright  by  trade,  a  whig  in  politics,  and 
a  member  of  the  Secetler  chui-ch.  He  married 
Sarah  Cochran,  and  they  had  one  son,  Robert 
Neal  (father),  who  was  born  July  5,  1795. 
Robert  Neal  was  a  farmer  of  Butler  county 
until  1834,  when  he  bought  a  farm  in  Arm- 
strong county.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Seceder  church  until  his  death,  December  24, 
1863.  He  was  a  whig  and  afterwards  a  repub- 
lican ;  was  the  first  inspector  of  elections  in  his 
township.  He  married  Sarah  Love,  by  whom 
he    had    five    children,    three    sons    and    two 


daughters :  William  H.,  married  Eliza  Stuchel, 
and  resides  near  Marion ;  Rosetta  P.,  wife  of 
Thomas  H.  Marshall,  a  merchant  and  farmer  of 
Dayton  ;  Alexander,  who  went  to  California  ; 
Neal,  and  Mary  J.  (deceased),  who  married 
James  Hanagan,  and  after  his  death  marri«l 
James  Temple,  of  Iowa. 

Smith  Neal  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm, 
attended  the  subscription  schools  of  his  neigh- 
borhood, and  has  been  engaged  in  farming  ever 
since  leaving  school.  Besides  his  Cowanshan- 
nock township  farm  of  two  hundred  acres,  he 
also  owns  the  home  farm  of  five  hundred  acres. 
On  May  25,  1847,  he  married  Margaret 
Sloan,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Nancy  Sloan, 
old  settlers  of  Plum  Creek  township.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Neal  have  been  born  five  children,  one 
I  son  and  four  daughters  :  Nancy  J.,  now  living 
in  Philadelphia ;  Amanda,  wife  of  John.son 
Irwin,  a  carpenter  of  Denver,  Colorado;  and 
j  Sarah,  wife  of  Samuel  Burus,  a  farmer  of 
I  Cowanshannock  township  ;  Margaret  and  Alex- 
ander, who  are  both  dead.  Mrs.  Neal  passed 
away  March  17,  1861,  at  thirty-nine  years  of 
age.  On  April  10,  1862,  Mr.  Neal  married  as 
liis  .second  wife,  Caroline  Jewert,  a  daughter  of 
Alexander  and  Jane  (Hickenlooper)  Jewert,  of 
Plum  Creek  township.  To  this  second  union 
were  born  six  children,  two  sons  and  four 
daughters :  Loella  R.,  married  J.  P.  Beyer, 
and  after  his  death  became  the  wife  of  A.  M. 
Hines,  a  resident  of  Harrisburg,  and  a  con- 
ductor on  the  main  line  of  the  Pennsylvania 
railroad;  L.  Adda,  wife  of  John  Downey,  of 
New  Brighton,  who  is  the  inventor  of  the 
"Keystone  Driller"  and  a  steam-pump;  Al- 
don,  married  Maggie  J.  Rankin,  and  has  one 
child ;  Smith,  Robert  E.,  Mattie  V.  and 
Alice  L. 

In  politics,  Smith  Neal  is  a  republican,  and 
has  held  various  township  offices.  He  and  his 
whole  family  are  members  of  the  United  Pres- 
byterian church,  of  which  he  has  been  an  elder 
for  at  least  fifteen  years.     He  represented  the 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


557 


Brookville  Presbytery  in  the  General  Assembly 
of  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  held  in 
Philadelphia  in  1887. 


JOHN  M.  PETTIGREW,  M.D.,  a  skillful 
*-'  and  successful  physician  of  Rural  Valley 
and  eastern  Armstrong  county,  is  a  son  of  Mat- 
Uiew  and  Jane  (Windrem)  Pettigrew,  and  was 
born  in  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania^  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1835.  The  Pettigrews  are  of  Irish 
descent  and  John  Pettigrew  (grandfather)  was  a 
farmer  in  Ireland.  His  son,  Matthew  Petti- 
grew (father),  was  born  in  1801  and  settled, 
when  a  young  man,  in  Plum  creek  township, 
Armstrong  county,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
farming  until  his  death.  He  died  in  1887, 
when  he  was  in  the  eighty-sixth  year  of  his  age. 
He  was  a  democrat  in  politics,  and  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  and  marrietl  Jane 
Windrem,  a  daughter  of  James  Windrem,  a 
democrat  and  presbyterian  of  Plum  Creek 
township,  who  was  also  a  native  of  Ireland. 
Matthew  Pettigrew  had  seven  children,  of 
whom  the  following  five  are  living:  Dr.  John 
M.,  Sarah,  widow  of  James  Sturgeon,  and  a 
resident  of  Elderton ;  James  W.,  residing  on 
the  homestead  farm  in  Plum  Creek  township; 
Martha,  wife  of  Josiah  Shoemaker,  a  farmer  of 
Kiskiminetas  township ;  and  Dr.  Samuel  H.,  a 
graduate  of  Jefferson  Medical  college  and  a 
practicing  physician  at  Du  Bois,  Pa.  j 

John  M.  Pettigrew  was  reared  on  his  father's  I 
farm,  attended  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
township  and  Glade  Run  academy  and  read 
medicine  with  Dr.  T.  H.  Allison,  of  Elderton. 
He  entered  the  National  Medical  college  of 
Washington,  D.  C,  from  which  he  was  grad-  j 
nated  in  the  class  of  1860.  He  returned  to  his 
native  State  and  after  practicing  at  Elderton, 
Armstrong  county,  for  some  time,  came  to 
Rural  Valley,  where  he  has  residetl  in  tiie  active 
practice  of  his  profession  ever  since.  He  has  a 
arge  and  extensive  practice  which  extends  into 


the  edge  of  Indiana  county.  He  has  prospered 
materially  and  now  owns  some  seven  hundred 
acres  of  well  cultivated  land  in  Cowanshannock 
and  adjoining  townships.  He  raises  some  very 
fine  blooded  horses  and  cattle,  and  full-blooded 
merino  sheep,  and  makes  a  specialty  of  Jersey 
cattle  and  Dolphin  and  Hambletoniau  hoi'ses. 
He  also  has  an  interest  in  a  lumber  company. 

On  February  20,  186.3,  he  married  Cor<lelia 
R.  McCurdy,  daugliter  of  John  McCurdy,  of 
Wayne  township.  They  had  nine  children, 
three  sons  and  six  daughters:  Delia  J.,  mar- 
rial  to  K.  F.  Ambrose,  a  teacher  and  telegraph 
operator  of  Iowa;  Matthew  M.,  deceased; 
Charlotte  M.,  a  graduate  of  Edinborough 
Normal  school,  and  a  teacher  at  Rural  Valley; 
John  M.,  deceased  ;  Minnie  M.,  at  home;  Mary 
deceased;  Blanche  M.,  Martha  M.,  and  Bernard 
Clare  at  home. 

In  politics.  Dr.  Pettigrew  is  a  democrat.  He 
is  no  politician  and,  although  accepting  the 
office  of  school  director  to  which  he  was  elected, 
yet  declined  a  nomination  for  the  House  of 
Representatives  of  Pennsylvania.  He  is  a 
member  of  Kittanning  Lodge,  No  244,  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons,  at  Kittanning,  and  Rural 
Valley  Lodge,  No.  766,  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  at  Rural  village. 


WESLEY  PONTIUS,  one  of  the  reliable 
and  leading  business  men  of  Wayne 
township  and  his  section  of  the  county,  was 
born  in  Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania,  Sep- 
tember 15,  1813,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and 
Elizabeth  (Lias)  Pontius.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, John  Pontius,  was  a  native  of  Germany 
and  settled  for  a  time  near  Philadelphia.  He 
afterwards  removed  to  Huntingdon  county,  where 
he  remained  but  a  short  time  and  then  located 
permanently  in  Wayne  township  Although 
reare<l  a  lutheran,  he  became  a  methodist,  and  in 
politics  was  successively  a  whig  and  republican. 
His   family   consisted   of    two  sons   and   four 


558 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


(laughters.  One  of  these  sons  was  Jacob  Pon- 
tius (father),  who  was  born  near  Philadelphia. 
He  owned  a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  near 
Dayton,  besides  several  other  tracts  of  land  in 
the  county.  He  was  a  methodist  and  a  whig 
and  voted  his  party  ticket  when  he  and  one 
other  man  were  the  only  whigs  in  their  section 
of  the  county.  He  married  Elizabeth  Lias, 
whose  father  was  a  German,  who  removed  from 
eastern  Pennsylvania  to  Huntingdon  county, 
where  he  followed  farming  until  his  death.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Pontius  reared  a  family  of  nine 
children. 

Wesley  Pontius  was  reared  on  a  farm  when 
the  county  was  but  barely  past  its  pioneer  days 
and  when  farming  was  accomplished  only  by 
the  hardest  of  labor.  He  attended  the  schools 
of  that  day  and  worked  on  the  farm  until  he 
was  almost  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  his 
father  built  a  tannery  and  he  learned  the  trade 
of  tanner.  At  the  death  of  his  father  became 
into  possession  of  a  part  of  the  farm,  which  he 
tilled  until  1862,  when  he  disposed  of  all  of  his 
land  but  fifty  acres  adjoining  Dayton,  which  he 
still  owns.  In  1866  a  stock  company  was 
formed  at  Dayton,  which  organized  the  "  Day- 
ton Soldiers'  Orphan  School,"  and  he  was  one 
of  the  heaviest  stockholdei's  as  well  as  presi- 
dent for  seven  years  of  the  board  of  managers 
of  the  company.  He  also  has  considerable 
stock  in  the  Dayton  Agricultural  association, 
of  which  he  was  manager  for  a  number  of 
years. 

He  married  Jane  Traves,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Traves,  of  near  Dayton.  They  had 
three  children,  of  whom  two  are  living :  Mary 
A.,  who  married  Rev.  J.  B.  Gray,  of  the  Pitts- 
burgh M.  E.  conference  and  has  one  child,  Earle,  i 
who  is  a  young  man  of  bright  promise;  and 
Ganaretia,  wife  of  Charles  H.  Grey,  a  commer- 
cial traveler  of  Pittsburgh.  ! 

At  the  present  time  Mr.  Pontius  is  not  ac- 
tively engaged  in  any  particular  line  of  busi- 
ness, but  gives  his  time  to  the  management  of 


his  farm,  and  in  looking  after  his  general  busi- 
ness interests.  He  was  a  whig  until  that  party 
went  out  of  existence  and  remembers  distinctly 
the  political  campaign  of  1840,  with  its  many 
exciting  scenes  in  Armstrong  county,  where  he 
voted  for  General  William  H.  Harrison  for 
President  of  the  United  States.  He  has  always 
given  his  time  to  business  and  especially  to  edu- 
cational and  agricultural  enterprises  calculated 
to  benefit  Dayton  borough  and  Wayne  town- 
ship. Wesley  Pontius  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Dayton,  of 
which  he  served  as  a  trustee  for  many  years. 


JAMES  S.  RALSTON,  a  successful  farmer, 
and  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of 
Armstrong  county,  is  a  descendant  of  two  old 
time-honored  families,  which  have  been  identi- 
fied with  the  history  of  Plum  Creek  township 
since  its  earliest  Anglo-Saxon  occupation. 
James  S.  Ralston  was  born  at  Shelocta,  Indiana 
county,  Pennsylvania,  October  8,  18.35,  and  is 
a  son  of  David  and  Margaret  (Sharp)  Ralston. 
In  the  great  westward  tide  of  Scotch-Irish  emi- 
gration that,  during  the  closing  years  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  sw'ept  over  the  Alleghenies 
from  the  grand  old  Cumberland  Valley  into 
western  Pennsylvania,  were  the  ancestors  of  the 
Ralston  and  Sharp  families  of  Armstrong  and 
Indiana  counties.  David  Ralston,  Sr.,  the  pa- 
ternal grandfivther  of  James  S.  Ralston,  was  a 
native  of  Cumberland  county,  married,  in  1803, 
Agnes  Sharp,  the  first  white  child  born  in  the 
region  of  the  west  side  of  Crooked  creek,  and 
located  in  what  is  now  Plum  Creek  township, 
Armstrong  county,  prior  to  1798.  In  1809,  at 
a  log  tavern  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  John 
Ralston,  he  was  mistaken,  when  he  came  out  of 
the  house  after  dark,  for  another  person,  and 
was  struck  on  the  head  with  a  club  by  a  man 
lying  in  wait  for  the  other  man.  The  blow 
thus  inflicted  soon  caused  his  death.  He  left 
three   children :  David,  John  and  Mary,  who 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


559 


married  William  McCracken.  Mrs.  Ralston, 
who  afterwards  married  James  Mitchell,  was 
born  February  21,  1785,  and  died  August  2, 
1862.  She  was  the  second  daughter  of  Capt. 
Andrew  Sharp,  who  served  as  an  officer  in  the 
Revolutionary  war  under  Washington.  In  1784 
he  became  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Plum 
Creek  township,  and  also  purchased  a  large 
tract  of  land  on  which  the  town  of  Shelocta, 
Indiana  county,  now  stands.  In  1794  he  trad- 
ed this  land  for  a  farm  near  a  town  in  Ken- 
tucky, wheoe  his  children  could  receive  the 
advantages  of  a  good  education.  He  embarked 
on  a  flat-boat,  on  Black  Lick  creek,  with  his 
family  and  several  others, — twenty  in  all,  and  on 
the  Kiskiminetas,  just  below  the  site  of  Apollo, 
was  attacked  by  seven  Indians.  Capt.  Sharp, 
who  succeeded  in  unfastening  his  boat,  which 
was  tied  to  the  shore  at  the  time,  and  in  getting 
it  into  the  middle  of  the  river,  received  two 
wounds,  one  in  the  right,  and  the  other  in  the 
left  side.  He  shot  one  of  the  Indians,  and  the 
other  six  followed  the  boat  twelve  miles  down 
the  river,  and  shot  the  two  men  who  were  in 
the  boat  with  him.  After  arrivinii'  at  Pitts- 
burgh,  Capt.  Sharp  died  of  his  wounds,  on 
July  8,  1794,  and  his  remains  were  interred 
there  with  the  honors  of  war.  He  married 
Ann  Wood,  a  native  of  Cumberland  county. 
He  left  six  children :  Hannah  Leason,  Agnes 
Ralston,  Joseph,  James,  Ann  McCreigh  and 
Margaret  McCullough.  David  Ralston,  the 
father  of  James  S.  Ralston,  was  born  on  Plum 
creek,  Armstrong  county,  in  1804,  and  died  at 
Indiana,  in  1867.  He  was  a  merchant  and 
grain-dealer  at  Shelocta  for  several  years,  went, 
in  1837,  to  Indiana,  and  in  1842  was  elected 
sheriff  of  Indiana  county.  He  was  a  whig  and 
republican,  and  was  an  active  and  thorough- 
going man.  He  made  some  very  profitable 
investments  in  oil,  and  had  acquired  consider- 
able wealth  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  mar- 
ried Margaret  Sharp,  a  daughter  of  James 
Sharp,  and  a  granddaughter  of  Capt.  Andrew 


Sharp.  Their  children  are :  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
Hon.  AW.  Taylor;  Nancy,  married  to  J.  P. 
Carter;  James  S.  and  Thomas  Elder. 

James  S.  Ralston  was  reared  at  Indiana,  and 
attended  the  academy  at  that  pl.ice  with  U.  S. 
Senator  M.  S.  Quay,  Judge  Silas  M.  Clark, 
and  other  prominent  men.  Leaving  school,  he 
was  in  the  mercantile  business  with  his  father 
for  some  time  in  South  Bend.  In  1860  he  en- 
listed in  the  United  States  Navy  as  a  seaman, 
and  served  for  three  years.  Returning  home 
at  the  end  of  that  time,  he  enlisted  (in  1863) 
in  Co.  C,  57th  regt.,  Pa.  Militia,  and  was  en- 
gagetl  in  the  chase  after  tlie  Confederate  raider, 
Gen.  John  H.  Morgan.  Some  time  after  the 
ex2)iration  of  his  term  of  enlistment  in  the 
army  he  embarked  in  the  .salt  manufacturing 
business,  which  he  followed  very  profitably  for 
two  years.  From  1864  to  1869  he  was  proprietor 
of  the  "Indiana  House."  In  the  latter  year  he 
removed  to  his  present  well-improved  farm  in 
Plum  Creek  township,  this  county.  This  flirm 
contains  one  hundred  and  fifteen  acres  of  choice 
farming  land,  and  is  situated  close  to  the  Indi- 
ana county  line,  and  on  the  pike  from  Indiana  to  . 
Kittanning. 

September  3,  1859,  he  married  Maria  An- 
toinette Bleakney,  of  South  Bend  township. 
They  have  three  sons  and  three  daughters :  Ed- 
win, Mary,  Isabella,  Bessie,  William  and 
Frank. 

In  addition  to  his  fine  farm,  Mr.  Ralston  is 
the  proprietor  of  a  large  tract  of  farming  land 
in  the  west,  and  also  has  a  controlling  interest 
in  some  valuable  oil  territory.  He  is  a  man  of 
prominence,  integrity,  usefulness  and  marked 
individuality.  He  owns  a  fine  library,  gives 
ranch  of  his  time  to  reading,  and  has  made  an 
especial  study  of  political  and  financial  mat- 
ters. He  is  a  Jacksonian  democrat,  has  served 
in  several  township  and  borough  offices,  and 
in  June,  1890,  was  honored  by  his  party  with 
a  nomination  for  commissioner  of  Armstrong 
county. 


560 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


EMANUEL  Z.  SCHRECENGOST,  one  of 
the  active  business  men  of  Rural  Valley 
and  a  Union  soldier  of  the  late  war,  is  a  son  of 
Daniel  and  Mary  (Cruni)  Schrecengost,  and  was 
born  at.  Kittanning,  Armstrong  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, August  2,  1829.  Conrad  Schrecen- 
gost (grandfather)  was  born  iu  Germany,  from 
which  he  was  emigrated  to  Berks  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  afterwards  removed  to  Val- 
ley' township,  Armstrong  county,  where  he  died. 
He  was  a  gunsmith  by  trade  and  spent  consider- 
able time  in  hunting.  He  was  a  federalist  in 
politics  and  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church. 
He  married  a  Miss  Zortnian,  by  whom  he  had 
nine  children,  six  sons  and  three  daughters. 
Daniel  Schrecengost  (fiither)  was  born  in  Valley 
township,  where  he  died.  He  was  a  gunsmith 
by  trade  and  by  industry  and  thrift  he  acquired 
a  farm  of  three  hundred  acres  of  land  in  his 
native  township.  He  was  an  active  republican, 
served  as  constable  for  several  years  and  at  one 
time  was  the  candidate  of  his  party  for  sheriff. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
ciiurch  and  married  ISIary  Crura,  whose  father 
was  a  German  farmer  of  Plum  Creek  township. 
To  their  union  were  born  seven  children,  five 
sons  and  two  daughters :  Emanuel  Z.;  Zepha- 
niali,  of  Plumville,  who  married  Sarah  Houser; 
Solomon,  who  served,  in  1864  and  1865,  in  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  ;  Daniel,  of  Indiana,  Pa., 
married  Mary  Oiilinger,  enlisted  in  Co.  M, 
139th  regiment.  Pa.  Vols.,  served  until  the 
close  of  the  war  and  was  wounded  iu  the  Wil- 
derness :  Aaron,  of  Rural  Valley,  who  married 
Catherine  Hill ;  Mary,  who  died  in  18  ;  and 
Isabella. 

Emanuel  Z.  Schrecengost  was  reared  in  Val- 
ley township,  where  he  received  a  common-school 
education.  He  learned  the  trade  of  blacksmith, 
which  he  has  followed  ever  since.  On  the  20th 
of  March,  1855,  he  moved  to  Rural  Valley, 
M'here  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  the  carriage 
manufacturing,  blacksmithing  and  undertaking 
business.     He  has  prospered   and  owns  a  farm 


in  Cowanshannock  township,  besides  his  proper- 
ty at  Rural  Valley.  In  August,  1864,  he  en- 
listed in  Co.  M,  5th  regiment.  Pa.  Heavy  Artil- 
lery, and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

He  married  Sarah  Hartman,  daughter  of 
Henry  Hartman,  of  Armstrong  county.  To 
their  union  were  born  seven  children  :  Philan- 
der W.,  a  blacksmith,  married  Mary  Lias  and 
has  one  child  living  ;  Mary  (deceased);  Nancy, 
married  John  White,  a  blacksmith  and  farmer 
and  has  four  children  — Charles,  Earl,  Blanche 
and  one  unnamed  ;  Melissa,  married  James  Pat- 
terson and  has  had  five  children  Bertha,  John 
Harry  (deceased),  Walter  (deceased),  and 
Nancy;  Emma,  married  to  Addison  Tarren,  a 
farmer  of  Cowanshannock  township,  and  has 
one  child,  Curtis;  James  (deceased);  Dr. 
Leander  Curtis,  who  was  a  graduate  of  two 
leading  medical  colleges  and  practiced  medi- 
cine at  Latrobe,  Pa.,  until  his  death.  Mrs. 
Schrecengost  died  May  29,  1867,  and  Mr. 
Schrecengost  married  for  his  second  wife,  Annie 
McCurdy,  who  died.  He  afterwards  married 
INIary  Richards.  To  this  third  union  one  child 
lias  been  born :  Margaret  M. 

Ill  politics  Mr.  Schrecengost  is  a  stanch  re- 
publican. He  is  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Metliodist  Episcopal  church,  and  has  been  one 
of  its  stewards  for  the  last  quarter  of  a  century. 


WILLIAM  C.  SLOAN.  In  a  few  years 
but  few  Union  soldiers  of  the  late  civil 
war  will  be  in  the  land  of  the  living.  One 
who  was  called  out  during  that  struggle  was 
the  late  William  C.  Sloan,  of  Atwood.  He 
was  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Nancy  (Cochrane) 
Sloan,  and  was  born  in  Cowanshannock  town- 
ship, Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  July 
22,  1822.  His  father,  Samuel  Sloan  (who  died 
December  10,  1883),  was  born  on  the  20th  of 
June,  1794,  in  Indiana  county,  and  came  to 
Armstrong  county,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
farming  until  his  death.     He  was  a  democrat 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


561 


in  politics,  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyte- 
rian church,  and  married  Nancy  Cochrane.  To 
their  union  were  born  eiglit  children,  tour  of 
whom — two  sons  and  two  daughtei's — lived  till 
maturity. 

William  C.  Sloan  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and 
attended  the  subscription  schools  of  that  pe- 
riod. He  was  a  farmer  of  Plum  Creek  town- 
ship, and  owned  two  hundred  acres  of  well- 
tilled  land.  He  died  without  a  will,  and  the 
heirs  still  own  the  f;irm.  On  September  21, 
1864,  Mr.  Sloan  was  called  into  tiie  service  of 
his  country,  and  went  as  for  as  Pittsburgh, 
where  he  served  until  April  12,  1865,  when  he 
was  honorably  discharged. 

On  July  1,  1852,  he  married  Caroline  Mar- 
shall, a  daughter  of  Robert  Marshall,  of  Day- 
ton, and  a  member  of  the  old  Marshall  family 
of  Armstrong  county  (see  sketch  of  William 
Marshall).  To  their  union  were  born  eight 
children,  one  son  and  seven  daughters  :  Mary 
E.,  a  mute,  who  teach&s  in  the  school  for  deaf 
and  dumb  at  Wilkinsburg;  Nancy  J.,  married 
to  Thaddeus  Stuchel,  a  carpenter  of  Pittsburgh, 
and  has  three  children, — Sloan,  Reed  and 
Edith  ;  Robert  Reed,  a  farmer  of  Plum  Creek 
township,  who  married  Callie  Jewart,  by  whom 
he  has  had  two  children, — Mary  (dead)  and 
Jessie;  Jemima  C,  married  to  Dr.  Charles 
Duff,  of  Pittsburgh ;  Margaret,  married  Harry 
I^.  Prugh,  a  teacher  in  the  public  .schools,  and 
has  one  daughter,  named  Vernie  Blanche ;  Re- 
becca, Carrie  and  Vernie  E. 

William  C.  Sloan  was  a  democrat  in  politics, 
and  had  been  an  elder  of  the  United  Presby te  ■ 
rian  church  for  ten  years  before  his  death,  which 
occurred  February  16,  1878,  when  he  was  in 
the  fifty-sixth  year  of  his  age.  By  diligence, 
by  honesty,  by  economy  and  by  good  manage- 
ment, he  acquired  a  very  respectable  compe- 
tency. His  life  was  plain  and  simple,  and 
though  he  never  thrust  himself  forward  into 
public  notice,  yet  he  was  always  active  in  his 
business  affairs.     He  was  a  man  of  good  judg- 


ment, whose  advice  was  often  sought  by"  his 
neighbors,  and  generally  wa.s  successful  in  all 
of  his  undertakings.  His  remains  weie  en- 
tombed in  Atwood  cemetery ;  but  his  memory 
is  fondly  cherished  by  his  family  and  his  large 
circle  of  friends. 


MICHAEL  J.  SMITH,  whose  father  served 
under  Napoleon  Bonaparte  from  Moscow 
to  Waterloo,  is  the  proprietor  of  Mahoning 
Creek  foundry  in  Red  Bank  township.  He 
was  born  in  Dauphin  county,  Pennsylvania, 
December  23,  1843,  and  is  a  .son  of  Jerome 
and  Mary  A.  (Keiser)  Smith.  Jerome  Smith 
was  born  in  France,  and  served  under  Napo- 
leon Bonaparte  in  his  famous  Russian  cam- 
paign, and,  after  the  defeat  at  Moscow,  Mr. 
Smith  made  his  way  back  to  France.  During 
this  retreat  he  was  compelled  to  kill  his  horse 
and  subsist  on  its  flesh  for  several  days.  He 
was  also  in  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  where  he 
was  wounded  by  a  sabre-stroke  of  one  of  Wel- 
lington's soldiers.  He  married  Mary  A.  Kei- 
ser, who  lived  near  Paris,  and  came  to  eastern 
Pennsylvania.  He  afterwards  removed  to  Em- 
leutou,  Venango  county,  where  he  followed  his 
trade  of  cooper  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
on  Oct.  1,  1867 ;  he  was  in  the  Seventieth  year 
of  his  age.  He  had  eight  children,  of  whom 
five  are  still  living:  Joseph  G.,  a  resident  of 
Emlenton;  Michael  J.;  Hannah,  wife  of  Henry 
Ginter,  a  stone-mason  of  near  Emlenton;  Kale, 
married  to  Cornelius  Corson,  of  New  Jersey, 
and  Mary  A.,  married  to  Emanuel  Widle,  of 
Dauphin  county,  Pa.,  now  living  at  Phcenix, 
this  county. 

Michael  J.  Smith  was  reared  at  Emlenton,  re- 
ceived a  common-school  education,  and  learned 
the  trade  of  foundryman  at  Emlenton  and  with 
the  firm  of  Jewet  &  Root,  of  Buffalo,  New 
York.  He  then  worked  at  his  trade  for  some 
years  at  Harrisville,  Butler  county,  Pittsburgh, 
and  at  several  other  towns.     In  1869  he  rented 


562 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


the  shop  which  he  now  owns,  and  which  was 
then  one  and  one  half  miles  above  its  present 
location.  In  1873  he  went  to  Big  Run,  in 
Jefferson  county,  where  he  and  D.  K.  Thomp- 
son built  the  Big  Run  foundry,  which  they 
carried  on  until  1883,  when  he  purchased  land 
on  Mahoning  creek,  and  built  his  present  shop 
He  manufactures  stoves,  sled  metals  and  stove 
liners,  beside  doing  considerable  jobbing  work. 
He  enlisted  twice  during  the  late  civil  war,  but 
was  rejected  each  time  on  afccount  of  physical 
disability,  as  he  had  lost  two  of  his  toes. 

On  Jan.  1,  1869,  he  married  Joanna  Haines, 
dauffhter  of  John  Haines,  of  Westmoreland 
county,  and  to  their  union  have  been  born  ten 
children,  of  whom  .seven  are  living :  Bertha  L. 
M.,  Mary  Belle,  Harry  Cromwell,  Annie  Olive, 
Charley  Otis,  Effie  Loretta  and  Katie  Rosetta. 
Two  of  those  who  are  dead  were  William  and 
Adelbert. 

Id  politics  Michael  J.  Smith  is  a  stanch  re- 
publican. He  is  a  member  of  Lodge  No.  891, 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  at  Smicks- 
burg,  and  has  always  been  an  industrious  man 
and  reliable  citizen.  Mr.  Smith  has  prospered 
in  the  foundry  business,  and  the  standard  ex- 
cellence of  his  stoves  and  other  ware  has  cre- 
ated a  large  and  steady  demand  for  everything 
which  is  manufactured  in  his  establishment. 


GEORGE  J.  SMITH,  a  descendant  of  the 
Westmoreland  county  Smith  lamily  and 
the  owner  of  one  of  Red  Bank  township's  most 
valuable  farms,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Catherine 
(Potts)  Smith,  and  was  born  in  Red  Bank  town- 
ship, Armstrong  county,  Penn,sylvauia,  January 
10,  1846.  His  grandfather,  George  Smith,  was 
a  native  of  Westmoreland  county,  from  whence 
he  came  to  Mahoning  township,  Armstrong 
county,  where  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  until  his  death.  In  early  life  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church, 
but  in  after  years  he  became  a  member  of  the 


Reformed  church.  He  was  a  democrat  in  politics, 
and  married  a  Mi.ss  Nolf,  who  bore  him  nine 
children,  four  sons  and  five  daughters.  John 
Smith  (father)  was  born  February  28,  1816,  in 
Armstrong  county.  He  was  a  farmer  and 
owned  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  of 
land,  which  is  now  the  farm  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  He  was  a  democrat  in  politics  and 
filled  the  office  of  supervisor  of  Red  Bank  town- 
ship. He  was  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church,  and  one  of  its  officers  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  May  16,  1875,  when  he  was  in 
the  fifty-ninth  year  of  his  age.  In  May,  1830, 
he  married  Catherine  Potts,  who  was  born 
March  6,  1820,  and  died  March  24,  1884.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  John  Potts,  a  native  of 
Westmoreland  county,  who  removed  to  Porter 
township,  Jefferson  county,  and  afterwards  came 
to  Red  Bank  township,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming.  He  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  a 
strong  democrat,  and  a  member  of  the  German 
Lutheran  church.  He  married  a  Miss  White- 
head, and  to  their  union  were  born  thirteeu 
children,  five  sons  and  eight  daughters.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  John  Smith  were  born  six  sons  and 
four  daughters:  Luciuda,  born  April  22, 1840, 
and  married  April  13,  1867,  to  Adam  Hctrick, 
a  farmer  of  Wayne  township ;  Samuel,  who  was 
born  April  2,  1842,  married  Rachel  Biddinger, 
and  served  two  years  in  the  78th  regiment.  Pa. 
Vol.  Infantry,  during  the  late  war;  AVilliam  D., 
a  farmer  of  Indiana  county,  born  December  27, 
1843,  and  married  Lizzie  Watt,  and  after  her 
death  married  Lydia  Gaston ;  George  J.;  John  J., 
a  farmer,  born  January  3,  1848,  and  married 
Hannah  McGregor;  Daniel  B.,  boni  February 
7,  1850,  and  died  November  12,  1860;  Rachel, 
born  February  28,  1852,  and  died  October  26, 
1860;  Rosanna,  born  March  23,  1856;  Peter 
H.,  born  April  25,  1858,  married  Samantha 
Hetrick  and  is  now  engaged  in  farming;  Maggie, 
born  May  20,  1865,  married  to  R.  C.  Berkey, 
the  proprietor  of  "Coifin's  House,"  at  Kersey, 
Elk  county. 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


563 


George  J.  Smith  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  received  a  good  coraraon-school  education 
and  in  his  early  manhood  was  engaged  in  lum- 
bering. He  afterwards  turned  his  attention  to 
his  present  business  of  farming  and  stock-raising. 
He  owns  one  hundred  and  forty-five  acres  of 
well-improved  land  in  Red  Bank  township, 
which  is  underlaid  with  coal,  limestone  and  fire- 
brick clay. 

On  Christmas  day,  1880,  he  married  Sevilla 
C.  Wise,  a  daughter  of  Jonas  and  Sarah  (Fite) 
Wise,  and  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  are  the  parents  of  two  sous 
and  one  daughter :  Jerry  T.,  born  October  7, 
1881;  James  P.,  boru  June  12,  1883;  and 
Maggie  Amolda,  born  April  9,  1885. 

In  politics  George  J.  Smith  is  a  republican 
and  served  for  three  years  as  supervisor  of  Red 
Bank  township.  Mr.  Smith  is  noted  for  i)eing 
an  excellent  farmer,  as  well  as  a  careful  busi- 
ness man  and  good  citizen.  His  farm  is  neatly 
fenced,  well-improved  and  kept  in  fine  order. 


THOMAS  F.  STOCKDILL,  M.D.,  a  promi- 
nent physician  of  Rural  Valley  and  a 
skillful  and  well-known  surgeon  of  the  county, 
is  a  son  of  Joseph  S.  and  Catherine  (Foster) 
Stockdill,  and  was  born  in  Mahoning  township, 
Armslrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  August  4, 
1854.  Tiie  Stockdill  family  is  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent.  Clark  Stockdill  (grandfather)  was 
born  in  Ireland,  whicii  he  left  to  settle  in  West- 
moreland county,  where  he  remained  but  a 
short  time  and  then  came  to  Mahoning  town- 
ship, in  which  he  followed  farming.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  an  old-line  whig,  and  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.  He  married  and 
reared  a  family  of  eight  children,  of  whom 
were:  Joseph  S.,  Thomas,  William,  James, 
George  and  Margaret.  Joseph  S.  Stockdill 
(father)  was  born  in  Armstrong  county,  in 
1822.     In  early  life  he  was  engaged  iu  mercan- 


tile business,  but  afterwards  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  farming  and  removed  to  Wayne  town- 
ship, where  he  owns  two  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  of  land  which  is  underlaid  with  coal  and 
other  minerals.  His  farm  is  one  of  the  most 
valuable  in  the  county.  He  was  well  known 
as  a  stock-raiser  for  many  years,  but  at  the 
present  has  retired  from  active  life.  He  was  a 
whig  and  is  a  republican  and  has  served  as 
school  director  of  -Wayne  township.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Protestant  Epi.scopal  church,  in 
which  he  served  for  many  years  as  a  vestry- 
man. He  married  Catherine  Foster,  a  daughter 
of  Thomas  Foster,  and  to  tiieir  union  were 
born  seven  children,  four  .sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters: G.  Clark,  residing  on  the  homestead  farm 
and  who  has  served  six  terms  as  county  super- 
intendent; David  J.  (deceased);  Dr.  Thomas 
F.,  Joshua  F.,  a  farmer  of  near  Dayton; 
Margery,  dead ;  Alice  C,  and  Mary,  deceased ; 
Mrs.  Stockdill  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Foster 
(maternal  grandfather),  who  was  a  native  of 
Ireland.  He  settled  in  Wayne  township,  where 
he  was  a  prosperous  farmer.  He  was  a  demo- 
crat in  politics  and  a  member  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  church.  He  married  and  had  seven 
children,  three  sons  and  four  daughters:  David, 
John,  Joshua,  Margery,  Rebecca,  Catherine  and 
]\fartha. 

Thomas  F.  Stockdill  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm  and  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  Glade  Run  academy.  He 
read  medicine  with  Dr.  Albert  Calhoun,  of 
Goheenville  and  entered  Jefferson  Medical  col- 
lege of  Philadelphia,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated in  the  class  of  1878.  After  graduation, 
he  came  to  Rural  Valley,  where  he  entered 
upon  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  re- 
turned to  Jefferson  Medical  college,  where  ho 
afterwards  took  a  post-graduate  course,  and 
acted  as  assistant  demonstrator  in  the  surgical 
department.  He  is  a  skillful  surgeon  and  his 
services  in  that  line  are  in  great  demand  over  a 
wide  area  of  territory. 


564 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


On  October  21,  1881,  he  married  Nettie 
Gourley,  daughter  of  George  A.  Gourley,  of 
Rural  Valley,  and  a  member  of  the  Presbyter- 
ian church.  Dr.  and  Mi-s.  Stockdill  have  three 
children  :  Annie  L.  O.,  George  F.  and  Joseph  S. 

Dr.  Stockdill  is  an  active  republican  and  one 
of  the  vigilant  committeemen  of  his  party.  He 
is  a  member  of  Rural  Valley  Lodge,  No.  323, 
Junior  Order  of  United  American  Mechani3S, 
and  Rural  Valley  Presbyterian  church. 


' »      1803,  William  and  Catherine  Marshall 
came  to  Wayne  township,  Armstrong  county. 


and  settled  upon  Glade  run,  near  the  present 
town  of  Dayton,  being  the  first  settlers  upon  the 
stream  named,  and  having  no  neighbors  nearer 
than  five  miles.  They  had  a  family  of  six 
sons  and  three  daughters.  The  names  of  the 
sons  were :  Joseph,  William,  John,  James, 
Robert  and  Sanmel ;  and  the  daughters  were  : 
Elizabeth  (McClelland),  Mary  (Findley),  and 
Margaret  (Irwin). 

"The  family  was  unable  to  secure  a  title  to 
the  laud  on  which  they  first  located,  and  in  1813 
moved  to  the  spot  where  the  home  of  William 
Marshall  now  is,  where  they  built  a  house 
and  lived  the  remainder  of  their  allotted 
years." 


HOVEY,  PERRY,  BRADY'S  BEND,  WASHINGTON,  MADISON  AND 

MAHONING  TOWNSHIPS. 


Historical  and  Descriptive. — These  six  town- 
ships lie  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county. 

Nearly  all  of  Hovey,  the  eastern  parts  of 
Perry  and  Brady's  Bend,  nearly  all  of  Wash- 
ington and  Madison,  and  all  of  Mahoning, 
except  the  central  part,  are  in  the  Lower  Pro- 
ductive Coal  measures  and  contain  veins  of  the 
ferriferous  lime.  The  remainder  of  these  town- 
shijjs  are  in  the  Lower  Barren  measures  and 
contain  some  very  large  areas  of  the  Upper 
Freeport  Coal  bed.  The  Pottsville  Conglomer- 
ate extends  along  the  Allegheny  river.  Hovey, 
Perry  and  Brady's  Bend  townships  are  in  the 
Butler  Clarion  Oil  belt. 

Hovey  Toicnship  derives  its  name  from  Dr. 
Simeon  Hovey  and  was  formed  in  1870,  from 
Perry  township.  Alexander  Gibson  and  Joseph 
Thoni  were  early  settlers,  and  in  1812  Elisha 
Robinson  came  from  Connecticut. 

Perry  Tou-nship  was  formed  in  1845  from 
Sugar  Creek  township.  Among  the  pioneers 
who  came  between  1796  and  1800,  were  Wil- 
liam Love,  Joiin  Binkerd,  Jacob  Truby,  Isaac 
Steel  and  Michael  Shajiely.  Queenstown, 
which  is  named  after  .James  Queen,  was 
founded  about  1848  and  was  incorporatefl  in 
1858. 

Brady's  Bend  Touniship  was  organized  iu 
1845.  Its  territory  was  a  farming  district  until 
1839,  when  the  Great  Western  Iron  works  were 
built.  They  ran  until  the  panic  of  1873,  and 
often   employed   as  high    as    1500   operatives. 


The  town  of  Brady's  Bend  owes  its  origin  to 
the  establishment  of  those  works. 

Washington  Township  was  created  in  1858, 
and  was  taken  from  Sugar  Creek  township. 
Henry  Wattersou  founded  Wattersonville,  which 
was  surveyed  into  forty-four  lots,  on  August  6, 
1842,  by  Marcus  Hulings,  Jr.  Van  Buren 
was  surveyed  and  laid  out  on  July  19tii  and 
20th,  1837,  and  named  after  the  seventh  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States. 

Madison  Township,  named  after  the  fourth 
president  of  the  United  States,  was  taken  from 
the  territory  of  Toby  and  Red  Bank  townships 
on  Sept.  22,  1837.  In  the  southwestern  part 
of  this  township  occurred  one  of  Capt.  Samuel 
Brady's  most  successful  fights  with  Indians, 
which  has  been  already  noticed  iu  this  volume. 
The  Holland  Land  company  owned  the  most  of 
the  land  in  this  township.  Kellersburg  was  laid 
out  July  19,  1842,  and   Duncansville  in  1854. 

Mahoning  Township  was  erected  out  of  Madi- 
son, Pine,  Wayne  and  Re<l  Bank  townships  on 
September  20,  1851 ,  and  was  named  for  Mahon- 
ing creek,  which  was  declared  a  public  highway 
in  1808.  The  Mahoning  Navigation  company 
was  incorporated  in  1858.  Oakland  was  laid 
out  in  1848,  by  the  name  of  Texas,  and  Put- 
ney ville  was  founded  in  1841.  The  Red  Bank 
Caunel  Coal  company  was  incorporated  in 
1871,  and  their  coal  vein,  No.  5,  atBostonia  is 
the  largest  cannel  coal  vein  iu  the  United 
States. 

565 


566 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


EUGENE  L.  BROWN,  a  liueal  descendant 
of  the  Brown  family  who  came  over  in  the 
Mayflower,  and  a  leading  druggist  and  busi- 
nessman of  Putney ville,  is  a  son  of  Orlando 
Howell  and  Margaret  (Graham)  Brown  and  was 
born  at  Brookville,  Jefferson  county,  Pa.,  Sep- 
tember 11,  1860.  The  Browns  are  of  Eng- 
lish descent,  and  his  great-great-grandfather 
Brown  was  one  of  the  "  Pilgrim  Fathers  "  who 
came  over  in  1820.  His  grandson,  the  grand- 
father of  E.  L.  Brown,  was  a  native  of  Connec- 
ticut, from  whence  he  removed  to  Angelica, 
New  York.  He  was  a  machinist  by  trade,  and 
when  he  removed  (about  1830)  to  Brookville, 
Jefferson  county,  he  brought  workmen  with  him 
and  built  the  first  machine-sho{3  of  that  place, 
where  he  afterwards  erected  a  furniture  factory. 
He  was  an  intelligent,  well-educated  man,  and 
while  he  was  nominally  a  democrat,  yet  he  ad- 
hered to  no  party  creed,  but  voted  for  the  candi- 
date who,  in  his  estimation,  was  best  fitted  for 
the  office.  One  of  his  sons,  Orlando  Howell 
Brown  (father),  was  born  in  Angelica,  New 
York,  in  1834.  He  learned  the  trade  of  cabinet- 
maker, and  was  for  a  while  in  partnership  with 
his  father.  He  afterwards  removed  to  Rey- 
noldsville,  Jefferson  county,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  furniture  and  undertaking;  business  until 
his  death,  in  1879,  wiien  he  was  in  the  forty- 
sixth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a  democrat,  and 
married  Margaret  Graham.  They  had  one 
child:  Eugene  L.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Mrs.  Brown  died  in  1860,  and  Mr.  Brown  mar- 
ried Mary  Frier,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons 
and  three  daughters.  Mrs.  Margaret  Brown 
was  born  in  1838  and  died  in  1860.  She  was  a 
woman  of  fine  intellect,  and  universally  beloved. 
Her  great-grandffither  Graham  was  a  native  of 
Scotland,  from  whence  he  removed  to  Ireland, 
and  one  of  his  sons  emigrated  from  that  coun- 
try to  Pennsylvania  and  settled  at  North  Wash- 
ington, where  he  married  a  Miss  McCalvin,  a 


daughter  of  Hon.  McCalvin,  a  member  of  the 
Pennsylvania  legislature.  Her  husband  dying 
early  in  life,  left  Mrs.  (McCalvin)  Graham  with 
five  small  children,  which  she  reared  and  gave 
a  liberal  and  classical  education.  To  the  influ- 
ence of  her  noble  character,  her  son,  Thomas 
Graham  (maternal  grandfather),  always  attrib- 
uted all  the  success  of  his  after  life. 

Eugene  L.  Brown  attended  thejjublic  schools, 
Oakland  academy  and  Clarion  seminary,  and 
then  learned  the  trade  of  tinner  at  Putneyville. 
In  May,  1882,  he  opened  a  hardware  store  at 
Putneyville,  but  in  November  of  the  following 
year  he  embarked  in  the  drug  business  with 
Dr.  Klingensmith,  under  the  firm-name  of 
Brown  &  Klingensmith.  In  May,  1877,  Dr. 
Kliugensnjith  died,  and  Mr.  Brown  formed  a 
partnership  with  Mr.  D.  I.  Sliick,  which  lasted 
until  February,  1888,  when  they  dissolved  bus- 
iness. Since  then  Mr.  Brown  has  continued  in 
the  drug  business  successfully  up  to  the  present 
time.  He  manufactures  all  kinds  of  handles, 
which  he  sells  direct  to  the  trade.  He  owned 
a  printing  establishment  at  one  time  and  did  a 
large  amount  of  job  work. 

September  11,  1879,  he  married  Nora  Ah'a 
Putney,  a  daughter  of  Thompson  Putney,  of  Put- 
neyville. To  their  union  have  been  born  four 
children, "two  sons  and  two  daughters:  Tillie 
H.,  Nellie  A.,  Ralph  E.  and  Lloyd  O. 

Eugene  L.  Brown  is  a  republican  in  politics. 
He  is  a  trustee  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  of  Putneyville,  of  which  both  he  and 
his  wife  are  esteemed  members.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Lodge  No.  735,  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  at  Putneyville,  and  Lodge  No. 
245,  Knights  of  Pythias,  of  which  latter  organ- 
ization he  has  been  keeper  of  the  records  and 
seals  since  its  organization  in  May,  1889. 


SAMUEL      CATHCART,      of    Mahoning 
township,  is  one  of  the  old  and  well-known 
citizens  of  northern  Armstrong  county.     He  is 


ARMSTRONO  COUNXY. 


567 


a  son  of  Robert  and  Jane  (Thoni)  Cathcart,  and 
was  born  in  Mahoning  townsiiip,  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania,  September  10,  1805.  His 
father,  Robert  Cathcart,  was  born  in  Westmore- 
land county,  about  1774,  but  in  early  life  removed 
to  Sugar  Creek  township,  this  county,  and  prior 
to  1805  came  to  Mahoning  township,  where  he  j 
was  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death,  in  1848, 
at  seven  ty-fuur  years  of  age.  He  was  one  of 
the  first,  if  not  the  first,  white  settler  in  the 
township.  He  was  an  old-line  whig,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and 
married  Jane  Thorn,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Elizabeth  (Craig)  Thom.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cathcart  were  born  fourteen  children.  Mrs. 
Cathcart's  father,  Joseph  Thom  (maternal  grand-  i 
father),  was  a  native  of  county  Down,  Ireland, 
from  whence  he  came  to  Pennsylvania  and  set- 
tled on  Jacob's  creek,  Westmoreland  county.  In 
1820  he  went  to  the  State  of  Indiana,  where  he 
afterwards  died.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation, and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church. 

Samuel  Cathcart  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  received  a  good  business  education,  and 
iuis  been  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in 
Mahoning  township  ever  since  leaving  school. 
He  owns  one  hundred  acres  of  good  farming 
and  grazing  land,  upon  which  he  resides. 

In  February,  1832,  he  married  Annie  Reed. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cathcart  were  born  seven 
children  :  Robert,  Jane,  Jame.s,  Joseph,  Ma- 
tilda, Catherine  and  Margaret.  After  the 
death  of  Mrs.  Cathcart,  in  1848,  Mr.  Cath- 
cart united  in  marriage,  December  7,  1848, 
with  Mi"s.  Margaret  J.  Brown,  a  daughter 
of  Moses  McClain.  To  this  second  union  have 
been  born  five  children,  of  whom  three  are  liv- 
inir :  Sarah,  Isabelle  and  Sanmel  B.  One  of 
Mr.  Cathcart's  sons  by  his  first  marriage,  Robert 
Cathcart,  enlisted  in  1861  in  Co.  D,  103d  regi- 
ment, Pa.  Vols.,  and  served  until  April  19, 
1864,  when  he  was  taken  prisoner  and  sent  to 
Anderson ville,  where  he  died   on    August  29, 


1864,  and  his  grave  there  bears  the  number 
7176.  His  step-brother,  William  Scott  Brown, 
enlisted  in  1861  in  Co.  D,  103d  regiment.  Pa. 
Vols.,  served  eight  months,  and  died  of  measles 
at  Yorktowu.  James  I.  Brown,  who  enlLsted 
July,  4,  1861,  in  Co.  D,  62d  regiment.  Pa. 
Vols.,  was  wounded  on  the  13th  of  December, 
of  the  same  year,  at  Fredericksburg  and  came 
home,  but  as  soon  as  he  recovered  from  his 
wound  he  served  a  short  time  in  the  Home 
guards,  after  which  he  enlisted,  in  January, 
1864,  in  the  3d  Pa.  Heavy  Artillery,  and  served 
until  his  death,  January  27,  1865. 

In  politics  Samuel  Cathcart  is  a  stanch  re- 
publican, and  has  filled  the  office  of  constable 
of  Mahoning  township  for  six  years,  and  filled 
other  offices  of  profit  and  trust.  Mr.  Cathcart 
distinctly  recollects  seeing  Indians  near  his 
father's  farm  when  there  where  but  three  white 
families  in  Mahoning  township — the  Cathcarts, 
Blakeleys  and  Parkei"s. 


"TAMES  FOWLER  was  one  of  the  most 
^  useful  citizens  as  well  as  one  of  the  most 
successful  business  men  of  Arm.strong  county, 
and  his  death  was  sincerely  mourned  by  the 
many  poor,  whom  he  had  befriended,  as  well  as 
the  large  circle  of  his  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances. He  was  a  sou  of  Johu  and  Frances 
(Turner)  Fowler,  and  was  born  in  Parker 
township,  Butler  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1817. 
John  Fowler  was  born  in  Bucks  county,  on  the 
day  when  American  Independence  was  declared, 
and  came  to  Westmoreland  county,  where,  in 
1802,  he  married  Margaret  Carson,  who  died  in 
1803  and  left  one  child.  He  was  a  carpenter 
and  millwright  and  removed  from  Westmore- 
land to  Butler  county,  where,  in  1807,  he  mar- 
ried Frances  Turner  and  reared  a  family  of  six 
children,  of  whom  tliree  were  James,  Sarah 
and  Margaret  C. 

James  Fowler  was  reared  on  the  farm  and 
obtained  his  education   in    the   schools  of    his 


568 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


neighborhood,  which  at  that  day  were  far  in-  | 
ferior  to  those  of  the  present  day.     He  learned 
the  trade  of  carpenter  and-cabinet-raaker,  which  j 
he  followed  for  several  years.     In  1851  became 
to  Armstrong  county,  purchasing  and  settling 
upon  twenty-nine  acres  of  rough,  unimproved  i 
land  in  what  is  now  Hovey  township.     This  he 
cleared  and  brought  into  good  condition,  hand- 
ling   some  of  the  timber    upon    it  (and    much 
more  besides)  in  a  saw-mill,  which  he  put  up  in 
1852,  and  which  he  operated  for  six  years.     In 
1859  he  went  across  the  Allegheny  and   leased 
a  hotel  at  Fo.xburg,  which  he  carried  on  for 
seven    years.     In    the    mean  time  it  had   been 
found  that  the  lands  in  the  northwestern  part  of 
Armstrong  county   were  valuable  oil  territory, 
and  he  sold  his  hotel  lease  and  began  leasing  his 
land   in   small   parcels    to    the    operators    who 
thronged  into  the  country.        Soon   some  test 
wells  were  put  down  and    petroleum  found  in 
abundance.     He  received  from  one-sixth  to  one- 
quarter  of  the  oil  produced  upon  his    land  as 
royalty,  and  it  was  only  a  comparatively  short 
time  before  he  had  $40,000  in  the  bank  as  a  re- 
sult.    Not  long  afterward  he  and  the  Messrs. 
Fox,  of  Foxburg,  established  the  ferry  at  that 
place,  which  proved  a  profitable  investment.  The 
amount  of  travel,  however,  became  so  great  that 
an  iron  bridge  was  thrown  across  the  river  to 
accommodate  it,  and  in  this  he  invested   about 
twenty  thousand    dollars.       He    retained    his 
interest  in  this  until  it  was  sold  to  the  railroad 
company.     Mr.  Fowler  had,  in  addition  to  the 
place  where  he  resided,  a  good  farm  of  about  a 
hundred  and  twenty-eight  acres  in  Kittauuing 
township,  a  farm  in  Plum  Creek  township,  and 
a  valuable  property  at  Manorville.     He  ranked 
among   the    most  enterprising    citizens    of    the 
county,  was  a  man  of  large  usefulness  to  the 
people  among  whom  he  lived  and  his  friendly 
and    kindly    disposition    made    him    generally 
esteemed. 

On  February  22, 1844,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Ann  L.  Leonard.     To  their  union  were 


born  six  children,  of  whom  four  lived  to 
maturity :  Marion  L.,  Charlotte  A.,  who  mar- 
ried Phillip  Foust,  of  St.  Petersburg,  Clarion 
county,  and  died  in  August,  1888,  aged  forty- 
two  years;  James  T.,  married  to  Hannah 
E.  Roof  and  resides  on  the  home  farm ;  and 
Nelson  M.,  who  married  Jennie  R.  Reefl  and 
lives  near  Manorville,  where  he  owns  and  con- 
ducts a  drug  store.  Mrs.  Fowler  is  an  amiable 
and  pleasant  woman,  has  been  a  consistent 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  for 
many  years  and  resides  upon  the  home  farm. 

James  Fowler  was  a  republican  and  an  earn- 
est member  of  the  M.  E.  church.  In  1876  he 
was  stricken  down  with  a  paralytic  stroke,  from 
which  he  never  recovered,  and  on  April  18, 
1886,  his  spirit  passed  from  earth.  His  remains 
lie  entombed  in  a  beautiful  cemetery,  but  his 
life-work  will  long  be  remembered  in  his  com- 
munity, where  he  labored  successfully  for  the 
benefit  of  his  fellow-citizens,  as  well  as  for  his 
own  interests. 


pAPTAIN  JOSEPH  K.  HAMILTON,   a 

\  ^  resident  of  New  Bethlehem  and  a  leading 
and  influential  citizen  of  Mahoning  township,  is 

1  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Rebecca  (Brunton)  Ham- 
ilton, and  was  born  in  Mifflin  township,  Alle- 
gheny county,  Pennsylvania,  July  7,  1817. 
James  Hamilton  (grandlather),  was  a  native  of 
Ireland,  and  lived  and  died  in  the  land  of  his 
birth.  One  of  his  sons,  Samuel  Hamilton 
(father),  learned  the  trade  of  cabinet-maker  and 
emigrated  from  Ireland  to  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  settled  in  Mifflin  township,  Allegheny 
county.'  He  purchased  a  farm  of  three  hundred 
acres  of  land,  and  gave  his  entire  attention  to 
farming.  He  cut  timber  and  built  a  grist  and 
saw-mill,  which  he  run  for  several  years.  He 
then  turned  his  attention  again  to  agricultural 
pursuits,  which  he  followed  until  his  death, 
which   occurred   in    1848,  when  he  was  in  the 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


5G9 


seventy -sixth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a  whig 
and  afterwards  a  republican,  and  was  for  a 
number  of  years  justice  of  the  peace  for  Mifflin 
township.  He  was  a  member  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  ciiurch,  with  which  he  had  united 
in  Ireland.  His  first  wife  either  died  at  sea  or 
soon  after  arriving  in  America,  and  left  three 
children.  Mr.  Hamilton  married  for  his 
second  wife  Rebecai  Brunton,  and  to  their 
union  were  born  six  children,  five  sons  and  one 
daughter. 

Joseph  K.  Hamilton  was  rearefl  on  a  farm, 
and  after  receiving  a  common-school  education 
worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  April  1,  1855, 
when  he  removed  to  Mahoning  township,  where 
he  purchased  his  present  farm  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  of  land,  which  he  cultivated  un- 
til the  fall  of  1890,  when  he  retired  from  active 
life.  Since  then  he  has  resided  in  a  comfortable 
and  pleasant  residence,  which  he  built  at  New 
Bethlehem.  On  November  13,  1861,  he  en- 
listed in  Co.  D,  103d  regiment.  Pa.  Vols.,  of 
which  he  was  elected  captain.  His  twin  sons, 
Samuel  and  John,  enlisted  as  privates  in  the 
same  company.  The  captain  and  both  his  sons 
were  taken  down,  at  Yorktown,  Va.,  with 
fever,  of  which  Samuel  died  June  1,  1862 
Captain  Hamilton  was  compelled  to  resign  on 
April  9, 1862,  on  account  of  physical  disability 
resulting  from  his  attack  of  fever. 

On  March  4,  1841,  Captain  Hamilton  mar- 
ried Eliza  Eyman,  of  Mifflin  township,  Alle- 
gheny county.  Pa.,  and  to  their  union  were 
born  twelve  children,  of  whom  only  two  sons 
and  two  daughters  are  living.  After  the  death 
of  Mrs.  Hamilton,  on  May  28,  1881,  he  mar- 
ried on  March  16,  1883,  for  his  second  wife, 
Mrs.  Catherine  Ridgeway,  a  daughter  of  Joseph 
Hines,  of  Clarion  county.  She  was  one  of 
thirteen  children,  and  one  of  her  brothers, 
John,  enlisted  in  1861,  in  Co.  E,  62d  regiment. 
Pa.  Vols.,  was  wounded  at  Hatcher's  run,  and 
again  at  Gettysburg,  where  he  was  cap- 
tured by  the  Confederates,  but  re-captured  by 
34 


the  Union  forces  before  he  had  been  taken 
from  the  battle-field.  By  her  first  husband, 
Mrs.  Catherine  Hamilton  had  seven  chil- 
dren, five  sons  and  two  daughters  :  Clarissa  A., 
wife  of  W.  M.  Cribbs,  of  Du  Bois;  John 
(deceased  ;  M.  E.  Ridgeway  living  at  Drift- 
wood, Pa. ;  Cassius  (deceased) ;  Frankic;  (de- 
ceased); Ida,  wife  of  Harvey  Kuntzelma;  and 
Joseph  (deceased). 

Captain  Joseph  K.  Hamilton  was  a  whig 
until  1856,  when  he  became  one  of  the  first  re- 
publicans in  the  county.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  he  has  served 
as  clerk.  He  has  always  been  industrious, 
prominent  and  successful  in  whateverbusiness  he 
has  been  engaged  and  now  enjoys  the  fruits  of  his 
many  years  of  honest  toil. 


PETER  C.  HETRICK.  The  lumber  business 
is  an  important  industry,  and  among  the 
leading  lumber  manufacturei-s  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  county  is  Peter  C.  Hetrick,  of  Put- 
neyville.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Catharine 
(Reedy)  Hetrick,  and  was  born  in  Mahoning 
township,  Armstrong  county.  Pa.,  February  15, 
1840.  Nicholas  Hetrick  (grandfather)  was  a 
native  of  Germany,  from  which  he  emigrated 
to  Pennsylvania  and  settled,  first  at  German- 
town,  but  afterwards  removed  to  Bellefonte. 
He  remained  there  a  short  time  and  then  came 
to  the  site  of  Dublin  in  Mahoning  township. 
He  made  the  latter  part  of  the  trip  in  a  canoe. 
At  Dublin  he  and  his  family  cleared  a  tract  of 
land  and  met  with  many  adventures  with  bears 
and  other  wild  animals.  They  had  for  their 
nearest  neighbor  Philip  Shoemaker,  who  lived 
near  the  site  of  Oakland.  He  afterwards 
removed  to  the  mouth  of  Red  Bank  creek, 
where  he  died.  He  had  four  children  by  his 
first  wife,  and  married  for  his*  second  wife  a 
Miss  Nolf,  by  whom  he  had  five  children,  three 
sons  and  two  daughters.     He  was  a  member  of 


570 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


the  Lutheran  church,  and  one  of  his  sous,  John 
Hetrick  (father),  was  born  in  1813  near  Caldwell 
furnace,  where  he  followed  farming  for  many 
years.  He  now  resides  at  Oakland.  He  is  a 
republican  in  politics,  and  a  member  of  the 
German  Baptist  church.  He  married  Cath- 
erine Reedy,  a  daughter  of  Johu  Reedy,  a 
farmer  of  Armstrong  county,  who  lived  and 
died  near  Goheenville,  where  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Lutheran  chui-ch,  and  where  he  reared  a 
large  family.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hetrick  were 
born  thirteen  children,  nine  of  whom  are  still 
living,  and  two  of  whom,  Peter  C.  and  Joseph, 
served  in  the  late  civil  war.  Joseph  enlisted 
in  1863  in  Co.  M,  14th  Pa.  Cavalry,  served 
till  the  end  of  the  war  and  participated  with 
his  regiment  in  Sheridan's  campaigns  in  the 
Shenandoah  Valley.  After  the  death  of  Mrs. 
Hetrick,  Mr.  Hetrick  married  Mrs.  Catharine 
(Rhodes)  Anthony,  and  to  this  second  union 
have  been  born  four  children,  all  of  whom 
are  living. 

Peter  C.  Hetrick  received  a  common -school 
education,  and  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter. 
For  several  years  he  engaged  in  lumbering,  and 
about  the  year  1873  he  built  a  saw-mill,  run 
by  water-power,  on  Price's  run.  In  1875  he 
sold  this  mill  and  purchased  a  portable  saw- 
mill, which  he  operated  from  Red  Bank  town- 
ship to  Furnace  Hollow,  near  where,  in  1877, 
the  mill  and  lumber-yard  were  burned,  thereby 
causing  him  a  loss  of  some  five  thousand  dol- 
lars. He  then  moved  to  Putneyville  and  pur- 
chased another  portable  saw-mill,  which  he 
operated  until  he  was  again  burned  out  in 
1884.  By  the  second  fire  he  lost  some  eight 
thousand  dollars.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  Co. 
K,  155th  regt..  Pa.  Vols.  (Zouaves),  and  served 
till  the  close  of  the  war,  participating  in  the 
battles  of  Antietam,  second  battle  of  Bull  Run, 
Ciiancellorsville,  Fredericksburg,  Gettysburg, 
Raccoon  Fording,  and  the  battles  of  the  Wil- 
derness, in  one  of  which  he  was  captured  by 
the  Confederates   and  sent   to    Anderson ville, 


where  he  suflPered  all  the  privations  of  prison- 
life  until  he  was  exchanged. 

On  March  19,  1868,  he  married  Maria  Shoe- 
maker, daughter  of  Jessie  Shoemaker.  They 
have  three  children  :  Carrie,  Clodie  and  Jennie. 

Peter  C.  Hetrick  is  a  reliable  citizen  and  a 
member  of  the  German  Baptist  church. 


JOSEPH  W.  JAMES,  M.D.,  the  inventor 
and  manufacturer  of  James'  widely-known 
and  standard  proprietary  medicines,  and  a 
practicing  physician  at  Brady's  Bend,  is  a  son 
of  James  and  Agnes  (Williamson)  James,  and 
was  born  at  Aaronsburg,  Haines  township, 
Centre  county,  Pennsylvania,  February  25, 1826. 
His  father,  James  James,  was  born  in  Delaware 
in  1784,  was  a  merchant  at  Millheim,  in  Centre 
county,  for  some  time,  and  removed  to  this 
county  in  1837.  He  atteniled  the  Presbyterian 
church,  and  in  politics  was  a  democrat.  He 
died  December  7th,  1854,  aged  seventy  years. 
In  1825  he  married  Agnes  Williamson,  a 
daughter  of  John  Williamson,  of  Salina,  Cen- 
tre county,  Pa.,  and  they  had  five  children : 
Dr.  Joseph  W.,  Robert  M.,  born  in  1829,  and 
an  oil  producer  and  insurance  broker,  who 
married  Susan  Kirkpatrick,  of  Westmoreland 
county,  a  sister  of  Judge  Kirkpatrick,  of  Pitts- 
burgh ;  Elizabeth,  born  in  1832,  and  wife  of 
Dr.  T.  C.  McCulloch,  of  Oil  City,  Pa. ;  Barbara 
J.,  born  in  1835,  and  married  Dr.  S.  B.  Van 
Valzah,  of  Durand,  111.  ;  and  Samuel  C, 
who  was  born  in  1838  and  died  in  1844. 

Dr.  Joseph  W.  James  was  reared  in  Centre 
and  Armstrong  counties,  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  Millheim  in  the  former, 
and  of  Freeport  in  the  latter  county.  Leaving 
school,  he  was  engaged  in  teaching  at  Freeport 
for  three  years,  and  then  worked  for  several 
months  on  the  daily  Sua,  of  Pittsburgh.  In 
1842  he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine 
with  Dr.  T.  B.  Williamson,  but  completed  his 
course  of  reading  with  Dr.  David  Alter.     He 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


571 


atteudetl  lectures  at  Jefferson  Medical  college 
and  Pennsylvania  Medical  college,  in  the 
years  1846  and  1847.  He  then  returned  to 
Freeport,  and  in  the  spring  of  1847  com- 
menced the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Brady's 
Bend.  In  March,  1851,  he  went  to  California 
and  became  connected  with  the  "  Mokelurane 
Hill  mine  company,"  in  which  venture  he  was 
pecuniarily  successful.  He  returned  to  Brady's 
Bend  the  following  year  and  resumed  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine,  which  he  has  pursued  success- 
fully ever  since.  He  is  the  inventor,  proprietor 
and  manufacturer  of  "James'  Stillingiue  and 
Sarsaparilla,"  "  James'  Cherry  Tar  Syrup," 
"James'  Hair  Tonic,"  "James'  Soothing  Syrup 
Cordial,"  "James'  Rheumatic  Linament,"  and 
"  James'  Liver  Pills." 

On  Octoljer  13,  1853,  he  married  Margaret 
Templeton,  daughter  of  William  Templeton,  of 
Greenville,  Mercer  county.  Pa.  To  their  union 
have  been  born  five  children  :  Ida,  born  July 
18,  1854,  and  wife  of  C.  H.  Shepley,  a  drug- 
gist of  Blairsville,  Pa.  ;  Dr.  W.  D.,  of  Chicago, 
who  was  born  September  13,  1856,  was  grad- 
uated from  the  University  of  Maryland  and 
married  Olive  Abrams,  daughter  of  James 
Abrams,  of  Rimersburg,  Pa. ;  Robert  C,  born 
September  15,  1859,  employed  by  the  Standard 
Oil  company  of  Chicago,  and  married  to  Laura 
Hershberger,  of  Johnstown,  Pa.,  Emma  E., 
born  July  27,  1862,  and  wife  of  J.  V.  Sloan, 
a  Harvard  law  student ;  and  Edwin  C,  born 
January  28,  1867. 

Dr.  Joseph  W.  James  is  a  republican  in  pol- 
itics. He  is  a  member  of  Lockard  Lodge,  No. 
1534,  Knights  of  Honor,  and  a  member  and 
trustee  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Brady's 
Bend.  He  has  been  engaged  to  some  extent  in 
oil  operations,  and  was  the  pioneer  in  the 
Millerstown  region,  but  for  the  last  few  yeai"s 
has  given  his  time  and  attention  to  the  practice 
of  his  profession,  and  the  introduction  of  his 
remedies,  which  are^  sold  largely  throughout 
Pennsylvania  and  in  adjoining  States. 


RICHARD  JENNINGS,  the  present  burgess 
of  Qtieenstown,  is  one  of  those  who  have 
been  closely  identified  with  the  oil  production 
of  Pennsylvania  for  the  last  two  decades.  He 
is  a  son  of  Edward  and  Jenifer  (Guudry)  Jen- 
ning.s,  and  was  born  in  Cornwall,  England,  De- 
cember 23,  1819.  One  hundred  and  twenty 
years  before  the  Christian  era  a  wheel  driven 
by  a  jet  of  steam,  revolved  in  Egypt's  mighty 
capital,  and  more  than  nineteen  succeeding  cen- 
turies were  numbered  in  the  flight  of  time  be- 
fore this  whirling  toy  upon  the  banks  ot  the 
dark  Nile  developed  into  the  mighty  steam-en- 
gine of  modern  civilization,  under  the  hands  of 
Boulton  and  Watt.  Both  desired  to  have  their  first 
low-pressure  engine  built;  they  naturally  sought 
for  one  of  the  best  mechanics  of  the  age,  and 
employed  John  Jennings,  the  paternal  grand- 
father of  Richard  Jennings.  John  Jennings 
was  born  in  Sussex  county,  England.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  mar- 
ried Mary  Newlau.  They  had  seven  children, 
three  sons  and  four  daughters.  The  sons  were: 
John,  Edward  and  Thomas.  Their  second  son, 
Capt.  Edward  .Jennings  (father  of  Richard  Jen- 
nings), was  born  in  Cornwall,  England,  in  1774, 
and  was  killed  in  April,  1820,  by  the  breaking 
of  a  rope  in  a  mine  of  which  he  was  su2)erin- 
tendent  at  the  time.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  cliurch,  and  in  1801  mar- 
ried Jenifer  Gundry,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Mary  Gundry.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jennings 
were  born  nine  children,  four  sons  and  five 
daughters,  of  whom  three  are  still  living. 
Henry  Gundry  (maternal  grandfather)  was  born 
in  Cornwall,  England,  about  1740,  and  died  in 
1819.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  church  and  married  Mary  Ivy,  by 
whom  he  had  eight  children,  two  sons  and  six 
daughtei's. 

Richard  Jennings  was  reared  in  Cornwall 
and  attended  the  excellent  private  schools  of 
that  place.  He  commenced  life  for  himself  as  a 
miner  and   rose  successively  from   position  to 


572 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


position  in  the  mines  until  he  became  general 
mine  superintendent.  In  1841  he  located  at 
Brady's  Bend,  where  he  remained  until  1868, 
when  he  came  to  Queeustown.  For  the  last 
twenty  years  he  has  been  one  of  the  prominent 
oil  producers  of  Pennsylvania. 

In  November,  1849,  he  married  Annie 
Evans,  who  died  in  August,  1850,  and  in  April, 
1851,  he  married  for  his  second  wife,  Catherine 
Evans,  who  was  born  at  Merthyr  Tydvill, 
Wales,  May  19,  1831.  To  this  second  union 
were  born  eleven  children  :  E.  H.,  born  August 
10, 1852,  and  now  an  oil  producer  in  Allegheny 
county  ;  Annie,  born  January  23,  1854,  and 
wife  of  N.  F.  Sloan,  of  Pittsburgh  ;  Mary  C, 
born  April  9,  1857,  and  married  Charles  Grif- 
fith, of  Johnstown,  Pa.;  John  E.,  born  December 
29,  1859,  and  died  April  15,  1860  ;  Richard 
M.,  born  September  10,  1861,  and  now  an  oil 
producer  of  Bradford,  Pa. ;  John  G.,  born 
July  28,  1864,  and  now  an  oil  producer  at 
Butler;  Jenifer  G.,  born  September  21,  1868  ; 
Sarah  E.,  born  October  8,  1870;  Laura  J., 
born  April  11,  1873,  and  Evan  D.,  who  was 
born  August  8,  1877. 

Richard  Jennings  is  a  member  of  Kittanning 
Lodge,  No.  244,  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  a  member  and 
vestryman  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church. 
He  is  a  democrat  in  politics  and  was  elected 
burgess  of  Queenstown  in  1880.  Mr.  Jennings 
is  well-informed  on  tlie  leading  industries  of 
the  day  and  his  life  has  been  one  of  activity  and 
success  in  the  business  world. 


NICHOLAS  KEENER,  an  enterprising  and 
successful  farmer  and  butcher  of  Brady's 
Bend,  is  a  son  of  Sebastian  and  Mary  Keener,  and 
was  born  in  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  in  1844. 
His  father,  Sebastian  Keener,  was  born  in  Ger- 
many about  1808,  and  emigrated  from  the 
Fatherland  to  the  United  States  and  settled  at 
Mount  Oliver,  in  Pittsburgh,  where  he  followed 
coal-mining  for  some  years  and   then  engaged 


successfully  in  buying  and  selling  stock.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church  at  Pitts- 
burgh, when  he  died  in  1853.  He  married  and 
had  four  children,  three  sons  and  one  daughter  : 
Catherine,  who  was  born  in  1840,  and  is  the 
wife  of  Charles  Sellers,  a  glass-blower  of  South 
Side,  Pittsburgh  ;  Philip,  born  in  1842,  and 
now  an  iron-worker  at  South  Side ;  Nicholas, 
and  John,  who  was  born  in  1846,  and  is  now 
engaged  in  the  butchering  and  grocery  business 
at  New  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Nicholas  Keener  attended  the  public  schools 
of  Pittsburgh,  and  in  1862  removed  to  Brady's 
Bend,  where  he  has  since  followed  successfully 
the  butchering  business.  He  is  also  engaged  in 
farming.  He  owns  and  cultivates  thirty  acres 
of  land  in  Brady's  Bend  township  and  two 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  Sugar  Creek  township. 
He  enlisted  in  a  regiment  of  Pa.  Vols,  and 
served  three  months. 

February  12,  1867,  he  married  Catherine 
Uhl,  daughter  of  Augustus  Uhl,  a  mine-over- 
seer of  Brady's  Bend.  To  this  union  have  been 
born  eleven  children,  five  sous  and  six  daugh- 
ters :  an  infant,  born  December  6,  1867,  and 
(lied  in  early  infiiney  ;  Mary  A.,  born  December 
25,  1868  ;  Augustus,  born  January  18,  1871  ; 
Frank,  born  January  22,  1873  ;  Nicholas,  Jr., 
born  January  31,  1875;  Daniel,  born  April  18, 
1877;  Ella,  born  May  8,  1879;  Maggie,  born 
September  22,  1881 ;  Catherine,  born  Decem- 
ber 1,  1883;  Philip,  born  April  10,  1885,  and 
Annie,  born  November  6,  1888. 

Nicholas  Keener  is  a  member  of  St.  Patrick's 
Catholic  church  at  Brady's  Bend,  and  is  an  un- 
compromising democrat.  Mr.  Keener's  excellent 
judgment  of  weights  and  measures  accounts  for 
some  of  his  success  in  the  cattle  and  butchering 
business.  He  has  strength  of  purpose  and  keen 
perception,  and  has  never  been  led  into  vision- 
ary or  impracticable  business  projects.  He  has 
always  been  fortunate  in  his  investments  in 
property,  and  has  acquired  a  competency  by  in- 
dustry and  economy. 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


570 


SIMON  NOLF,  a  comfortably  situated  farm- 
er of  Mahoning  township,  is  one  of  the 
veterans  who  fought  on  Lookout  mountain 
amid  the  clouds  and  under  Thomas  when  he 
crushed  Hood.  He  is  a  son  of  Casper  and  Eve 
(Hetrick)  Nolf,  and  was  born  in  what  was  then 
Red  Bank  township,  Armstrong  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, April  4th,  1826.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, Nolf,  was  born  in  Germany.  He  came 
to  the  eastern  part  of  Pennsylvania,  from 
whence  he  removed  to  Red  Bank  township, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1830  or  1840,  when  he 
attained  the  advanced  age  of  one  hundred  and 
three  years.  He  was  a  Lutheran  and  a  demo- 
crat. Casper  Nolf  (father)  was  born  in  eastern 
Pennsylvania  and  removed  to  Clarion  county, 
where,  after  a  stay  of  some  time,  he  left  to  come 
to  Mahoning  township.  He  was  there  engaged 
in  farming  until  his  death,  in  1863,  at  ninety- 
two  years  of  age.  He  was  a  democrat,  and  a 
member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church. 
He  married  Eve  Hetrick,  whose  father  was  a 
native  of  Germany  and  passed  the  greater  part 
of  his  life  as  a  soldier.  He  first  served  in  the 
German  army  and  after  being  discharged  from 
the  troop  in  which  he  was  a  private,  he  came  to 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  enlisted  in  the  Ameri- 
can army,  in  which  he  served  until  the  close  of 
the  Revolutionary  war.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nolf 
were  the  })arents  of  nine  children. 

Simon  Nolf  obtained  a  common-school  educa- 
tion and  learned  the  trade  of  boat-builder, 
which  he  followed  for  several  years.  He  then 
purchased  his  present  farm  of  eighty  acres  and 
turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits. 
By  industry  and  economy  he  has  succeeded  well 
and  has  a  very  desirable  and  well-improved 
farm.  He  also  owns  the  "  Nolf  House "  and 
three  town  lots  at  Putneyville.  On  October 
12,  1862,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Co.  B,  78th 
regiment.  Pa.  Infantry,  and  served  till  the  close 
of  the  war,  participating  in  all  the  battles  in 
which  his  regiment  was  engaged.     He  was   at 


Chickamauga,  climbed  Lookout  mountain,  served 
under  Gen.  Sherman  when  he  commenced  the 
famous  "  March  to  the  Sea,"  and  then  his  regi- 
ment was  sent  to  Gen.  Thomas  and  he  was  in 
the  great  fight  that  destroyed  Hood's  army. 

On  February  14,  1850,  he  married  Savilla 
Rugh,  of  Westmoreland  county.  To  their 
union  have  been  born  seven  children,  two  sons 
and  five  daughters  :  Clarissa  (deceased)  ;  Aman- 
da, Hannah  C,  Alice  A.,  Turney  G.,  Nancy  J. 
and  Lemuel  C.  (deceased). 

In  politics  Simon  Nolf  is  a  democrat.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
while  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  church. 


HARVEY  PARK,  a  wounded  Union  vete- 
ran soldier  of  the  late  civil  war  and  a 
prosperous  farmer  of  Brady's  Bend  township, 
is  a  son  of  James  and  Elizabeth  (Duff)  Park, 
and  was  born  at  Wilkinsburg,  in  Sterrett  town- 
ship, Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania,  April  1, 
1825.  The  Park  family  is  of  Irish  descent, 
and  Mr.  Park's  paternal  grandfather,  AYilliam 
Park,  emigrated  from  Ireland  to  America  in 
1793,  and  settled  in  the  Chissococquallis  valley. 
Pa.,  from  whence  he  removed  to  Pittsburgh,  in 
1800.  He  was  a  stone-mason  by  trade,  but 
after  he  went  to  Pittsburgh  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. He  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  a  Free  Mason,  and  voted  the  dem- 
ocratic ticket.  He  married  Mary  McCune,  and 
had  seven  children  :  John,  born  in  1794,  was  a 
stone-mason  in  Allegheny  city  ;  David,  born  in 
1798,  was  a  wheelwright  and  farmer  in  Beaver 
county;  William,  born  in  1800,  was  a  farmer 
on  Sandy  Creek,  in  Allegheny  county  ;  Robert 
M.,  born  in  1802,  was  a  carpenter,  and  removed  to 
St.  Louis  in  1833  ;  Thomas,  born  in  1804,  was  a 
farmer  in  Allegheny  county  ;  and  Jane,  who  was 
born  in  1806.  James  Park  (father  of  Harvey 
:  Park)  was  born  in  1796,  and  was  a  blacksmith  by 
trade.     In  1839  he  removed  to  Butler  county, 


574 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


where  he  bought  a  farm  which  he  cultivated 
until  his  death,  March  4,  1860.  In  1824  he 
married  Elizabeth  Duff,  by  whom  he  had  five 
children :  Harvey,  Hettie  J.,  born  July  4, 
1827,  married  Thomas  Patterson,  and  died  in 
1854;  William  W.,  born  in  1829,  and  died  in 
1832;  an  infant,  born  in  1836,  and  died  in 
1836;  and  Mary  E.,  boru  in  1834,  and  wife  of 
James  Beswarick,  a  miner  at  Sandy  Creek. 
After  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  in  1842,  Jnmes 
Park  married  Mrs.  Jane  Stewart,  in  1848.  To 
this  union  were  born  three  children  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  (Duff)  Park,  the  first  wife,  was  a 
daughter  of  John  Duff  (maternal  grandfather), 
of  Allegheny  county,  who  was  a  soldier  during 
the  Revolution,  and  was  wounded  while  in  the 
service.  He  was  a  farmer  and  moved  to  Pitts- 
burgh in  1790.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church  and  a  Free  Mason.  He  had 
eleven  children  :  James,  Joiin,  Willianj,  George, 
David,  Samuel,  Mary,  Margaret,  Elizabeth, 
Hettie  and  Matilda. 

Harvey  Park  attended  the  subscription  schools 
of  Wilkinsburg,  from  whence  he  removed  to 
Sunbury,  Pa.,  and  afterwards,  on  September 
4,  1853,  to  Brady's  Bend,  Armstrong  county, 
where  he  engaged  in  wagon-making.  August 
22,  18G2,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  C,  139th  regiment. 
Pa.  Vols.,  for  three  years.  On  July  1,  1863, 
he  was  promoted  from  corporal  to  sergeant,  and 
on  September  2,  1863,  to  first  sergeant.  He 
was  transferred  to  the  Vet.  Res.  corps  on  De- 
cember 30,  1864,  and  was  mustered  out  of  the 
service  August  31,  1865.  He  helped  bury  the 
Union  dead  at  Bull's  Run,  and  participated  in 
the  battles  of  Fi-edericksburg,  Chancellorsville 
(where  his  regiment  was  complimented  by  Gen. 
Wlieaton  for  its  gallant  service),  Gettysburg 
and  all  the  hard  fighting  from  the  Rapidan  to 
Appomattox  Court-house.  He  was  M'ounded  in 
the  thigh  at  Cold  Harbor,  June  2,  1864,  and 
still  carries  tbe  ball  which  struck  him.  He 
was  also  wounded  in  one  of  the  Wilderness 
fights  and  at  Spottsylvania. 


On  May  15,  1849,  he  married  Mary  Cum- 
berland. They  had  two  children  :  Mina  E., 
born  January  22,  1850,  and  wife  of  Walter 
Moody  ;  and  Sylvester  J.,  born  May  17,  1853. 
Mr.s.  Park  died  January  31,  1854,  and  Novem- 
ber 6,  1856,  Mr.  Park  married  Elizabeth  My- 
ers, daughter  of  Adam  Myers,  of  Brady's  Bend. 
To  this  second  union  were  born  four  children  : 
Hortensia,  born  September  1,  1857,  and  wife 
of  Melville  Rupert,  of  Indianapolis,  Ind. ;  Cos- 
tella,  born  August  31,  1859  ;  Cassius  M.,  boru 
September  13,  1860,  and  died  September  22, 
1861 ;  and  Marion  Arminta,  born  February  13, 
1862  and  died  August  5,  1863.  The  second 
wife,  Elizabeth  (Myers)  Park,  died  April  5, 
1863,  and  on  August  1,  1865,  Mr.  Park  mar- 
ried, for  his  third  wife,  Annie  E.  Slyder, 
daughter  of  George  Slyder,  of  York  county, 
Penna. 

Harvey  Park  is  a  member  of  T.  M.  Sedwick 
Post,  No.  294,  G.  A.  R.,  of  East  Brady.  He 
is  a  republican  in  politics  and  has  filled  most  of 
the  various  town.ship  offices. 


SAMUEL  M.  ROB  INSON.  There  are  men 
who,  by  marked  business  ability,  unweary- 
ing energy  and  great  success,  command  them- 
selves to  public  attention.  To  this  class,  Sam- 
uel M.  Robinson,  of  Hovey  township,  ju.sfly 
belongs.  He  is  a  son  of  Eli.?ha  and  Elizabeth 
(Rohcr)  Robinson,  and  was  born  on  the  old 
homestead  farm  in  Hovey  township,  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania,  March  10,  1830.  The 
Robinson  family  is  of  English  descent,  and  the 
progenitor  of  the  American  branch  of  the  fam- 
ily was  one  of  the  celebrated  Pilgrim  Fathers, 
who  came  over  in  the  3Iayflower.  One  of  his 
descendants,  Andrew  Robinson  (grandfather), 
married  and  reared  a  family,  of  whom  one  son 
was  Elisha  Robinson  (father),  who  was  born  in 
Windham,  Connecticut,  December;4, 1791.  In 
1814  he  settled  in  Hovey  township,  on  the  farm 
now  owned  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch.     He 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


575 


was  a  tanner  by  trade,  a  democrat  in  politics, 
and  died  Octoher  17, 1874  (see  sketch  of  W.  B. 
Robinson,  of  Kittanning). 

Samuel  W.  Robinson  was  reared  on  the  farm 
on  which  he  was  born,  and  on  which  he  has 
always  resided.  He  received  a  good  common- 
school  and  practical  business  education,  and 
learned  the  trade  of  tanner  with  his  fother. 
He  was  actively  engaged  in  tiie  tanning  busi- 
ness for  twenty  years,  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time  embarked  in  the  oil  business  in  Armstrong 
and  adjoining  counties.  As  an  oil  operator  and 
producer,  he  has  been  remarkably  successful. 
Beside  the  home  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty- 
five  acres,  to  which  he  gives  his  personal  atten- 
tion, and  upon  which  he  built,  in  1875,  one  of 
the  finest  brick  dwellings  in  the  county,  he 
owns  another  well  improved  and  highly  pro- 
ductive farm  of  two  hundred  and  eight  acres  of 
land  in  Butler  county.  In  addition  to  farm- 
ing, INIr.  Robinson  deals,  to  some  extent,  in 
stock,  and  frequently  sends  fat  cattle  to  the 
eastern  markets. 

On  September  13,  1860,  he  married  Emma 
L.  Prosser,  daughter  of  Charles  Prosser,  of 
Butler  county.  To  their  union  have  been  born  7 
children,  of  whom  four  are  living,  three  sons 
and  one  daughter;  Charles  P.,  of  Pittsburgh,  a 
graduate  of  Harvard  college  and  law  school, 
and  a  member  of  the  Allegheny  county  bar; 
Elizabeth  R.,  Paul  D.  and  Frederick  A. 

Samuel  M.  Robinson  is  a  democrat  in  poli- 
tics, and  has  held  all  the  offices  of  Hovey  town- 
ship. He  is  a  member  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal church  of  Foxburg,  of  which  he  is  senior 
warden.  For  over  a  quarter  of  a  century  Mr. 
Robinson  has  been  interested  in  every  industry 
of  any  importance  in  northern  Armstrong  coun- 
ty, and  during  that  time  has  projected  and  car- 
ried forward  to  successful  completion  several 
large  and  intricate  business  enterprises.  He  is 
a  tireless  worker  and  a  close  observer,  who 
familiarizes  himself  with  every  detail  of  his 
business,  which  he  thus  keeps  well  in  hand,  and 


thereby  has  often  escaped  heavy  losses  that 
otherwise  would  have  overtaken  him.  Eco- 
nomical but  liberal,  exacting  in  business,  but 
generous  in  charities,  Mr.  Robinson  is  justly 
regarded  as  a  public-spirited  citizen. 


ELISHA  ROBINSON,  a  progressive  and 
successful  business  man  of  the  Allegheny 
Valley,  is  a  leading  citizen  of  Hovey  township, 
and  one  of  the  large  landholders  of  Armstrong 
and  Butler  counties.  He  was  born  in  Hovey 
township,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania, 
December  4,  1 832,  and  is  the  seventh  son  and 
ninth  child  of  a  family  of  ten  children  born  to 
Elisha  and  Elizabeth  (Rohrer)  Robinson.  On 
a  dreary  December  day  in  the  year  1620,  a  little 
band  of  jiilgrims  who  had  fled  from  the  relig- 
ious intolerance  and  persecution  then  prevailing 
in  western  Europe,  landed  on  a  granite  boulder 
on  the  shore  of  Massachusetts  bay,  and  there, 
in  that  inhospitable  region,  amidst  discourage- 
ments and  hardships  almost  intolerable,  they 
planted  deeply  the  tree  of  political  and  relig- 
ious freedom,  under  whose  branches  the  happy 
millions  of  American  freemen  meet  to-day. 
One  member  of  this  pilgrim  band  that  came 
over  in  the  Mayfiower,  and  landed  on  "Plym- 
outh Rock,"  was  the  progenitor  of  the  old  and 
well-known  Robinson  family,  of  Massachusetts. 
One  of  his  numerous  descendants  was  Andrew 
Robinson  (grandfather),  who  settled  at  Wind- 
ham, Connecticut,  where  his  son,  Elisha  Robin- 
son (father),  was  born  December  4,  1791. 
Elisha  Robinson,  in  1814,  became  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Hovey  township.  He  was  a 
man  of  activity,  energy  and  usefulness,  and  a 
detailed  account  of  his  business  life  will  be 
found  in  the  sketch  of  his  son,  W.  D.  Robin- 
son, of  Kittanning.  The  oil  excitement 
brought  Mr.  Robinson  into  prominence  in  west- 
ern Pennsylvania.  His  farm  was  soon  dotted 
with  oil  wells,  on  which  his  royalties  for  leases 
amounted  to  as  high  as  twenty  thousand  bar- 


576 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


rels  of  oil  per  month.  His  integrity  was  incor- 
ruptible, and  when  he  passed  away  (October  17, 
1874)  he  left  to  his  family  a  spotless  reputation 
as  well  as  his  lands  and  wealth. 

Elisha  Robinson  was  reared  on  the  farm  on 
which  he  now  resides,  and  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  and  Kittanning 
academy.  In  1861  he  engaged  at  the  mouth 
of  Tom's  run  in  the  general  mercantile  business, 
which  he  followed  until  1866,  when  he  came 
to  his  present  farm.  In  1868  he  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace,  but  resigned  after  serving 
three  years  in  order  to  take  charge  of  his  fath- 
er's oil  business,  and  has  been  engaged  more  or 
less  ever  since  in  oil  territory  and  oil  produc- 
ing. His  home  farm  is  finely  improved,  while 
his  carriage  and  horse  barn  is  complete  tiirough- 
out,  and  cannot  be  surpassed  by  any  to  be  found 
in  the  western  part  of  the  State.  Mr.  Robin- 
son is  a  representative  and  progressive  farmer 
and  stock-raiser.  He  makes  a  specialty  of 
blooded  stock,  many  of  which  he  purchases  in 
Kentucky  and  Ohio. 

November  22,  1857,  Mr.  Robinson  united  in 
marriage  with  Caroline  Truby,  of  Brookville, 
Jefferson  county.  They  have  eight  children, 
four  sons  and  four  daugliters:  Annie  T.,  wife 
of  Rev.  J.  E.  Eggert,  of  Kansas,  Illinois; 
Elisha  M.,  of  Pittsburgh,  who  married,  and  is 
engaged  in  the  stone  business ;  Samuel  T.,  an 
oil  producer  and  farmer ;  Elizabeth  R.,  wife  of 
A.  S.  Whiteman,  superintendent  of  the  Parker 
City  glass-works;  Alice  M.,  Earnest  W.,  Olive 
G.  and  Chase  S. 

Like  his  father,  Mr.  Robinson  is  a  democrat, 
and  has  served  his  township  as  overseer  of  the 
poor,  school  director  and  justice  of  the  peace. 
He  owns  about  five  hundred  acres  of  productive 
land  in  this  and  the  adjoining  county  of 
Butler. 

In  1857  he  united  with  the  Parker  City  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  of  Avhich  he  is  one  of 
the  oldest  members,  and  its  present  class  leader. 
Honorable  as  a  business  man,  and  respected  as 


a  citizen,  Elisha  Robinson  is  popular  in  his  sec- 
tion of  the  county. 


JOHN  A.  SCHOTT.  Among  the  great  in- 
dustries of  Pennsylvania  is  that  of  oil 
production,  and  one  of  the  reliable  and  success- 
ful men  engaged  in  that  important  line  of  business 
in  the  Butler- Armstrong  oil  belt  is  John  A.  Schott, 
of  Brady's  Bend.  He  is  a  son  of  Adam  and 
Catherine  (Roarbaugh)  Schott,  and  was  born  at 
Etman  Rhode,  Courhessen,  Germany,  July  4, 
1851.  His  fatiier,  Adam  Schott,  was  born  in 
Germany,  July  19,  1824.  He  was  a  farmer 
and  a  land-holder,  and  in  his  youth  served 
three  years  in  the  German  army.  He  emigrated 
from  Germany  to  America,  in  1856,  and  settled 
in  Brady's  Bend  township,  where  he  still 
resides,  at  Snow's  Hill.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  at  Brady's  Bend, 
in  whicii  he  has  served  for  many  years  as  an 
officer,  and  of  whose  choir  he  is  the  leader.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Honor,  at  East 
Brady.  He  is  a  republican  in  politics  and  has 
held  various  township  offices.  He  married 
Catherine  Roarbaugh,  and  to  their  union  have 
been  born  five  children,  four  sons  and  one 
daughter:  John  A.,  Peter,  born  in  1854,  and 
engaged  in  coal-mining ;  Henry,  who  was  born 
July  14, 1858,  and  is  now  an  oil  producer;  Eliz- 
abeth, born  in  1865,  and  married  S.  Story,  an 
oil  pumper;  and  William,  who  was  born  in 
1867,  and  is  engaged  in  the  butchering  business. 

John  A.  Schott  was  brought  by  his  jiarents, 
at  five  years  of  age,  to  Brady's  Bend  township, 
where  he  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools.  At  eleven  years  of  age  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  coal-mines,  where  he  remained  for 
some  time.  He  then  embarked  in  butcher- 
ing, which  he  quit  to  engage  in  the  oil  business. 
He  is  now  an  oil  producer,  and  his  wells  are 
located  in  the  Butler  and  Armstrong  belt. 

In  January,  1877,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Elvira  Williams,  daughter  of  James  Williams, 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


577 


of  Brady's  Bend,  who  is  an  extensive  farmer 
and  a  successful  oil  jDroducer.  To  their  union 
have  been  born  seven  children  :  Maud  J.,  born 
February  22,  1878;  Clara  K.,  born  May  8, 
1870;  Mary  E.,  born  November  9,  1880; 
Annie  L.,  born  September  30,1882;  Maggie 
M.,  born  July  31,  1884;  Arthur  J.,  born  Octo- 
ber 28,  1886;  and  Frederick  W.,  born  January 
15,  1889. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Schott  is  a  republican.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church,  and  a  scarlet  degree  member  of  Alpine 
Lodge,  No.  479,  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  He  is  one  of  the  substautial  citizens 
of  his  borough  and  devotes  his  time  chiefly  to 
his  business  interests  and  the  management  of 
his  different  oil  wells  in  Butler  and  Armstrong 
counties. 


PHILIP  SHOEMAKER,  a  thrifty  and 
pro.sperous  citizen  and  the  owner  of  one  of 
the  best  coal  farms  of  Mahoning  township,  is  a  i 
son  of  Philip  and  Elizabeth  (Rose)  Shoemaker, 
and  was  born  in  Mahoning  township,  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania,  March  2,  1825.  The 
Shoemaker  family  is  of  Swiss  origin,  and  John 
Shoemaker  (grandfather),  was  born  in  Switzer- 
land. He  came  to  the  United  States  and  set- 
tled in  Virginia,  but  soon  removed  to  Franklin 
townshi]),  Westmoreland  county,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming.  He  had  five  ciiildren,  two 
sons  and  three  daughters.  His  son,  Philip 
Shoemaker  (father),  was  born  in  Virginia,  Jan- 
uary 25,  1784,  from  whence  he  removed  to 
AVestmoreland  county  and  afterwards  came  to 
Mahoning  township,  where  he  purchased  some 
four  hundred  acres  of  land,  which  he  tilled  until 
his  death.  He  died  April  10,  1860,  when  he 
was  in  the  seventy-seventh  year  of  his  age.  He 
was  an  old-line  whig  until  1856,  when  he 
became  a  republican.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
German  baptist  church,  and  married  Elizabeth  i 
Rose,   daughter  of  George   Rose.     They    had 


nine  children,  five  sons  and  four  daughters : 
Mary,  born  April  14,  1812,  and  died  in  1887  ; 
Johnybbrn  October  22,  1813,  and  lives  at  South 
Bethlehem,  in  Mahoning  township;  Sarah, 
l)oru  January  5,  1814,  and  died  young  ;  Joseph, 
born  April  9,  1819  ;  Isaac,  born  July  27,  1821 ; 
Philip,  Susanna,  born  July  20,  1827;  Eliza- 
l>eth,  born  May  17,  1831;  and  Samuel,  born 
March  12,  1834.  Mrs.  Shoemaker's  father, 
(xcorge  Rose  (maternal  grandfather),  was  born 
near  Murraysville,  Westmoreland  county,  and 
was  a  farmer  and  hotel-keeper.  Philip  Shoe- 
maker was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and 
attended  the  subscription  schools  of  his  day.  He 
then  engaged  in  farming,  which  he  has  followed 
ever  since,  excepting  a  few  years,  during  which 
time  he  operated  a  .saw-mill.  In  1851  he  pur- 
chased the  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  of  land  on 
which  he  has  since  made  his  home.  His  farm 
is  underlaid  with  .several  workable  veins  of 
good  coal. 

He  married  Salome  L.  Schoefner,  a  daughter 
of  Henry  Schoefner,  a  native  of  Switzerland, 
who  came  with  his  father  to  Lycoming  county, 
when  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  who 
afterwards  removed  to  Clarion  county  and  then 
to  Jefferson  county,  where  he  died.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Shoemaker  have  been  born  ten  chil- 
dren, eight  sons  and  two  daughters  :  Jeremiah, 
born  November  5,  1852,  and  was  a  farmer  in 
Illinois  when  he  died  ;  Margarite,  born  Jan- 
uary 16,  1854,  and  wife  of  Samuel  Lenkerd, 
a  farmer  of  Red  Bank  township ;  Ross,  born 
August  20,  1855,  married  Lottie  Mowry  and  is 
a  farmer  of  Mahoning  township  ;  Monroe,  born 
April  9,  1859,  and  married  Jane  Prosious; 
Mary  Elleu,  wife  of  Christopher  Kinimel,  a 
farmer  of  this  county  ;  Anderson,  born  January 

19,  1861,  and  now  dead;  Ezra,  born  February 

20,  1863,  married  Mary  Meyers  (now  deceased), 
and  lives  on  his  father's  farm ;  Murray,  born 
June  10,  1865;  Isaiah,  born  April  22,  1867, 
and  now  dead  ;  and  Adam,  born  April  30, 
1868,  and  married  to  Siseye  Anthony. 


578 


SI06RAPHIES  OF 


In  politics,  Philip  Shoemaker  is  a  stanch  re- 
publican, and  at  present  is  overseer  of  the  poor 
of  Mahoning  township.  He  is  a  deacon  of  the 
German  Baptist  church,  of  which  he  and  his 
whole  family  are  members. 


JOHN  L.  STOCKDILL,  one  of  the  young 
and  progressive  farmers  of  Mahoning 
township,  is  a  son  of  George  and  Martha  E 
(Foster)  Stockdill,  and  was  born  in  what  is 
known  as  "  The  Cove,"  in  Mahoning  town- 
ship, Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  April 
15,  1861.  George  Stockdill,  Sr.  (grandfather), 
was  born  in  Ireland  in  1784,  from  which  he 
emigrated  to  eastern  Pennsylvania  in  June  of 
1822,  and  landed  at  Kittanning  and  moved  to 
Franklin,  Pa.,  which  lie  soon  left  and  came  to 
]\Iahoning  township  in  1828,  where  he  pur- 
chased the  farm  on  which  his  grandson,  the 
snbject  of  this  sketch,  now  resides.  He  owned 
one  hundred  and  three  acres  of  land,  was  a 
whig  in  politics  and  a  member  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  church.  He  married  Margaret 
Clark  on  March  16,  1809.  She  died  Jan. 
9,  1871.  When  he  died,  July  9,  1857, 
he  left  a  widow  and  five  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters. One  of  these  sons,  George  Stockdill 
(father),  was  born  on  his  father's  farm,  "  The 
Cove,"  June  26,  1827,  and  lived  on  the  old 
homestead  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
May  9,  1872,  when  he  was  in  the  forty-fifth 
year  of  his  age.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation 
and  owned  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  thirteen 
acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  !)uilt(1859)  tiie  large 
brick  house  which  is  now  occupied  by  his  son, 
John  L.  He  was  a  republican  in  politics,  and 
a  member  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church. 
He  married  Martha  E.  Foster,  and  to  their 
union  were  born  seven  children  :  Margaret  C, 
Nov.  25,  1849,  died  Aug.  21,  1861 ;  Mary  J., 
wife  of  Milton  Spence,  a  farmer  of  Wayne 
township,  who  was  born  Sept.  30,  1867 ; 
Margaret  F.  was  born  Dec.  11,  1856,  and  mar- 


ried Rev.  Joseph  Calhoun,  a  Presbyterian  min- 
ister of  Slate  Lick;  Jolin  L.  and  George,  who 
died  in  1869.  Mrs.  Stockdill  was  a  daughter 
of  Thomas  Foster  (maternal  grandfather),  who 
was  born  in  Ireland,  from  whence  he  emigrated 
to  Pennsylvania,  and  settled  at  Kittanning 
where  he  purchased  the  farm  upon  which 
Joseph  Stockdill  now  lives.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Protestant  Ejiiscopal  church  and  married 
to  Catharine  McCauley  by  whom  he  had  eight 
children,  four  sons  and  four  daughters. 

John  L.  Stockdill  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  Mahoning  township  and  the  acade- 
mies at  Oakland  and  Glade  Run.  Leaving 
school,  he  taught  one  term  and  then  engaged  in 
farming  on  the  old  homestead,  which  he  now 
owns.  He  raises  good  crops  and  makes  a 
specialty  of  fine  stock. 

On  September  26,  1882,  he  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Annie  O.  Alcorn,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Alcorn,  a  farmer  of  Wayne  township.  To  their 
union  have  been  born  two  children,  one  of 
which  died  in  infancy,  and  Thomas  M.,  Feb- 
ruary 18,  1888. 

John  L.  Stockdill  is  a  republican  in  politics 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
He  is  reliable,  industrious  and  energetic. 


ROBERT  M.  TAYLOR,  a  gentleman  of  con- 
siderable mercantile  experience,  and  an 
energetic  and  competent  business  man  and  suc- 
cessful merchant  of  Hovey  township,  is  a  son 
of  James  and  Nancy  (McMurry)  Taylor,  and 
was  born  on  the  old  homestead  farm  in  county 
Down,  Ireland,  June  13,  1848.  His  fiither, 
James  Taylor,  was  born  in  1800,  in  county 
Down,  Ireland,  where  he  was  a  farmer  all  his 
life,  and  where  he  died,  in  1884,  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty-four  years.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Episcopal  church.  He  married 
Nancy  McMurry,  who  is  now  residing  at  her 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


679 


home  in  her  native  county  (Down),  in  the 
eighty-fifth  year  of  her  age. 

Robert  M.  Taylor  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Ireland,  and  received  his  education  in 
the  excellent  schools  of  his  native  county.  In 
1870,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  he  came  to  the 
United  States  and  located  where  he  now  resides. 
In  the  same  year  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  gene- 
ral mercantile  store  of  his  brother-in-law,  J.  A. 
Morgan,  with  whom  he  remained  for  six  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  entered  DuflF's  Bus- 
iness college,  of  Pittsburgh,  at  which  he  was  a 
student  for  two  months,  and  afterwards  was 
engaged  for  two  months  as  an  assistant  teacher 
in  that  useful  business  institution.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Hovey  township,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  oil  business  for  two  years,  after- 
wards working  for  four  years  in  the  Parker  City 
glass  factory  as  a  mixer.  In  September,  1884, 
he  opened  his  present  mercantile  establishment, 
opposite  Foxburg,  Clarion  county,  this  State, 
where  he  has  been  successfully  engaged  ever 
since  in  the  mercantile  business.  His  store  is 
filled  with  an  ample  stock  of  general  merchan- 
dise, and  he  has  succeeded  in  establishing  a  good 
and  paying  trade.  His  goods  are  first-class  in 
quality,  reasonable  in  price  and  varied  in  assort- 
ment to  suit  the  wants  of  his  many  patrons. 

In  1887  Mr.  Taylor  was  married  to  Rosetta 
Taylor,  daughter  of  Robert  Taylor,  of  Ireland. 
Their  union  has  been  blest  with  three  children, 
two  sons  and  one  daughter  :  William  E.,  Mary 
A.  and  Samuel  J. 

R.  M.  Taylor  is  a  republican  in  politics  and 
a  prohibitionist  on  the  liquor  question,  and  has 
served  as  school  director  of  his  township.  He 
is  a  member  and  also  an  elder  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  of  Parker  City,  and  a  member  of 
the  United  Friends. 


GEORGE  M.  TIBBLES.    One  who  has  had 
a  wide  and  successful   exprience  in    the 
great  oil  industry  of  Pennsylvania  is  the  gen- 


tleman whose  name  heads  this  sketch.  George 
M.  Tibbies  is  a  son  of  Gustavus  and  Amanda 
(Morehead)  Tiljbles,  and  was  born  at  Pompey, 
Onondaga  county.  New  York,  April  31,  1842. 
His  grandfather.  Dr.  Tibbies,  was  born  in 
Connecticut,  and  removed  to  Pompey,  where 
he  practiced  medicine  for  many  years.  He 
was  a  Presbyterian,  had  held  all  the  offices 
of  his  church,  and  die<l  in  Eric,  Pa.,  about 
1860.  He  married  and  had  five  children, 
three  sons  and  two  daughters:  Lincoln  U., 
who  is  engaged  in  the  insurance  business,  in 
Erie;  Charles  M.  (dead);  Gustavus,  Olivia, 
(dead);  and  Mary,  wife  of  Joseph  Farr,  a  promi- 
nent and  wealthy  lawyer  of  Commerce,  Michi- 
gan. Gustavus  Tibbies  (father)  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  a  republican  in  politics  and  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  died 
at  Yorktown,  South  Dakota,  in  1864.  He 
married  Amanda  Morehead,  of  New  Haven, 
Connecticut.  To  their  union  were  born  three 
children,  two  sons  and  one  daughter :  George 
M. ,  Anson  M.,  now  a  merchant  tailor  of 
Janesville,  New  York,  and  Mary,  who  married 
a  Mr.  Curtis,  a  carriage  manufacturer  of  Fa- 
bius.  New  York.  Mrs.  Amanda  (Morehead) 
Tibbies  was  born  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut, 
and  is  now  living  at  Lamar,  Iowa. 

George  M.  Tibbies  was  reared  at  Pompey, 
and  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
village  and  of  Commerce.  Leaving  school,  he 
dealt  in  oil  for  some  time,  and  engaged  then  in 
the  business  of  refining  crude  oil,  which  he  fol- 
lowed until  he  secured  his  present  position  of 
oil  ganger  of  Brady's  Bend. 

October  18,  1863,  he  married  Idelle  Wil- 
liams, daughter  of  E.  B.  Williams,  a  car- 
riage manufacturer  of  Groton,  New  York. 
She  is  a  finely  educated  woman,  and  was  grad- 
uated in  1859  from  St.  Vincent's  convent,  N. 
Y.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tibbies  has  been  born 
one  child,  a  son,  Edward  D.  who  was  born 
April  2,  1865.  Edward  D.  attended  a  college 
at  Grove  City,  Pa.,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 


580 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


ated.  He  is  now  the  purchasing  agent,  at  But- 
ler, Pa.,  of  the  Standard  Oil  company,  and 
married  Gertrude  Zigler,  daughter  of  George 
Zigler,  of  Butler. 

George  M.  Tibbies  is  a  republican  in  politics 
and  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  of  which 
he  is  Master- Work  man.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  Lodge  No.  931,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Karns  City. 
Mr.  Tibbies  is  active  and  thorough-going,  and 
has  a  full  knowledge  of  the  oil  business  in  all 
of  its  branches. 


ALCINUS  G.  TRUITT,  whose  service  in 
defence  of  the  liberties  of  his  country  led  to 
his  early  and  untimely  death,  was  much  missed 
in  Mahoning  township,  where  he  was  a  most 
useful  business  man  and  a  highly  respected  citi- 
zen. He  was  a  son  of  George  W.  and  Nancy 
(Coursin)  Truitt,  and  was  born  in  Madison 
township,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania, 
January  30,  1814.  His  father,  George  W. 
Truitt,  was  also  born  in  Madison  township, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  until 
his  death.  He  was  a  republican  in  poli- 
tics, and  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church.  He 
married  Nancy  Coursin  and  to  their  union  were 
born  three  children :  Seth  C,  a  merchant  at 
Truittsburg ;  Alcinus  G.,  and  M.  M.,  a  farmer  of 
Madison  township. 

Alcinus  G.  Truitt  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  after  attending  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  township  and  the  Dayton  academy, 
went  to  Pittsburgh  and  took  the  full  course  of  a 
commercial  college,  from  which  he  graduated. 
He  then  returned  to  Armstrong  county  and  en- 
gaged in  the  general  mercantile  business  at 
Truittsburg,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  most 
prominent  citizens.  He  enlisted  in  Co.  D., 
14th  regiment,  Pennsylvania  Vols.,  and  served 
one  year.  The  privations  and  exposures  of  army 
life  impaired  his  health  and  finally  caused  his 
death,  which  occurred  February  2,  1885,  when 
he  was  in  the  forty-second  year  of  his  age. 


He  married  Jennie  E.  Corbett,  a  pleasant 
and  estimable  woman.  Their  union  was  bless- 
ed with  one  child :  Harry  W.,  born  January 
23,  1878.  Mrs.  Truitt's  father  was  Lewis  T. 
Corbett.  He  married  Lucinda  Mohmey  and 
reared  a  family  of  three  sons  and  three 
daughters  :  \yorthington,  married  Ellen  Gum- 
bert,  and  is  now  engaged  in  the  drug  business 
at  New  Bethlehem ;  Maggie,  wife  of  Charles 
Ellenberger,  a  farmer  residing  near  Goheenville ; 
Jennie  E.,  Melancthon  J.,  married  Jennie 
Cochrane,  and  is  a  resident  of  Oakland ;  Dr. 
Vander  K.,  married  Jennie  Dunlap,  and  is 
practicing  medicine  at  Caledonia,  Elk  county ; 
and  Lavina  L ,  married  to  A.  M.  Woodward,  a 
druggist  of  Reynoldsville,  Jefferson  county. 

Alcinus  G.  Truitt  was  a  republican,  and 
although  he  always  took  a  lively  interest  in 
politics  yet  never  aspired  to  any  office.  He  was 
honorable  and  straightforward  and  was  one  of 
the  reliable  business  men  of  his  township. 


RS.  WALLACE,  M.D.,  is  an  active,  prom- 
•  inent  and  useful  physician  of  East  Brady, 
Clarion  county,  whose  field  of  practice  extends 
over  a  large  part  of  Clarion,  Armstrong  and  But- 
ler counties.  R.  S.  Wallace,  M.D,  is  a  surgeon  of 
the  Allegheny  Valley  railroad.  He  is  a  son  ot 
Dr.  S.  S.  and  Martha  (Craig)  Wallace,  and  was 
born  in  Sugar  Creek  township,  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania,  February  10, 1832.  Dr. 
S.  S.  Wallace  was  born  in  Carlisle,  Pa.,  Sep- 
tember 12,  1801,  and  died  January  11,  1870. 

He  married  Martha  Craig,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  John  Craig,  of  Armstrong  county.  They 
were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  six 
are  living. 

R.  S.  Wallace  was  reared  in  his  native  town- 
ship. He  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  Butler  academy.  Leaving  school 
in  1852,  he  determined  upon  medicine  for  a 
life-vocation  and  commenced  his  medical  studies 
with  his  father.  Dr.  S.  S.  Wallace,  at  Brady's 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


581 


Beud.  After  completing  the  required  course 
of  reading  he  entered  Jefferson  Medical  college, 
of  Philadelphia,  from  which  celebrated  institu- 
tion he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1855. 
Immediately  after  graduating  he  returned  to 
Armstrong  county,  where  he  located  at  Brady's 
Beud  and  was  successfully  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  his  chosen  profession  until  1872,  when  here- 
moved  to  East  Brady,  in  Clarion  county,  and 
has  been  in  active  and  successful  practice  there 
ever  since.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  surgery, 
in  which  he  has  gained  the  reputation  of  being 
skilled,  accurate,  rapid  and  successful.  In  all 
departments  of  the  medical  profession,  for  the 
last  quarter  of  a  century,  there  has  been  a  rapid 
and  wonderful  advancement,  and  the  fact  that 
Dr.  Wallace  has  always  been  abreast  of  the 
times,  and  has  steadily  held  his  place  in  this 
march  of  medical  progress,  is  best  attested  by 
♦he  wide  field  of  practice  which  he  has  in 
Clarion  and  Armstrong  counties.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Clarion  County  Medical  society, 
has  been  examiner  for  a  number  of  life  insur- 
ance corapauies  for  several  years  and  is  surgeon 
for  the  Allegheny  Valley  railroad. 

May  26,  1859,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Ada  Newlon,  daughter  of  Elijah  Newlon,  who 
was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  and  iron  manu- 
facturing business  for  many  years.  To  Dr.  and 
Mi's.  Wallace  have  been  born  two  children : 
Cora  and  Annie. 

In  politics.  Dr.  Wallace  is  a  republican.  He 
is  a  Free  Mason  and  holds  membership  in  Kit- 
tanning  Lodge,  No.  244,  F.  &  A.  M.  Although 
neither  prominent  nor  active  in  political  matters, 
yet  betakes  an  active  interest  in  everything  that 
benefits  his  community  or  his  fellow-citizens. 
While  earnest,  zealous  and  successful  as  a  phy- 
sician and  surgeon.  Dr.  Wallace  is  also  known 
and  esteemed  as  a  man  for  his  uniform  courtesy, 
high  sense  of  honor  and  strict  integrity. 


"riAPTAIN  SAMUEL  BRADY.  — The 
^  name  of  Captain  Samuel  Brady  was, 
for  many  years,  a  terror  to  the  untutored  sav- 
age. He  was  peculiarly  fitted  to  carry  out  the 
task  which  he  had  undertaken.  His  father  and 
a  favorite  brother,  witiiin  the  space  of  one  year, 
had  fallen  by  the  hands  of  their  Indian  foes, 
and  he  vowed  to  avenge  tiieir  death.  He  was 
tall,  muscular  and  athletic,  with  the  agility  of 
a  tiger  and  a  physical  endurance  far  beyond 
that  usually  allotted  to  man.  Added  to  this, 
he  was  possessed  of  a  courage  that  never  quailed 
in  the  hour  of  danger.  His  grandfather,  Hugh 
Brady,  emigrated  to  the  State  of  Delaware 
from  the  North  of  Ireland  about  the  year  1732, 
where  his  oldest  son,  Joiin,  father  of  Captain 
Samuel,  was  born  in  the  following  year.  Some 
time  between  1733  and  1738  he  came  into  the 
valley,  and  settled  on  the  banks  of  Canodo- 
guiuct  creek,  in  what  is  now  Hopewell  town- 
ship, on  a  farm  subsequently  owned  by  James 
Hemphill.  John,  in  1755,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two,  married  Mary  Quigley,  and  re- 
moved to  Shippensburg.  Some  time  prior  to 
1768  he  removed,  with  his  family,  to  Standing 
Stone  (now  Huntingdon).  He  had  six  sons  : 
Samuel,  James  (who  was  killed  in  1778),  John, 
William  P.,  Hugh  and  Robert,  and  four 
daughters :  Mary,  Jennie,  Hannah  and  Lib- 
erty. John  Brady  removed  from  Standing 
Stone  to  a  point  on  the  west  branch  of  the 
Susquehanna,  ten  miles  above  the  town  of 
Northumberland.  He  was  killed  by  an  Indian 
on  April  11,  1779,  within  half  a  mile  of  his 
home.  In  1784  Captain  Samuel  Brady  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Swearingen,  of  Washington  county, 
where  he  resided  until  about  1790,  when  he 
removed  to  Virginia.  He  died,  as  above 
stated,  on  the  25th  of  December,  1795,  at  his 
home  about  two  miles  west  of  West  Liberty, 
Ohio  county,  Virginia,  leaving  a  widow  and 
two  sons,  and  leaving  behind  him  a  record  for 
heroism,  of  which  but  few  in  our  country  could 
boast." 


582 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


"GENERAL  DANIEL  BRODHEAD,  of 
^  Revolutionary  fame,  was  born  in  Mar- 
bletown,  Ulster  county,  New  York,  in  1736, 
and  died  and  was  buried  at  Milford,  Pennsyl- 
vania, November  15,  1809.  He  was  the  great- 
grandson  of  Capt.  Daniel  Brodhead,  of  the 
English  army,  who  came  to  this  country  in 
1664  as  a  member  of  the  expedition  commanded 
by  Col.  Richard  Nichols,  in  the  service  of 
King  Charles  II.,  after  the  Restoration.  After 
the  surrender  of  Stuyvesant,  Capt.  Brodhead 
was  sent  up  to  Albany  in  September,  1664, 
and  was  a  witness  to  the  treaty  made  with  the 
Indians  there  iu  that  month.  He  was  after- 
wards promoted  to  the  command  of  the  mili- 
tary forces  of  Ulster  county,  by  commission 
from  King  Charles,  dated  September  14,  1665, 
which  position  he  held  till  his  death,  iu  1670. 
He  left  one  daughter  and  two  sons:  Ann  Brod- 
head, Charles  Brodhead  and  Richard  Brodhead. 
The  latter  was  born  at  Marbletown,  New  York, 
in  1666,  and  was  the  grandfather  of  General 
Brodhead.     Richard  Brodhead  had  two  sous : 


Richard  Brodhead,  Jr.,  and  Daniel  Brodhead, 
born  at  Marbletown,  in  Ulster  county,  New 
York,  iu  the  year  1698,  and  died  at  Bethle- 
hem, Pennsylvania,  in  the  year  1755.  This 
Daniel  Brodhead,  the  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  biography,  removed  with  his  family  from 
Ulster  county.  New  York,  in  the  year  1737,  to 
Danville,  Pennsylvania,  while  the  subject  of 
this  biography  was  but  an  infant.  Inured  to 
the  dangers  of  the  Indian  frontier  from  his 
very  cradle,  the  impression  made  as  he  grew 
up  among  the  scenes  of  ludian  barbarities  and 
the  outrages  of  the  savages  helped  to  form  his 
future  character  and  to  mold  him  into  the 
grand,  successful  soldier  and  Indian  fighter 
which  his  subsequent  history  proved  him 
to  be." 

He  served  under  Washington  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  and  on  March  5,  1779,  was 
placed  iu  command  of  the  western  frontiers 
from  the  Lakes  to  the  gulf,  with  headquarters 
at  Ft.  Pitt.  He  held  this  important  command 
until  the  close  of  the  struggle  for  Independence. 


SUGAR   CREEK,   WEST   FRANKLIN,   NORTH   AND 
SOUTH  BUFFALO  TOWNSHIPS. 


Historical  and  desenpVwe. — These  four  town- 
ships lie  along  the  western  boundary  line  of 
Armstrong  county.  The  southern  part  of 
Sugar  Creek,  nearly  all  of  West  Franklin  and 
the  northwestern  part  of  North  Buffalo  town- 
ships are  in  the  Lower  Productive  Coal  meas- 
ures. These  measures  are  also  along  the  Alle- 
gheny river,  and  Glade  run  in  the  eastern  part 
of  Nortii  Buffalo  and  along  the  same  river 
in  the  eastern,  and  Pine  run  in  the  north- 
western part  of  South  Buffalo  townships.  The 
ferriferous  lime  prevails  throughout  West 
Franklin  and  extends  into  the  northwestern 
part  of  North  Buffalo. 

Sugar  Creek  Township  is  one  of  the  six  origi- 
nal townships  into  which  Armstrong  county  was 
divided  in  September,  1806,  and  from  its  original 
territory  have  been  formed  four  townships  and 
parts  of  two  others.  Ezekiel  Lewis,  who  set- 
tled in  the  township  in  1793,  was  one  of  the 
soldiers  of  Captain  Robert  Orr's  command  which 
served  in  Colonel  Lochry's  expedition  in  1781. 
Orrsville  was  laid  out  in  1818  by  Robert  Orr, 
Sr.  It  is  in  the  northern  part  of  the  township, 
while  Adams  P.  O.  is  centrally  located,  and 
Foster's  mills  is  in  the  southern  part.  On 
May  30,  1860,  a  tornado  swept  through  the 
northern  part  of  the  township,  and  crossed 
the  Allegheny  river  into  Madison  township. 

West  Franklin  Township  \s  the  western  part  of 
Franklin  township,  which  was  formed  from 
Sugar  Creek  and  Buffalo  townships  about  1830, 
and  was  divided    on    January    27,    1868,  into 


West   and    East   Franklin    townships.      West 
Franklin  was  settled  about  1790. 

In  1835  the  firm  of  Craig  &  Cooper  com- 
menced the  manufacture  of  woolen  goods  at 
Craigsville,  on  or  near  the  site  of  the  present 
well-equipped  woolen  factory  of  William  F. 
Rumberger.  The  Buffalo  woolen  millsof  E.  D. 
and  F.  Graff  were  erected  in  1865  and  in  point 
of  size  and  thorough  equipment  can  be  hardly 
surpassed  in  the  State.  The  late  Peter  Graff", 
whose  portrait  appears  in  this  volume,  had 
much  to  do  with  the  material  development  of 
West  Franklin  township  and  Armstrong  coun- 
ty. Craigsville  was  founded  about  1815,  and 
Worthington  was  laid  out  in  1829. 

North  Buffalo  Township  was  organized  March 
15,  1847,  and  is  the  northern  part  of  Bufliilo 
township  as  it  existed  at  that  date.  Samuel 
and  William  Green  settled  in  the  township 
about  1795,  and  the  latter  laid  out  the  town  of 
Williamsburg  in  1802.  These  Green  brothers 
were  the  founders  of  "  the  Green  settlement." 
The  most  of  the  territory  of  the  township  con- 
sisted of  depreciation  lands  or  lauds  appropri- 
ated for  the  payment  of  depreciation  certificates 
issued  to  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania line  for  services  in  the  Revolutionary 
war. 

South  Buffalo  was  organized  on  March  15, 
1847.  Its  pioneer  settlers  came  about  1789. 
In  1790  a  block-house  was  built  at  the  mouth 
of  Nicholson's  run.  Corn  planter's  run  takes 
its  name  from  the  celebrated  Indian  chief  Corn- 

683 


584 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


planter,  who  dwelt  on  it  at  one  time.  In  1800 
the  first  school-house  was  built,  and  in  1802 
Slate  Lick  Presbyterian  church  was  organized. 
Clinton  was  laid  out  in  July,  1830,  Slate  Lick 
post-oflSce  was  established  April  1,  1837,  and 
Laueville  was  surveyed  into  lots  on  April  14, 
1871. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


DAVID  C.  BOGGS,  of  South  Buffalo  town- 
ship, ex-register  and  recorder,  and  one  of 
the  most  popular  democratic  leaders  of  Arm- 
strong county,  is  a  son  of  David  and  Mary 
(McKee)  Boggs,  and  was  born  in  Plum  town- 
ship, Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania,  Decem- 
ber 6,  1824.  The  Boggs  family  is  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent,  and  Thomas  Boggs,  Sr.  (grand- 
father), whose  father,  at  aa  early  day,  left 
Scotland  aud  settled  in  the  town  of  Glass- 
drummond,  in  the  county  of  Monaghan,  Ireland, 
was  born  at  Glassdrummond  in  1722.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Chambers,  and  their  union 
was  blessed  with  six  sons  aud  two  daughters : 
William,Thomas,  Elizabeth,  John,  Anne,  James, 
David  and  Robert.  Thomas  Boggs,  Sr.,  left 
Ireland  in  the  year  1805,  aud  settled  in  western 
Pennsylvania,  near  New  Brighton^  in  Beaver 
county,  where  he  lived  and  died.  David  C. 
Boggs'  materual  grandfather,  McKee,  was 
among  the  very  early  settlers  of  western  Penn- 
sylvania and  located  in  Allegheny  county,  where 
he  lived  in  perilous  times,  surrounded  by  savage 
Indians,  whose  delight  was  murder  and  plunder. 
Their  wicked  assaults  had  to  be  met  and  repelled, 
which  necessitated  the  continual  use  of  the  gun, 
so  that  it  was  his  constant  companion,  his  only 
sure  protector  and  defence.  His  valuables  he 
had  often  to  bury  in  the  ground  to  secure  their 
safety,  and  carry  his  gun  while  at  work,  and 
always  take  it  with  him  when  hunting  for  his 
cows.  David  Boggs  (father)  was  born  in  1783, 
in  Ireland,  and  came  in  1799  to  western  Penn- 


sylvania, where  he  settled  in  what  is  now  Plum 
township,  Allegheny  county.  He  was  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  that  section,  where  he  purchased 
two  tracts  of  woodland  near  the  site  of  Mur- 
raysville,  and  cleared  out  fine  farms  on  them. 
In  1849  he  sold  his  farms  and  removed  to 
Apollo,  where  he  died  on  November  3,  1856, 
when  he  was  in  the  seventy-fourth  year  of  his 
age.  He  was  a  Jeffersonian  democrat,  aud  for 
over  thirty  years  filled  the  office  of  justice  of 
the  peace  in  Allegheny  county.  In  early  life 
he  united  with  the  Associate  Presbyterian 
church,  and  was  one  of  its  most  earnest  as  well 
as  most  useful  members.  In  1806  he  married. 
Mary  McKee,  daughter  of  Squire  McKee,  of 
near  Mnrraysville,  and  they  were  graciously 
permitted  to  enjoy  fifty  years  of  wedded  life 
together.  Their  uuion  was  blessed  with  thir- 
teen children,  nine  .sous  aud  four  daughters: 
Thoraa.s,  born  in  November,  1806;  Eliza  G., 
born  in  May,  1809,  aud  married  to  David  Mc- 
Kee, a  farmer  residing  in  Tuscarora  Valley; 
Fannie  M.,  born  in  September,  1811,  the  wife 
of  Jacob  Freetly,  a  prominent  lawyer  of 
Apollo;  John,  who  was  born  in  July,  1813,  and 
married  Ann  Boggs,  daughter  of  William 
Boggs  and  a  native  of  Ireland ;  Anne,  Jane  G., 
born  in  October,  1815,  and  married  to  Samuel 
Beatty,  a  farmer  of  Allegheny  county;  Hon. 
Jackson,  who  was  born  April,  1818,  and  mar- 
rietl  Phebe  J.  Mosgrove,  aud  who,  from  1874 
until  his  death  in  April,  1879,  was  judge  of 
Armstrong  county;  Robert,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy; James,  born  in  September,  1822,  mar- 
ried Margaret  A.  Bailey,  aud  is  now  practicing 
law  in  Clarion,  Clarion  county  ;  David  C.  and  a 
twin  brother,  which  died  in  infancy  ;  Cyrus,  born 
in  October,  1826,  married  Mary  (Oswald)  and  is 
a  lawyer;  William,  who  died  in  i  u  fancy ;  and 
Lavina,  born  in  September,  1830,  and  married 
to  Henry  Townsend,  of  South  Bend,  Arm- 
strong county. 

David  C.  Boggs  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  received  a  good  common-school  aud 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


585 


business  education.  He  assisted  his  father  in 
farming  until  he  attained  his  majority,  when  he 
engaged  in  school-teaching,  whicli  he  followed 
for  nine  years,  five  of  them  in  one  school  dis- 
trict. In  1850  he  embarked  in  tiie  mercantile 
business  at  Worthingtou,  but  in  two  years  dis- 
posed of  his  store  to  Peter  Graff,  with  whom  he 
was  employed  as  a  clerk  for  three  years.  In 
1857  he  was  elected  as  register  and  recorder, 
and  clerk  of  the  Orphans'  court  of  Armstrong 
county.  He  so  well  discharged  the  duties  of 
these  offices  that  in  1860  he  was  re-elected  on 
the  democratic  ticket  to  the  same  offices  by  a 
majority  of  thirty-two,  although  Abraham  Lin- 
coln had  a  majority  of  twelve  hundred  in  the 
county  and  Andrew  G.  Curtin  ran  nine  hun- 
dred votes  ahead  of  his  democratic  opponent. 
In  1864,  upon  retiring  from  the  recorder's 
office,  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at 
Kittanning,  which  he  followed  very  successfully 
until  1866,  when  he  purchased  the  Slate  Lick 
farm,  to  whieii  he  removed  his  store.  In  1870 
he  sold  both  store  and  farm  to  George  B.  Sloan 
and  removed  to  near  Clinton,  Armstrong 
county,  where  he  purchased  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land,  which  he  farmed  for  ten 
years  and  then  disposed  (i'880)  of  it  in  oi'der  to 
purchase  his  present  farm  and  "  Bricker's  Mill." 
He  built  a  new  mill,  introduced  the  new  pro- 
cess of  making  flour,  and  erected  on  his  farm 
one  of  the  finest  residences  to  be  found  in  South 
Buffalo  township.  Mr.  Boggs,  Joseph  Britton 
and  F.  W.  McKee,  Esq.,  of  Pittsburgh,  were 
instrumental  in  securing  the  building  of  the 
Rough  Hun  or  Winfield  Branch  R.  R.  through 
South  Buffalo  township.  This  road  is  eight 
miles  in  length  and  runs  from  Monroe  to  Win- 
field. 

On  February  16,  1847,  he  married  Sarah 
Beatty,  daughter  of  David  Beatty,  an  extensive 
farmer  and  mill-owner  of  North  Buffalo  town- 
ship. To  their  union  have  been  born  seven 
.children,  three  sons  and  four  daughters :  Mary 
M.,  born  August  27,  1848,  and  married  to  W. 
30 


B.  Mathews;  S.  Almeda,  born  May  24,  1851, 
the  wife  of  Dr.  A.  D.  Johnson,  of  Allegheny 
city;  David  born  April  20,  1854  and  died  Sep- 
tember 3,  1854;  Jennie  A.,  born  Api-il  22, 
1856,  and  married  Frank  Dickie,  who  is  in  the 
livery  business  at  East  Liverpool,  Ohio;  Wil- 
liam J.,  who  was  born  March  24,  1859  and 
married  Annie  B.  Bricker,  daughter  of  Har- 
vey Bricker,  of  Slate  Lick ;  George  M.,  born 
February  11,  1862,  and  a  carpenter  by  trade; 
and  Emma  B.,  born  January  1,  1868,  and  mar- 
ried to  W.  B.  Ewiug. 

He  was  instrumental  in  having  a  post-office 
established  at  his  place  in  December,  1890,  and 
the  post-office  department  honored  him  by 
naming  it  Boggsville.  David  C.  Boggs  is 
an  uncompromising  democrat,  and  on  January 
22,  1879,  was  appointed  as  bank  assessor  for 
the  counties  of  Armstrong,  Indiana,  Clarion, 
Beaver,  Butler  and  Lawrence.  During  the 
late  civil  war  he  was  unable  to  leave  his  office 
and  business,  but  he  aided  the  Union  cause 
both  by  money  and  influence.  He  raised,  on 
the  court-house,  the  first  flag  around  which  the 
Armstrong  soldiers  rallied  for  the  defence  of 
the  Union. 


SAMUEL  H.  BONEY,  a  man  of  considera- 
ble experience  in  several  important  lines 
of  business  and  now  actively  engaged  in  farming 
in  North  Buffiilo  township,  is  a  son  of  William 
and  Hannah  (Green)  Boney,  and  was  born  near 
Centre  Hill,  in  North  BulTalo  township,  Arm- 
strong county,  Pennsylvania,  February  22, 
1829.  His  family  is  of  English  descent  and 
his  paternal  grandfather,  John  Boney,  was  born 
in  England.  He  came  to  Pennsylvania  and 
settled  on  Stump  Creek,  Clarion  county,  Pa., 
where  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  was  a  whig  in 
politics,  served  as  a  soldier  during  the  war  of  18 1 2 
andwasactiveasamemberof  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal church.  He  married  a  Miss  Doty,  by  whom 


586 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


he  had  nine  children,  four  sons  and  five  daughters; 
Joseph,  William,  John,  James,  Rachel,  Rebec- 
ca, Polly,  Ann  and  Phoebe.  His  son,  William 
Boney,  (father),  was  born  in  Clarion  county, 
February  25, 1799.  He  with  his  father  removed 
to  Armstrong  county  in  1808  and  settled  near 
Centre  Hill,  in  North  Buffalo  township,  where 
he  cleared  out  a  large  farm.  He  was  a  democrat 
in  politics  aud  a  member  of  the  North  Buffalo 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  on  July  15, 
1819,  married  Hannah  Green.  They  were  the 
jiarents  of  seven  children,  three  sous  and  four 
daughters:  Eliza,  born  April  27,  1821,  and 
died  July  19,  1822;  Rebecca,  born  October  15, 
1823 ;  James,  born  June  27,  1826  ;  Samuel  H., 
Margaret,  born  September  24,  1831  ;  Eveline, 
born  March  17,  1837;  and  John,  born  July  24, 
1839,  and  died  July  25,  1839. 

Samuel  H.  Boney  was  reared  on  the  farm,  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education  and  then 
learned  the  trade  of  wagon-maker,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  some  years.  After  leaving  wagon- 
making  he  embarked  in  the  wool  business,  but 
after  a  few  years'  experience  as  a  wool  dealer  he 
turned  his  attention  to  farming,  in  which  helms 
continued  to  the  present  time. 

On  November  18,  1852,  he  married  Marga- 
ret Shankle,  daughter  of  Leonard  Shan- 
kle,  of  Manor  township,  and  to  their 
union  have  been  born  seven  children,  six  sons 
aud  one  daughter;  William,  born  February  7, 
1854,  married  Annie  Stivesou;  Robert,  born 
December  30,  1856,  and  died  Sept.  8,  1864; 
Alvin,  born  December  3, 1858,  and  died  Feb.  6, 
1865;  Leonard,  born  January  5, 1801,  and  died 
Feb.  14,  1865;  Eliza,  born  April  4,  1863,  and 
died  Sept.  4,  1864;  Chambers,  January  9, 1868, 
aud  married  Etta  Mechling;  and  Joseph,  born 
October  26,  1869. 

Samuel  H.  Boney  is  a  republican  in  politics 
and  has  always  been  interested  in  whatever  was 
for  the  weal  of  his  towushii). 


ROBERT  W.  BONEY,  a  prosperous  farmer 
aud  extensive  stock- dealer  of  North  Buf- 
falo township,  is  a  son  of  James  and  Eliza 
(Bowser)  Boney,  and  was  born  in  North  Buffalo 
township,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania, 
September  23,  1855.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, Joseph  Boney,  was  a  native  of  England 
aud  settled  near  Clarion,  Clarion  county,  where 
he  followed  farming  for  some  years.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church 
and  died  in  1832.  He  married  and  had  two 
children,  one  of  whom  was  John  Boney  (grand- 
father), who  was  born  in  Maryland,  and  cauie 
in  1808  to  what  is  now  North  Buffalo  town- 
ship, where  he  purchased  six  huudred  acres  of 
land.  He  had  served  in  the  Indian  frontier 
wars  and  was  of  the  same  religious  faith  as  his 
father.  He  married  Eunice  Doty  and  they 
reared  a  family  of  ten  children  :  Joseph,  Wil- 
liam, Margaret,  Polly,  John,  Rebecca,  Rachel, 
Phebe,  James  R.  and  Annie.  James  R.  Bouey 
(father)  was  born  April  30,  1817.  He  has  al- 
ways followed  farming  and  stock-raising,  in 
which  he  has  been  successful.  He  owns  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  of  good 
land  and  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  churcli.  In 
1837  he  married  Eliza,  daughter  of  John  Bow- 
ser, and  they  have  had  eight  children  :  George, 
David,  Margaret,  Adaliue,  Elizabeth,  John, 
Robert  W.  and  an  infant,  which  died. 

Robert  W.  Boney  grew  to  manhood  on  liis 
father's  farm  and  attended  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  township.  When  he  attaine<l  his 
majority  he  engaged  in  farming,  which  he  has 
followed  ever  since.  Of  late  years  he  has 
dealt  extensively  in  stock,  in  which  line  of  bus- 
iness he  has  had  good  success.  He  has  a  fine 
farm  in  a  favored  section  of  his  township  and 
is  well  known  as  a  man  of  business  ability.  He 
is  a  republican  in  politics,  but  does  not  allow 
his  interest  in  political  afiairs  to  take  much  of 
his  time  or  attention  from  his  farm  or  business. 

On  August  26,  1880,  he  united  in  marriage 
with    Mary    J.    Larden,   daughter  of    Robert 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


587 


Lardea.  To  their  union  have  been  born  six 
children  :  Leona,  born  January  15,  1881  ;  Clair, 
born  March  9,  1882;  Mabel,  born  February  15, 
1884 ;  Lulu,  born  October  4, 1885  ;  Mertie,  born 
May  9,  1887,  and  Roberti,  born  December  4, 
1888. 


VAN  BUREN  BOWSER,  who  has  always 
been  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising, 
is  one  of  the  thrifty,  reliable  and  well-respected 
citizens  of  Xorth  Butfalo  township.  He  is  a 
son  of  Levi  and  Mary  (Bowser)  Bowser,  and 
was  born  in  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania, 
November  13,  1840.  The  Bowsers  are  of  Ger- 
man origin,  and  Adam  Bowser  (grandfather) 
was  born  in  Germany,  and  came  to  Pennsylva- 
nia, where  he  settled  in  East  Franklin  town- 
ship, Armstrong  county,  and  dealt  extensively 
in  stock.  He  was  a  democrat  in  politics  and  a 
member  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  He 
married  and  had  four  children, — one  son  and 
three  daughters.  The  son,  Levi  Bowser  (father), 
was  born  in  East  Franklin  township.  He  was 
a  farmer  by  occupation,  a  democrat  in  politics 
and  a  member  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
until  his  death.  He  married  Mary  Bowser, 
and  reared  a  family  of  five  children, — four  sons 
and  one  daughter :  Van  Bureu,  Felix,  Harri- 
son, Wilson  and  Hannah.  Mrs.  Bowser's 
father,  John  Bowser  (maternal  grandfather), 
was  born  in  Germany.  He  came  to  East 
Franklin  township,  this  county,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  until  his  death. 
He  was  a  whig  in  polities,  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  and  married  Mary 
Rasor,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children, — four 
sons  and  five  daughters. 

Van  Buren  Bowser  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  received  a  common-school  education. 
Leaving  school,  he  embarked  in  farming  and 
stock-raising  in  North  Buffalo  township,  where 
he  owns  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  acres  of  well-improved  land. 


October  2,  1862,  he  married  Sarah  C.  Cham- 
bers, who  is  a  daughter  of  James  Chambers,  of 
Jefferson  county,  aud  was  born  March  17, 
1839.  To  their  union  have  been  born  twelve 
children,  of  whom  seven  died  in  infancy.  Their 
surviving  children  are, — Charles  W.,  born  De- 
cember 25,  1 864 ;  James  A.,  born  February 
24,  1866;  Albert  E.,  born  November  25,  1872; 
Mary  M.,  born  May  9,  1875,  and  Van  Buren, 
Jr.,  born  July  22,  1881. 

In  politics  Mr.  Bowser  is  a  democrat,  has 
held  various  township  offices,  and  has  always 
given  a  hearty  support  to  his  party.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Labor  at  Kittan- 
ning,  believes  in  the  principles  of  that  order  as 
being  beneficial  to  the  interests  of  the  agricul- 
tural and  laboring  classes,  and  is  known  as  a 
careful  farmer  and  a  good  citizen. 


JACOB  BOWSER,  a  large  landholder  and 
one  of  the  substantial  farmers  and  reliable 
citizens  of  North  Buffalo  township,  is  a  son  of 
Davi<l  and  Mary  (Ra.sor)  Bowser,  and  was  born 
in  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  March  2, 
1818.  David  Bowser  was  born  in  Bedford 
county.  Pa.,  1788,  and  removed  to  Armstrong 
county  about  1800,  where  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  his  death,  which  occurred  September 
27,  1860,  when  he  was  seventy-two  years  of 
age.  He  was  a  democrat  iu  politics,  a  member 
of  the  German  Baptist  Brethren  church,  and 
married  Mary  Rasor.  To  their  union  were 
born  nine  children, — four  sons  and  five  daugh- 
ters :  Adalaine  (Walker),  Jacob,  Frederick, 
William,  David,  Margaret  (Boucher),  Mary  A. 
(deceased),  Elsie  (Boucher)  aud  Lydia.  Mrs. 
Bowser  died  August  27,  1870,  and  her  father 
was  one  of  Washington's  soldiers  during  the 
Revolutionary  war. 

Jacob  Bowser  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  attended  the  subscription  schools  of  that 
period,  and  has  devoted  his  whole  life  to  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising.     He  owns  nine  hundred 


588 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


and  forty-five  acres  of  land  in  North  Buifalo 
township,  which  he  has  given  to  his  cliiklren. 

On  April  5,  1840,  he  married  Margaret 
Claypool,  daughter  of  David  Claypool,  and  to 
their  union  have  been  born  seven  children, — 
three  sons  and  four  daughters :  David,  born 
January  21,  1841,  and  died  in  1850;  William, 
born  March  30,  1842,  and  married  Margaret 
Bowser;  Mary,  born  May  23,  1845,  and  now 
dead;  Francis,  who  was  born  August  24,  1847, 
and  married  Sadie  Shearer ;  IMargaret,  born 
March  22,  1851,  and  died  in  1851  ;  Lydia, 
born  September  26,  1855,  and  the  wife  of  Ed- 
ward Bowser,  and  Isabelle,  who  was  born  May 
30,  1858,  and  married  Emanuel  Bowser. 

In  politics  Mr.  Bowser  is  a  stanch  democrat, 
and  has  been  elected  by  his  party  to  various 
township  offices.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Gei*- 
man  Baptist  Brethren  church.  Mr.  Bowser 
has  always  given  most  of  his  attention  to  his 
farm  and  business,  although  not  unmindful  of 
the  true  interests  and  prosperity  of  his  commu- 
nity and  township.  He  has  been  successful  in 
farming,  and  is  highly  respected  both  as  a 
business  man  and  a  citizen. 


DAVID  BOWSER,  a  descendant  of  one 
of  the  early  settled  families  of  North 
Buffalo  township,  and  an  industrious  and  suc- 
cessful farmer,  is  a  son  of  David  and  Mary 
(Rasor)  Bowser,  and  was  born  in  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania,  May  9,  1824.  His 
paternal  ancestors  were  of  German  origin  and 
his  father,  David  Bowser,  was  a  member  of 
that  branch  of  the  family  which  settled  in  Bed- 
ford county.  David  Bowser  left  the  comforts 
and  enjoyments  of  his  eastern  home  about  the 
opening  year  of  the  present  century,  and  came 
to  Armstrong  county,  where  he  grew  to  man- 
hood under  the  many  privations  of  the  early 
settlers  in  a  section  of  country  that  was  then  in 
woods.  He  was  a  successful  farmer,  a  democrat 
in  politics  and  a  member  of  the  German  Baptist 


Brethren  church.  He  married  Mray  Rasor  and 
had  four  sons  and  five  daughters  :  Dalena, 
Jacob,  Frederick,  William,  David,  Margaret, 
Mary  A.,  Elsie  and  Lydia.  He  was  born  in 
1788,  and  died  August  27,  1860. 

William  Bowser  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  attended  the  subscription  schools  of  that 
period  and  then  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits, which  he  has  followed  ever  since.  He 
owns  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  of  well- 
improved  land  which  he  keeps  in  a  good  state 
of  cultivation. 

On  May  17,  1858,  he  married  Elizabeth 
Roudebush,  a  daughter  of  John  Roudebush, 
who  removed  in  1837  from  Bedford  county  to 
North  Buffalo  township. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Bowser  is  a  democrat.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  German  Baptist  church  at 
Centre  Hill,  and  has  always  been  a  man  who 
has  strictly  attended  to  his  own  affairs. 


JOHN  F.  BROWN,  one  of  the  leading 
farmers  of  West  Franklin  township  and 
the  historian  of  West  Glade  Run  Presbyterian 
church,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Craig) 
Brown,  and  was  born  in  Franklin  township, 
Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  April  10, 
1840.  John  Brown,  Sr.  (grandfather),  was  a 
native  of  county  Down,  Ireland,  came  to  Penn- 
sylvania and  settled  in  Westmoreland  county, 
near  New  Alexandria.  In  1804  he  removed 
to  Armstrong  county,  where  he  purchased  a 
farm  which  he  cultivated  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1835,  when  he  was  in  the 
seventy-sixth  year  of  his  age.  In  1798  he  mar- 
ried Catharine  Foster,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who 
was  brought  to  the  United  States  by  her  parents 
when  a  young  girl.  One  of  their  sons,  John 
Brown  (father),  was  born  in  1807,  in  Sugar 
Creek  township,  this  county.  He  has  always 
followed  farming,  in  which  he  has  been  suc- 
cessful,   and    now    resides    two   miles    west  of 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


589 


Kittanning,  on  the  Butler  and  Kittanuing 
road.  He  was  au  old-line  whig,  is  now 
a  republican  and  has  served  as  school  director 
and  overseer  of  the  poor  of  his  township.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  old  school  Presbyterian 
church,  and  married  Elizabeth  Craig,  who  was 
born  in  1810,  at  Craigsville,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Mrs.  Brown's 
grandfather,  Capt.  John  Craig  (maternal  great- 
grandfather), was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  and 
was  brought  to  Westmoreland  county  when 
young.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the  border 
wars  with  the  Indians,  and  was  captain  for  some 
time  at  a  block-house  erected  on  the  present 
site  of  Freeport.  He  afterwards,  in  1797,  re- 
moved to  this  county  and  purchased  a  large 
farm,  near  Freeport.  He  was  a  noted  man 
in  his  day,  and  was  one  of  the  commissioners 
who  located  the  county-seat.  He  died  in  1860, 
when  he  was  nearly  one  hundred  years  of  age. 
His  son,  Samuel  Craig  (maternal  grandfather), 
was  a  fuller  by  trade  and  came  to  Craigsville, 
where  he  started  the  first  fulling-mill  of  Arm- 
strong county.  In  1825  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, whicii  he  followed  until  1865,  when  he  died 
at  eighty-five  years  of  age. 

John  F.  Brown  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  after  receiving  a  common-school 
education,  taught  two  terms  of  four  months 
each.  He  then  turned  his  attention  to  farming, 
which  he  has  followed  ever  since.  He  now 
owns  a  farm  of  ninety-eight  acres  of  well- 
cultivated  land,  on  which  is  planted  a  large 
orchard  of  fine  fruit  trees.  This  farm  is  sit- 
uateil  one  and  one-half  miles  from  Worthing- 
ton.  In  September,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  the 
Union  army  as  an  "  emergency  man "  and 
served  out  his  term  of  enlistment. 

March  20,  1862,  he  married  Elizabeth 
McClelland,  daughter  of  John  McClelland,  of 
Worthington,  and  to  their  union  have  been 
born  ten  children,  of  whom  four  sons  and 
three  daughters  are  living  :  William  McCay,  a 
farmer    and    carpenter   in   Wisconsin ;  James 


Harvey,    John  F.,    Jr.,    Charles,    Sarah    F., 
Esther  J.,  and  Nora  B. 

John  F.  Brown  is  one  of  West  Franklin 
township's  best  farmers,  and  is  highly  esteemed 
in  the  West  Glade  Run  Presbyterian  church, 
of  which  he  has  been  a  riding  elder  for  twenty- 
two  years.  He  has  also  been  clerk  of  the  ses- 
sions of  the  church  since  July  5,  1879.  In 
1888  he  was  elected  historian  of  West  Glade 
Run  church,  and  prepared  an  excellent  history 
of  his  church  and  congregation.  He  is  a  re- 
publican, has  served  as  school  director  for  seven 
years,  was  president  of  the  school  board  for  five 
years,  and  has  acted  as  overseer  of  the  poor. 
When  West  Franklin  towushij)  was  formed,  he 
was  elected  as  one  of  the  first  auditors.  Mr. 
Brown  has  always  been  satisfied  with  the  in- 
ducements which  his  own  township  offers  for 
farming  and  has  never  sought  elsewhere  to 
better  his  fortunes. 


DAVID  H.  CLAYPOOLE,  a  worthy  de- 
scendant of  an  old  pioneer  family  of  Arm- 
strong county  and  a  respected  resident  of  North 
Buffalo  township,  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Sarah 
(Campbell)  Claypoole,  and  was  born  in  Arm- 
strong county,  Pennsylvania,  May  15,  1811. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  James  Claypoole,  was 
born  in  England  and  came  to  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  settled  in  Kittanning  township,  this 
county,  from  which  he  was  driven  by  the  In- 
dians. He  was  a  farmer,  married  and  had 
eitrht  children.  One  of  his  sons  was  Samuel 
Claypoole,  the  father  of  David  H.  Claypoole. 
He  was  a  farmer  by  occupatit)u,  a  republican  in 
politics,  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church  and 
married  Sarah  Campbell.  They  had  nine  chil- 
dren, eight  sons  and  one  daughter :  John, 
James,  Samuel,  David  H.,  Jo,seph,  William, 
George,  Levi  and  Isabelle. 

David  H.  Claypoole  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  received  what  few  educational  advan- 
tages were  offered  by  the  subscription  schools 


590 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


of  that  period.  Reared  on  a  farm  and  trained  to 
farming,  he  ha.s  always  followed  that  business. 
He  owns  a  good  farm  of  ninety-five  acres  of 
well-improved  land  in  North  Buffalo  township. 

In  1833  he  married  Sarah  Hiekey,  daughter 
of  William  and  Ellen  Hiekey,  of  Bedford 
county.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Claypoole  have  been 
born  seven  children,  four  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters: John  H.,  who  was  born  June  9,1834,  and 
married  Mary  Shearer  ;  Samuel,  born  June  28, 
1837,  enlisted  in  62d  regiment,  Pa.  Vols.,  and 
^vas  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor  May 
6,  and  died  in  Washington  City  August  4, 1864; 
Henry,  who  was  born  November  9,  1839,  served 
three  years  in  the  78th  Pa.  Vols.,  was  wounded 
December  31, 1862,  at  the  battle  of  Stone  River, 
married  Margaret  Boner  and  is  now  engaged  in 
farming  ;  Eliza,  born  May  28, 1842,  and  wife  of 
George  Bowser,  a  farmer  ;  Wilson  L.,  born  April 
3,  1844;  Hannah  J.,  who  was  born  February 
23,  1847,  married  to  Harvey  Bowser,  and  died 
February  20  1873;  and  Sarah  Matilda,  who  was 
born  July  6,  1855,  and  died  February  6,  1883. 

David  H.  Claypoole  has  been  a  republican 
ever  since  the  organization  of  that  party  and  has 
never  wavered  in  his  support  of  the  prineiples 
and  policy  of  the  Republican  party.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Franklin 
Union  and  has  never  sought  for  any  office 
within  the  gift  of  his  party  or  church.  The 
results  of  his  years  of  toil  and  labor  are  to  be 
seen  in  the  highly  improved  condition  of  his 
farm,  which  is  very  productive. 


DAVID  D.  CLAYPOLE.  One  of  the 
many  comfortably  situated  and  prosperous 
fUrmers  of  South  Buffalo  township  is  David 
D.  Claypole.  He  is  a  .son  of  David  and  Eliza- 
beth (Clayijole)  Claypole,  and  was  born  about  a 
mile  from  Worthington,  in  East  Franklin 
township,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania, 
March  11,  1818.  David  Claypole  came  to  Kit- 
tanning  while  the  Indians  still  had  their  hunt- 


ing-grounds in  the  vicinity  of  that  place.  He 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  church,  and  an  old-time  democrat  of  the 
Jeffersonian  type.  He  married  Elizabeth  Clay- 
pole, daughter  of  Samuel  Claypole,  of  East 
Franklin  township,  and  to  their  union  were  born 
ten  children,  seven  sons  and  three  daughters  : 
Joseph,  Isabella,  Robert,  Jane,  Margarel,  Hez- 
ekiah,  William,  James,  David  D.  and  Samuel. 

David  D.  Claypole  grew  to  manhood  on  the 
home  farm,  attended  the  early  subscription 
schools  of  his  native  township,  and  at  the  end  of 
his  school  days  engaged  in  farming,  which  he 
has  followed  successfully  ever  since. 

He  married  Mary  Campbell,  and  they  have 
had  seven  cliildren,  three  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters :  Nancy  J.,  who  was  born  November  5, 
1838,  and  married  to  George  Davis  and  after 
his  death  to  James  Shearer;  Joiin  C,  born  Au- 
gust 11,  1840,  and  died  in  the  Union  army 
during  the  late  civil  war ;  Mary  C,  born  June 
22,  1842,  and  wife  of  Jacob  Householder; 
Margaret  A.,  born  January  16,  1845 ;  Esther 
E.,  born  July  10,  1848,  and  married  to  John 
Claypole;  and  Joseph  C,  born  June  1,1851. 
INlrs.  Claypole  died  November  8,  1854,  and 
Mr.  Claypole  married  for  his  second  wife,  Eliza- 
beth Boalmau.  To  this  second  union  were  born 
four  children,  one  son  and  three  daughters : 
Lottie,  born  March  26, 1859  ;  Bothnia  E.,  born 
April  23, 1860,  and  married  to  Cromwell  Clay- 
pole; Mary  Caroline,  born  December  24, 1861, 
the  wife  of  James  Claypole ;  and  Milton  B., 
who  was  born  March  12,  1865.  Mrs.  Eliza- 
beth (Boalman)  Claypole  died  November  22, 
1866,  and  Mr.  Claypole  afterwards  married 
Sarah  Geary,  who  died  in  1887. 

Mr.  Claypole  is  a  democrat,  a  good  farmer, 
and  stands  well  as  a  citizen  wherever  he  is  known. 


HENRY  CLAYPOOL,  an  industrious  and 
prosperous  farmer  of  West  Franklin  town- 
ship and  a  lineal  descendant  of  the  Claypool 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


591 


who  was  the  first  white  settler  at  Kittanning,  is 
a  son  of  David  and  Sarah  (Hickey)  Claypooi, 
and  was  born  in  West  Franklin  township,  Arm- 
strong county,  Pennsylvania,  November  9, 1839. 
His  great-grandfather  Claypooi  was  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Armstrong  county.  He  located 
on  the  site  of  Kittanning,  from  whence  he  was 
driven  away  by  the  Indians,  but  afterwards  re- 
turned. His  son,  Samuel  Claypooi  (grandfather), 
was  a  boy  when  he  came  with  his  father  to  this 
country.  His  son,  David  Claypooi  (father), 
was  born  in  1811,  and  followed  farming  in 
North  Buffalo  township  for  many  years.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  a  repub- 
lican politically.  He  married  Sarah  Hickey, 
who  was  born  in  1816  and  is  a  member  of  the 
same  church  as  her  husband. 

Henry  Claypooi  grew  up  to  manhood  on  his 
father's  farm  and  attended  the  public  schools  of 
West  Franklin  township.  In  1861  he  enlisted 
in  Co.  K,  78th  regiment.  Pa.  Vols.,  as  a  private 
and  served  more  than  three  years.  He  partici- 
pated in  all  the  principal  skirmishes  and  battles 
in  which  his  regiment  was  engaged.  In  De- 
cember, 1862,  he  was  wounded  in  the  left  leg 
by  a  minie  ball  at  the  battle  of  Murfreesboro', 
Tenn.  In  1865  he  returned  home  and  spent 
the  next  year  in  the  oil  region.  He  then  re- 
turned to  his  native  township,  in  which  he  has 
been  engaged  in  farming  ever  since.  He  now 
owns  a  well-improved  farm  of  seventy  acres, 
which  is  underlaid  by  a  heavy  vein  of  coal. 

In  1867  he  married  Margaret  E.  Bonner, 
daughter  of  John  Bonner,  of  this  county.  They 
have  four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters: 
Addie  C,  Marinda  B.,  Jerry  and  Earl. 

In  politics,  Henry  Claypooi  is  a  strict  ad- 
herent to  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party 
and  has  been  twice  elected  as  school  director  and 
road  supervisor  of  West  Franklin  township. 
As  a  township  officer,  Mr.  Claypooi  has  always 
given  satisfaction  to  the  public  and  as  a  citizen 
is  highly  esteemed  by  his  neighbors. 


■pOBERT  W.  COWAN.  The  Cowan  family 
-^^  of  this  county,  on  the  paternal  side,  is  of 
Irish  extraction,  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
is  a  son  of  James  and  Sarah  (Portcrficld)  Cowan, 
and  was  born  in  North  Buffalo  township,  Arm- 
strong county,  Pennsylvania,  November  11, 
1844.  His  paternal  grandfather,  John  Cowan, 
was  born  in  county  Down,  Irehmd,  and  settled 
in  1802  at  Cowan's,  Armstrong  county.  He  was 
a  farmer  by  occupation,  a  democrat  in  politics 
and  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church.  He  had  a  family  of  nine  children,  four 
sons  and  five  daughters,  one  of  whom,  James 
(^owan  (father),  was  born  April  14,  1806,  in 
Armstrong  county,  where  he  always  resided. 
He  followed  farming  and  was  a  republican  in 
politics,  while  prior  to  that  party's  organization 
he  was  an  old-line  whig.  He  was  honored  by 
his  party,  at  different  times,  with  an  election  to 
every  one  of  the  township  offices.  During  the 
late  civil  war  he  was  an  "enrolliut;  officer." 
He  was  a  Presbyterian  and  one  of  the  trustees 
of  the  church  of  that  denomination  at  Kittan- 
ning until  his  death,  which  occurred  October  11, 
1867,  when  he  was  in  the  sixty-second  year  of 
his  age.  On  June  11,  1833,  he  married  Sarah 
Porlerfield,  and  to  their  union  were  born  eight 
children,  four  sons  and  four  daughters :  John, 
born  in  1834;  James  C,  born  in  1835;  Samuel 
was  born  in  1837,  enlisted  in  Co.  H,  8th 
regiment,  Pa.  Reserves,  was  taken  prisoner  at 
the  Weldon  railroad  and  sent  to  Libby  prison, 
then  to  Belle  Isle  and  finally  to  Salisbury,  where 
lie  died  ;  Nancy  J.,  born  in  1839  ;  Alvira,  born 
in  1841  ;  Robert  W.,  Rosauna,  born  in  1846; 
and  Sarah,  who  was  born  in  1848. 

Robert  W.  Cowan  remained  with  his  parents 
until  he  attained  his  majority.  He  received  a 
common  school  education  and  has  been  engaged 
in  farming  ever  since  leaving  school. 

On  January  6,  1870,  he  married  Emeline  L. 
Anderson,  daughter  of  Henry  Anderson.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cowan  have  been  born  five 
children,  three  sons  and  two  daughters  :  James 


592 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


P.,  born  July  6,  1872 ;  Rose  A.,  born  May  12, 
1875;  Henry  A.,  born  December  15,1877; 
Robert  E.,  born  June  20,  1880;  and  Mary  T. 
R.,  born  January  1,  1886. 

Robert  W.  Cowan  is  a  republican  in  politics 
and  a  stanch  advocate  of  temperance.  He  is  a 
Presbyterian  and  during  the  last  five  years  has 
been  an  elder  in  the  First  Presbyterian  church 
at  Kittanning. 


JAMES  EASLEY,  a  democrat  of  the  Jack- 
souian  type,  and  an  active  and  intelligent 
citizen  of  North  Buffalo  township,  is  a  son  of 
Andrew  and  Elizabeth  (Coon)  Easley  and  was 
born  in  North  Buffalo  township,  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania,  May  1,  1815.  Andrew 
Easley  was  a  native  of  Westmoreland  county 
and  came  about  the  beginning  of  the  jjresent 
century  to  what  is  now  North  Buffido  township, 
where  he  purchased  about  two  hundred  acres  of 
land  and  followed  farming.  He  livetl  to  reach 
the  three-score  and  ten  years  of  man's  allotted 
age,  and  died  in  the  faith  of  the  Catholic  church, 
of  which  he  had  been  an  exemplary  member 
during  his  entire  life.  He  well  sustained  the 
record  of  honest  industry  left  by  his  forefathers 
in  this  country  and  of  his  remote  ancestors  in 
what  is  now  the  great  German  empire.  He  was 
active  in  business,  warm  in  his  friendship  and 
reliable  in  his  business  transactions.  He  was  a 
democrat  in  politics,  and  married  Elizabeth 
Coon,  who  was  born  in  the  far-famed  Cumber- 
land Valley  of  Pennsylvania.  They  had  seven- 
teen children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
is  the  eighth  in  order  of  age. 

James  Easley  passed  his  boyhood  days  on  his 
father's  farm  and  grew  up  to  manhood  amid  the 
daily  incidents  of  farm  life  and  in  the  commu- 
nity in  which  he  has  always  resided.  His  educa- 
tional privileges  were  confined  to  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  township,  which  heattended, 
but  the  close  of  his  school-days  was  not  the 
liorizon  boundary  of  his  education.     The  rudi- 


mentary knowledge  of  Ihe  common  schools  en- 
abled him  to  prosecute  his  studies  after  leaving 
the  school-room,  and  by  continued  reading  and 
close  observation  he  has  become  well-informed 
on  all  the  current  issues  of  the  day  as  well  as 
upon  all  matters  of  general  interest.  Leaving 
school,  he  engaged  in  farming,  which  he  has  fol- 
lowed with  good  success  ever  since.  He  owns 
three  very  good  and  well-improved  farms  aggre- 
gating three  hundred  and  forty-five  acres,  and 
in  addition  to  farming  raises  some  very  fine 
stock. 

May  7,  1840,  he  married  Elizabeth  Miller, 
a  native  of  Westmoreland  county,  and  their 
union  has  been  blest  with  eleven  children,  eight 
sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  five  are  liv- 
ing, namely  :  Gabriel  F.,  Margaret  E.,  John 
C. ,  Michael  S.  and  James  V. 

James  Easley  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
church  at  Kittanning.  He  is  a  democrat  in 
politics,  and  while  not  a  demagogue,  yet  is  in 
favor  of  an  earnest  and  aggressive  policy  on  the 
part  of  the  Democratic  party.  He  is  recognized 
as  one  of  the  enterprising  and  public-spirited 
men  of  his  township. 


pASPER  W.  EASLEY,  one  of  the  oldest 
^  and  most  highly-resjjected  citizens  of  North 
Buffalo  township  and  Armstrong  county,  is  a 
son  of  Casper  W.,  Sr.,  and  Elizabeth  (Rufner) 
Easley,  and  was  born  in  North  Buffalo  town- 
ship, Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  Febru- 
ary 16,  1804.  Casper  W.  Easley,  Sr.  (grand- 
father), was  born  near  Greensburg,  Westmore- 
land county,  in  April,  1760,  and  settled  in  1796 
upon  the  farm  now  owned  by  his  grandsons  in 
North  Buffalo  township.  He  died  in  1829, 
aged  si.xty-nine  years. 

Casper  W.  Easley  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  received  a  good  practical  business  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  his  neighborhood.  Up- 
on attaining  his  majority,  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing,   which  he  followed  until  1882.      At  his 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


593 


father's  death  he  came  into  possession  of  a  fine 
farm  of  two  hundred  and  fifteen  acres,  which 
he  carefully  improved  and   farmal   until  1882,  ' 
when  he  gave  it  to  his  sons,  William,  Archy 
and  Frank  Easley.  j 

On  January  17,  1830,  Mr.  Easley  united  in 
marriage  with  Eleanor  Black,  daughter  of  Archy 
Black,  of  Butler  county.  Pa.  To  them  iiave 
been  born  eight  children:  Mary  E. ,b()rti  Janu- 
ary 31,  1832,  wife  of  James  McGirk  ;  James, 
born  June  22,  1835,  died  July  27,  1858;  Wil- 
liam, born  May  28,  1837,  married  to  Nancy 
McCartney;  Archy,  born  July  16,  1844,  mar- 
ried Ellen  Ilartnct;  John,  born  June  9,  1848, 
married  Annie  Swaney;  Maggie,  born  March 
27,  1842,  wife  of  Henry  McElroy  ;  Alice,  born 
January  7,  1840,  wife  of  Michael  Kelly,  and 
Frank,  born  August  24,  1856,  at  home. 

Casper  W.  Easlej'  is  a  democrat  of  the  old 
school,  and  has  never  in  a  single  instance 
swerved  from  his  allegiance  to  his  party.  He' 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Guardian  Angel 
Catholic  church  for  nearly  three-quarters  of  a 
century.  Although  never  asking  for  any  office, 
yet  he  has  been  elected  by  his  fellow-citizens  to 
all  of  his  township  offices.  No  man  stands 
higher  in  the  regard  of  his  neighbors  than 
Casper  W.  Easley.  He  has  always  been  an  ac 
live  man,  and  even  now  at  his  advanced  age  of 
eighty-seven  years  walks  perfectly  erect,  and 
with  an  elastic  step  that  would  do  credit  to  one 
fifty  years  his  junior  in  age. 


MARTIN  GAISER,  a  substantial  farmer  of 
West  Franklin  township,  and  the  archi- 
tect of  his  own  fortune,  is  a  son  of  Ludwig  and 
Dorothea  (Dieterly)  Gaiser,  and  was  born  in 
the  kingdom  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  April 
14,  1834.  Ludwig  Gaiser  (father)  was  born  in 
the  same  kingdom,  in  1804,  and  learned  the 
trade  of  shoemaker,  which  he  followed  until 
1846,  when  he  came  to  Bellefonte,  Centre 
county,  Pennsylvania.     After  remaining  there 


one  year  he  removed  to  Worthington,  this 
township,  where  he  followed  shoeraaking  for 
two  years,  and  then  (1848),  purchased  the  farm 
in  West  Franklin  township,  on  which  he  now 
resides.  Since  removing  to  his  farm  he  has 
given  his  entire  attention  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits. He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church 
and  has  been  a  stanch  democrat  ever  since 
coming  to  the  United  States.  He  married 
Dorothea  Dieterly,  a  consistent  lutheran,  who 
was  born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  in  1817, 
and  passed  away  in  1878,  when  in  the  seventy- 
second  year  of  her  age. 

Martin  Gaiser  received  his  education  in  the 
practical  and  excellent  schools  of  Germany. 
He  came  with  his  father,  in  1846,  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  in  1862  he  went  to  Oil  City,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  teaming  for  four  years.  In 
1866  he  returned  to  West  Franklin  township, 
where  he  purchased  the  farm  on  which  he  now 
resides.  This  farm  contains  one  hundred  and 
fifty-six  acres,  and  is  in  good  condition  and 
well  improved.  He  also  owns  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  forty  acres  in  South  Buffalo  town- 
ship. 

In  1855  he  married  Catherine  Zobelein,  a 
daughter  of  George  Zobelein,  of  Bavaria,  Ger- 
many, and  to  their  union  have  been  born  eleven 
children,  eight  sons  and  three  daughters  : 
George,  John  L.,  William,  Conrad,  Dora,  Mag- 
gie, Bismark,  Jacob,  Franklin,  Sarah  and 
Elma. 

Martin  Gaiser  is  a  deacon  in  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  church,  a  democrat  in  politics  and 
has  twice  been  elected  as  township  supervisor. 
Mr.  Gaiser  in  early  life  did  not,  like  Micaw- 
ber,  wait  for  something  to  turn  up,  but  went  to 
work  with  a  will,  and  in  a  few  years,  by  his 
own  effijrts,  achieved  substantial  success. 


PETER  GRAFF,  without  whose  biography 
the  history  of  Armstrong  county  would 
be  incomplete,  was  one  of  the  leading  and  most 


594 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


prominent  business  men  of  Pittsburgh  and  the 
Allegheny  Valley  for  over  half  a  century.  He 
was  highly  esteemed  for  his  sound  business 
principles  and  inflexible  integrity,  was  a  son  of 
John  and  Barbara  Graff  (nee  Baum),  and  was 
born  near  Pleasant  Unity,  Westmoreland  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  May  27,  1808.  The  ances- 
tral history  of  the  Graff  family  is  to  be  traced 
back  in  the  history  of  the  great  German  empire 
for  three  hundred  years.  In  the  sixteenth 
century  the  Graff  family  had  become  resident 
at  Grafenauer  near  Manheim.  Grafenauer  was 
a  word  of  which  the  first  part,  Graf,  signified  a 
title  of  nobility,  while  the  latter  denoted  a  cas- 
tle, hence  Grafenauer  meant  Graff's  castle. 
John  Graff  (father)  was  born  at  Neuwied,  Ger- 
many, April  15, 1763.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1783  and  settling  in  Westmoreland 
county,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  and  lived 
until  his  dealh  which  occurred  December  31, 
1818.  He  married  Barbara  Baum,  who  was 
born  in  Path  Valley,  Huntingdon  county,  in 
1775  and  died  at  her  Westmoreland  county 
home  in  1841.  The  word  Baum  means  tree, 
and  her  family  was  rightly  named  as  every 
member  of  it  possessed  great  strength.  She 
was  captured  by  the  Indians  during  her  father's 
residence  in  the  Valley,  and  was  released  by  an 
old  Indian  who  had  received  kindness  from  the 
family  when  in  a  starving  condition.  To  John 
and  Barbara  Graft'  were  born  eight  sons  and 
four  daughters:  Henry,  Mary,  wife  of  Jacob 
Lose;  Sarah,  who  married  Daniel  Barnes; 
Margaret,  wife  of  John  Colleasure;  William, 
John,  Joseph,  Elizabeth,  wife  of  John  Arm- 
strong ;  Peter,  Jacob,  Matthew  and  Paul. 

Peter  Graff"  grew  to  manhood  near  Pleasant 
Unity,  in  Westmoreland  county.  His  educa- 
tion was  limited.  One  of  his  teachers  was  the 
father  of  the  late  Gov.  Geary.  His  first  em- 
ployment was  as  a  clerk  for  his  brother  Henry, 
at  Pleasant  Unity,  and  afterwards  at  New 
Derry,  Pa.  In  1830,  he  removed  to  Blairs- 
ville,  Indiana  county,  where  he  with  his  broth- 


er Henry  formed  a  partnership  in  the  general 
mercantile  business  under  the  firm  name  of  H. 
&  P.  Graff,  doing  a  large  and  successful  busi- 
ness, liater  they  formed  a  connection  with  the 
firm  of  E.  G.  Dutilh  &  Co.,  commission  mer- 
chants of  Philadelphia,  for  the  purpose  of 
transporting  merchandise  from  Philadelphia 
west,  by  the  Pennsylvania  canal  and  State 
railroad.  It  was  called  the  Union  Transporta- 
tion Line.  In  1836  he  moved  to  Pittsburgh 
and  took  charge  of  receiving  and  forwarding 
the  merchandise.  Several  years  later  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  Jacob  Painter  and  Reuben 
Bughman,  and  engaged  in  the  wholesale  grocery 
business.  This  firm  soon  enlarged  its  field  of 
operations  so  as  to  include  the  manufacture  of 
iron.  They  obtained  control  of  Buffalo  fur- 
nace near  Worthington,  and  Mr.  Graff  moved 
there  in  1844,  to  assume  the  management  of 
their  extensive  iron  business.  They  increased 
their  iron  interests  until  they  operated  furnaces 
in  Clarion  and  Venango  counties,  besides  man- 
ufacturing axes,  etc.,  in  Pittsburgh.  This  firm 
continued  until  1864,  although  Mr.  Graft'  had 
become  sole  owner  of  Buffalo  furnace,  and  oper- 
ated it  untill865.  During  that  year  the  Buf- 
falo Woolen  mills  were  erected  for  the  manu- 
facturing of  woolen  fabrics.  Isaac  Firth  and 
Mr.  Graff  formed  a  partnership  that  lasted  for 
twenty  years.  In  1885,  Mr.  Firth  retired,  and 
the  firm  of  Peter  Graff"  &  Co.  was  organized 
which  continued  until  his  death,  since  which 
time  the  mills  have  been  operated  by  E.  D. 
Graff",  J.  Frank  Graff"  and  James  E.  Claypoole, 
under  the  old  firm  name  of  Peter  Graff  &  Co. 
January  25,  1830,  Peter  Graff"  married  Susan 
Lobingier,  a  daughter  of  Christopher  Lobing- 
ier,  living  near  Mt.  Pleasant,  Pa.,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  widely-extended  Lobingier  family, 
that  has  furnished  honorable  legislators  and  able 
jurists,  reflecting  credit  to  western  Pennsyl- 
vania. Her  great-grandfather,  Christopher 
Lobingier,  came  from  AVittenberg,  Germany, 
prior  to  1735,  and  his  son,  Hon.  Christopher, 


n 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


597 


was  the  father  of  Christopher,  who  was  the 
father  of  Mrs.  Graff.  Peter  and  Susan  Graff 
had  eleven  children,  seven  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters. Of  these,  one  son  and  two  daughters  died 
in  early  childhood.  One  son,  Dr.  Charles  H., 
died  in  September,  1887,  iu  the  prime  of  life, 
and  in  the  midst  of  his  usefulness.  Seven  chil- 
dren, five  sons  and  two  daughters  with  his  wife 
survive  him.  Joseph,  his  eldest  son,  lives  at 
Manorville ;  Mrs.  W.  H.  Kirkpatrick,  in  Alle- 
gheny city;  Mrs.  C.  B.  Ijiuton,  Clifton  Springs, 
N.  Y. ;  Edmund  D.  and  J.  Frank,  at  Buffalo 
Woolen  mills;  Philip  M.,  at  Duluth,  Miune- 
.sota;  and  Peter,  at  Utica,  N.  Y. 

Peter  Graff  was  a  leading  democrat,  and  an 
influential  member  of  the  Lutheran  church. 
He  was  a  man  of  strong  constitution,  and  had 
great  powers  of  endurance.  Kt  eighty  years  of 
age  he  was  as  active  in  business  as  many  men 
twenty-five  years  younger.  December  1,  1889, 
he  had  a  stroke  of  apoplexy,  from  which  he  ral- 
lied. Another  followed  the  27th  of  March, 
terminating  his  life  April  9,  1890.  His  fun- 
eral was  the  largest  ever  witnessed  in  the  com- 
munity, and  his  remains  were  entombed  with 
appropriate  ceremonies  in  the  Lutheran  ceme- 
tery. From  the  funeral  sermon,  preached  by 
his  pastor.  Rev.  J.  W.  Schwartz,  II  Samuel, 
.3:38,  and  the  king  said  unto  his  servants, 
know  ye  not  that  there  is  a  prince  and  a  great 
man  fallen  this  day  in  Israel,  we  extract  the 
following:  "His  moral  character  has  always 
been  above  reproach.  In  his  dealings  with 
men,  he  was  at  all  times  reliable.  In  financial 
affairs,  there  never  was  a  time  that  his  word 
was  not  as  good  as  his  bond.  For  over  fifty 
years  he  had  been  actively  engaged  in  Christian 
work.  Ever  since  I  have  known  him,  he  has 
been  one  of  the  elders  of  our  church,  and 
nearly  all  of  that  time  he  was  superintendent 
of  our  Sabbat  h-.'jchool."  The  Kittanuing 
Standard  gave  a  full  account  of  his  life,  in 
which  it  said :  "  His  Christian  character  was  a 
prominent  trait.     He  was  devoted  to  the  Luth- 


eran church,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  the 
building  recently  erected  in  Worthington,  is  a 
monument  of  his  zeal  and  liberality."  The 
Kittanning  Globe  speaking  of  his  death  said  : 
"He  was  'prominent'  among  the  generation  of 
men  now  rapidly  passing  away,  and  in  the 
course  of  more  than  half  a  century  of  active 
business  life,  was  so  largely  identified  with  the 
hi.story  and  business  prosperity  of  the  region  in 
which  he  lived,  that  his  lieath  will  be  the  sul)- 
ject  of  deep  and  sincere  regret.  He  was  a  pio- 
neer among  the  material  beginnings  of  our 
prosperity,  while  he  so  largely  helped  in  build- 
ing the  foundations  of  the  industrial  enterprises, 
with  which  his  foresight  and  business  skill  were 
identified,  he  has  built  as  well  a  record  of  an 
upright,  generous  and  consistent  Christian  life, 
that  will  ever  stand  iis  the  most  enduring  mon- 
ument to  his  memory." 


JOHN  A.  HALL,  an  earnest  and  active  ad- 
vocate of  the  cause  of  temperance  and  a 
leading  prohibitionist  of  North  Buffalo  town- 
shij),  is  a  son  of  David,  Jr.,  and  Margaret 
(Iliudman)  Hall  and  was  born  in  North  Buf- 
falo township,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylva- 
nia, June  .30,  1832.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
David  Hall,  came  to  North  Buffalo  township  in 
the  initial  year  of  the  present  century,  if  not  in 
the  latter  years  of  the  last  decade  of  the  eigh- 
teenth century.  He  was  a  man  of  prominence 
and  high  standing  in  the  community  in  which 
he  settled.  Of  the  .sons  born  to  him  before  he 
came  to  North  Buffalo  township,  one  was  David 
Hall,  Jr.,  who  was  four  years  of  age  at  the  time 
of  his  father's  settlement  west  of  the  Allegheny 
river,  in  Armstrong  county.  David  Hall,  .Jr., 
upon  attaining  his  majority  engaged  in  larming, 
which  he  followed  until  his  death,  May  18th, 
1884,  at  ninety -one  years  of  age.  He  was  also 
engaged  for  a  few  years  in  milling.  He  mar- 
ried Margaret  Hindman,  of  Franklin  township, 
and  reared  a  family  of  six  children. 


598 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


John  A.  Hall  grew  to  manhood  on  the  old 
Hall  homestead,  of  which  he  owns  a  part  to- 
day. He  received  a  good  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  has  continued  his  education 
ever  since  leaving  school,  by  a  wide  range  oi' 
reading.  He  has  made  farming  his  life  busi- 
ness and  by  his  close  study  of  the  principles  of 
agriculture  has  become  one  of  the  progressive 
farmers  of  North  Buffalo  township.  His  finely 
improved  farm  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-five 
acres  of  land  is  very  fertile  and  highly  produc- 
tive. While  raising  as  large  crops  as  any  other 
fiirmer  in  his  community,  yet  at  the  same  time 
Mr.  Hal!  so  conducts  his  farming  as  not  to  im- 
poverish his  land.  He  is  a  democrat  in  poli- 
tics and  has  always  been  an  active  worker  in 
the  temperance  cause,  and  in  1890,  without  so- 
licitation upon  iiis  part,  was  made  the  candidate 
of  the  Prohibition  party  for  the  office  of  County 
Treasurer.  Mr.  Hall  is  courteous  and  polite 
to  all  whom  he  meets  and  stands  high  as  a  gen- 
tleman in  the  estimation  of  his  neighbors. 

On  April  26,  1855,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Agnes,  daughter  of  Dr.  Edward  Manso, 
an  early  homceopathic  physician,  who  studied, 
in  Germany,  under  Hahnenman,  the  founder  of 
homoeopathy.  They  had  three  children,  of  whom 
two  are  living:  Margaret  Ella,  married  to 
Frank  E.  Hine  and  resides  atTallmadge,  Sum- 
mit county,  Ohio,  and  Warren  C.  Hall.  Mrs. 
Hall  died  in  1862  and  Mr.  Hall  married  for 
his  second  wife,  Ann  M.  Ralston,  a  native  of 
South  Buffalo  township,  by  whom  he  had  four 
children,  of  whom  three  are  living  :  Ed.  W., 
Howard  and  Flora  R. 


JOHN  HAWK,  one  of  West  Franklin 
township's  energetic  farmers,  is  a  man 
who  has  met  with  good  success  in  the  various 
kinds  of  business  in  which  he  has  been  engaged 
for  over  thirty  years.  He  is  a  son  of  Conrad 
and  Esther  (Slonaker)  Hawk,  and  was  born  in 


what  is  now  Lower  Burrell  township,  West- 
moreland county,  Pa.,  April  6,  1834.  The 
Hawk  family  is  of  German  descent,  and  is  one 
of  the  oldest  and  most  highly  respected  fami- 
lies of  Westmoreland  county.  One  of  its 
members,  Daniel  Hawk  (grandfather),  was 
born  in  that  county,  and  engaged  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1822,  when  he  had  attained  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty-six  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  married,  and  had 
several  children,  one  of  whom,  Conrad  Hawk 
(father),  was  born  near  Greensburg,  Westmore- 
land county,  in  1795.  He  was  a  farmer  of 
Lower  Burrell  township,  a  democrat  in  politics, 
a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church, 
and  commanded  the  res})ect  of  the  community 
in  which  he  resided.  He  died  in  1881  at  his 
home  in  Lower  Burrell  township,  when  he  was 
in  the  eighty-seventh  year  of  his  age.  He 
married  Esther  Slonaker,  who  was  born  in 
Martinsburg,  Va.,  was  a  member  of  the  Lu- 
theran church,  and  died  in  1874,  when  in  the 
sixty-seventh  year  of  her  age. 

John  Hawk  grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  received  a  common  school  education. 
At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he  went  to  Pitts- 
burgh, where  he  >pent  two  and  one-half  years  in 
learning  the  trade  of  coach-builder  and  wagon- 
maker,  at  which  he  worked  for  twelve  years. 

On  December  27,  1860,  he  married  Mary 
Bair,  daughter  of  Henry  Bair,  of  Allegheny 
township,  Westmoreland  county.  They  have 
six  children  :  Adina  J.,  Margaret  C,  Franklin 
R.,  Daniel  L.,  John  B.,  and  ]Mary  E.  The 
oldest  four  were  born  in  Westmoreland  county. 
Pa.,  and  the  youngest  two  in  Armstrong 
county,  Pa. 

In  1864  he  bought  a  saw-mill  on  Chartiers 
creek,  which  he  operated  for  five  years.  He 
then  (1869)  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty-four  acres  in  West  Franklin  town- 
ship, Armstrong  county,  Pa.,  which  he  has  culti- 
vated ever  since.     He  also  purchased  a  steam 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


599 


thresher  and  saw-mill,  which  he  has  operated 
with  good  success. 

John  Hawk  is  an  iufliieutial  member  of  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  church  of  W  orthington, 
and  in  1864  and  18(35  built  the  present  house 
of  worship  of  that  denomination  in  Lower 
Burrell  township,  in  Westmoreland  county. 
Mr.  Hawk  is  a  prominent  democrat  in  his 
township,  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board,  and  has  always  been  watchfid  of  the 
interests  and  progress  of  our  public  schools. 


JAMES  S.  JACK,  a  succe.ssful  farmer  and 
stock-dealer  of  North  Buflalo  township, 
is  a  son  of  James  and  Sarah  (Douze)  Jack,  and 
was  born  in  North  Buffalo  township,  Armstrong 
county,  Pa.,  April  25,  1846.  The  Jack  fam- 
ily is  of  Irish  origin,  and  James  Jack,  Sr. 
(grandl'ather),  came  to  Armstrong  I'ounty  about 
1800.  He  took  up  a  farm  in  Sugar  Creek 
township,  which  he  tilled  until  his  death.  He 
was  an  old-line  whig,  married,  and  had  three 
children  :  Samuel,  James,  Jr.,  and  Washington, 
all  of  whom  are  dead.  James  Jack  (father) 
was  born  in  1811,  in  North  Buffalo  township, 
and  was  a  farmer  in  that  township,  where  he 
took  pride  in  the  fine  condition  of  his  farm. 
In  politics  he  was  a  whig  and  republican.  He 
was  an  active  member  of  the  Baptist  church  at 
North  Buflalo,  and  married  Sarah  Douze,  by 
whom  he  had  seven  children,  four  sons  and 
three  daughters,  of  whom  five  are :  George, 
Margaret,  Sarah  A.,  Emma  and  James  S.  Mrs. 
Jack  died  in  1847,  and  her  remains  were  in- 
terred in  Slate  Lick  cemetery.  Her  father,  a 
Mr.  Douze  (maternal  grandfather),  who  settled 
near  Slate  Lick,  was  a  native  of  France.  He 
married  and  had  two  children,  Sarah  and 
George,  neither  of  whom  are  living.  After  the 
death  of  his  first  wife,  James  Jack  married,  in 
1849,  Sarah  Wilson,  who  is  still  living.  Mr. 
Jack  died  in  October,  1865. 

James  S.  Jack  grew  to  manhowl  on  the  farm, 


and  attended  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
township.  He  commenced  life  for  himself  as  a 
farmer,  but  soon  engaged  in  stock-dealing,  and 
has  driven  a  considerable  amount  of  stock  to 
the  Allegheny  stock -yards.  He  owns  a  farm  of 
forty  acres,  and  in  May,  1890,  opened  a  general 
store  at  North  Buffalo,  where  he  carries  a  stock 
of  goods  worth  three  thousand  dollars,  and 
has  a  good  trade  which  is  constantly  increasing. 
On  the  24tii  of  February,  1864,  he  enlisted 
under  Captain  Kiskaddeu  in  Co.  L,  14th  Pa. 
Cavalry,  for  three  years,  and  participated  in 
the  battles  of  Fredericksburg,  Winchester  and 
Fisher  Hill,  as  well  as  in  many  severe  skir- 
mishes. 

On  December  9,  1869,  he  married  Mary 
E.  Bruner,  daug-hter  of  Samuel  B.  Bruner,  a 
farmer  of  North  Buffalo  township,  and  to  their 
union  have  been  born  nine  children,  of  whom 
six  are  living :  Clara  E.,  married  to  Grant 
Claypole ;  Harvey  S.,  Milton,  William,  Charles 
N.  (deceased) ;  Anna  M.,  Curtis  E.  (deceased) ; 
Anna  (dead),  and  Maud  R. 

In  politics,  James  S.  Jack  is  a  stanch  repub- 
lican, and  during  the  past  nine  years  has  held 
the  offices  of  tax  collector  and  constable  of  his 
township.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church  at  North  Buflalo,  and  for  two  years  has 
been  one  of  its  trustees.  He  is  a  member  of 
Post  No.  422,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Slate  Lick,  and  of 
Council  No.  337,  Junior  Order  United  Ameri- 
can Mechanics,  at  the  same  place. 


JESSE  H.  KING,  M.D.,  one  of  the  active 
and  progressive  young  physicians  of 
Worthingtou  and  the  western  part  of  the  coun- 
ty, is  a  son  of  John  and  Christina  (Wolf)  King, 
and  was  born  at  Cochran's  Mills,  in  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania,  Novemlier  30,  1861. 
The  King  family  is  of  German  descent,  and 
John  King,  Sr.  (grandfather),  was  a  native  of 
Armstrong  county,  where  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing   until   his  death.     One  of  his  sons,    John 


600 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


King  (father),  was  born  in  1817,  in  Armstrong 
county,  where  he  has  always  resided.  He  is  a 
farmer  and  raises  some  stock  and  quite  a  num- 
ber of  horses.  He  is  a  republican  in  politics,  a 
deacon  in  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  of 
which  both  he  and  his  wife  are  esteemed  mem- 
bers, and  is  a  man  who  attends  strictly  to  his 
own  business  affairs.  He  married  Christina 
Wolf,  who  was  born  in  Armstrong  county  in 
1822,  and  is  a  daughter  of  a  Mr.  Wolf,  who 
was  a  prosperous  farmer  and  well-respected 
citizen. 

Jesse  H.  King  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm, 
and  received  his  literary  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools.  New  York  High  school  and  Theil 
college,  in  Mercer  county.  Leaving  school,  he 
studied  medicine  under  Dr.  J.  W.  McKee,  at 
Cochran's  Mills,  and  after  completing  tlie  re- 
quired course  of  reading,  he  entered  the  western 
Pennsylvania  Medical  college,  of  Pittsburgh, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  tlie  class  of 
1887.  In  August  of  that  year  he  came  to 
Worthington,  where  he  has  been  successful  in 
gaining  a  good  practice,  which  promises  to  be- 
come large  and  extensive  at  no  distant  day  in 
the  future. 

Dr.  King  is  a  member  of  the  alumni  associ- 
ation of  the  Western  Pennsylvania  Medical 
college,  and  in  politics  supports  the  Republican 
party.  Soon  after  coming  to  Worthington  he 
was  elected  auditor  of  the  borough,  which 
position  he  still  holds. 


ROBERT  LARDIN,  who  was  for  over  fifty 
years  a  prominent  member  and  active 
worker  of  North  Buffalo  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  and  a  leading  prohibitionist  of  his 
township,  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Christina 
(Harsh)  Lardin,  and  was  born  in  Butler  county, 
Pennsylvania,  July  5,  1810.  The  Lardin 
family  is  of  Irish  descent,  and  Thomas  Lardin 
was  born  in  Ireland,  from  whence  he  emigrated 


to  Pennsylvania  and  settled  in  Lancaster  county. 
He  afterwards,  about  the  year  1795,  removed  to 
Butler  county,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock-dealing.  He  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Uni- 
ted States  army  during  the  war  of  1812,  was  a 
whig  in  politics  and  married  Christina  Harsh.  To 
their  union  were  born  eleven  children,  seven 
sons  and  four  daughters:  Catherine,  Mary, 
Thomas,  John,  Jane,  Daniel,  James,  William, 
Robert,  Joseph  and  Margaret. 

Robert  Lardin  grew  to  manhood  on  his 
father's  farm,  received  a  practical  English  edu- 
cation and  has  been  engaged  in  farming  ever 
since  attaining  his  majority. 

On  January  8,  1833,  he  married  Hannah 
Pugh,  daughter  of  John  Pugh.  To  their 
union  have  been  born  eight  children,  two  sous 
and  six  daughters :  JoJin,  born  November  6, 
1833,  married  a  Miss  Whitcraft  and  is  dead; 
Elizabeth,  born  August  28,  1835,  married  to  a 
Mr.  Sassy,  and  after  his  death  to  William 
Deany;  Mary,  born  July  29,  1837,  and  died 
September  5,  1842;  Nancy,  born  November 
18,  1839,  and  died  September  1,  1842;  Marga- 
ret, born  March  18,  1842,  and  married  to  T. 
Frazier;  Sarah,  born  July  22, 1844,  married  to 
Charles  Sipher,  and  is  dead ;  Phoebe,  born 
March  19,  1847,  and  Robert  F.,  born  June  23, 
1851,  and  married  Mary  Green.  Mrs.  Lardin 
died  February  28,  1853,  and  for  his  second 
wife  Mr.  Lardin  married  Mary  A.  Drane,  on 
April  24,  1855.  To  this  second  union  have 
been  born  seven  children,  of  whom  four  are: 
Daniel  H.,  born  January  28,  185G,  and  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Doty  ;  Mary  I.,  born  September 
28,  1860,  and  wife  of  Robert  Boney ;  Lois  M., 
born  August  24,  1867,  and  married  to  David 
Bissett,  and    William    B.,  born    February  18, 

1870. 
In  politics,  Robert  Lardin  is  an  enthusiastic 

prohibitionist.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  church  at  North  Buffalo,  and  at 
the  time  of  its  erection,  in  1876,  held  the  office 
of  steward  and  class  leader  in  that  church. 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


601 


WILLIAM  H.  LEARD,  merchant  and 
justice  of  the  peace  of  Ciaigsville,  is  a 
member  of  a  family  well  kuowu  for  its  business 
ability  and  moral  standing.  He  is  a  son  of 
Christopher  and  Margaret  (Shields)  Leard,  and 
was  born  in  West  Franklin  township,  Arm- 
strong county,  Pennsylvania,  July  17,  1846. 
The  Leard  family  is  of  Scotch  descent,  and 
Thomas  Leard  (grandfather)  came  from  the 
north  of  Scotland  to  the  United  States  when  he 
was  si.xteen  years  of  age,  and  settled  in  what  is 
now  East  Franklin  township.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1875,  when  he  was  in 
the  eighty-eighth  year  of  his  age.  His  son, 
Christopher  Leard  (father),  was  born  in  1823, 
and  for  a  number  of  years  was  a  farmer  in 
West  Franklin  township,  where  he  still  owns 
about  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land, 
which  is  divided  into  two  farms.  In  January, 
1872,  he  moved  to  Craigsville  and  formed  a 
partnership  with  his  two  sous,  William  H.  and 
Joseph  S.,  under  the  firm-name  of  Leard 
&  Sons.  In  1888  he  withdrew  from  active 
business  pursuits,  and  since  that  time  has  lived 
a  retired  life.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church,  and  a  republican  in  politics,  and 
has  held  nearly  all  the  township's  offices.  He 
married  Margaret  Shields,  who  was  born  in  In- 
diana county  in  1821  and  is  an  esteemed  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

William  H.  Leard  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  attended  the  public  schools  of  West 
Franklin  township  and  Elder's  Ridge  academy. 
He  also  took  a  course  in  the  Iron  City  Business 
college,  and  at  twenty  years  of  age  entered 
the  employ  of  Messrs.  Campbell  Bros.,  railroad 
contractors  of  Altoona,  Pa.,  as  a  clerk,  but  was 
soon  promoted  to  "  walking  boss,"  which  posi- 
tion he  held  for  several  yeai-s.  January  1, 
1872,  he  became  a  member  of  the  mercantile 
firm  of  Leard  &  Sons,  of  Craigsville.  In 
1881  Joseph  S.  Leard  withdrew  from  the  firm, 
and  the  firm-name  became  Leard  &  Sou.      In 


1888  his  father  retired.  He  has  fine  and  com- 
modious sales-rooms  and  keeps  a  large  and  com- 
plete stock  of  dry-goods,  groceries,  clothing, 
hardware  and  drugs,  which  are  carefully  se- 
lected to  meet  the  wants  of  his  numerous 
patrons.  He  has  an  intere.st  in  the  flouring- 
mill  at  Craigsville,  where  he  is  agent  for  the 
New  England  Accident  insurance  company. 

On  May  2,  1872,  he  married  Margaret  E. 
Foster,  (laughter  of  William  A.  Foster,  of 
Sugar  Creek  township.  They  have  three 
children :  Otto  R.,  Royal  Boyd  and  Christo- 
pher K. 

Politically,  Mr.  Leard  is  a  stanch  republican, 
and  has  at  various  times  filled  most  of  the 
township  offices.  In  1872  he  was  appointed 
postmaster  of  Craigsville,  which  position  he 
resigued,  when  he  was  elected  justice  of  the 
peace  of  West  Franklin  township  in  1879.  At 
the  end  of  his  term  as  magistrate  he  was  re- 
elected and  has  served  ever  since.  He  is  a 
member  of  Craigsville  Council,  No.  11 92,  Royal 
Arcanum,  and  a  member  and  elder  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church  of  Worthington,  of  whose 
Sunday-school  he  has  served  as  superintendent 
for  some  ten  years  (at  different  times).  He  is 
methodical  and  exact  in  his  methods  and  prompt 
in  the  disposition  of  all  his  legal  and  business 
matters.  As  a  justice  he  is  well-liked,  as  a 
business  man  stands  higii,  and  as  a  citizen  com- 
mands the  respect  of  his  community. 


JOHN  K.  MAXWELL,  M.D.,  of  Worth- 
^  ington,  has  been  for  the  last  thirty-five 
years  a  well-known  and  prominent  physician 
of  Armstrong  and  Butler  counties.  He  is  a  son 
of  Robert  and  Jane  (Kelley)  Maxwell,  and  was 
born  near  the  present  site  of  Strattouville, 
Clarion  county,  Pennsylvania,  October  25, 
1825.  The  Maxwell  family  of  Armstrong 
county  is  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  and  the  Max- 
well coat-of-arms  is  a  boar's  head,  the  origin  of 
v.'hich  is  traced  back  to  an  early  period  in  the 


602 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


history  of  Scotland,  when  a  king  of  that  coun- 
try, being  annoyed  by  the  ravages  of  a  very 
large  and  fierce  boar  in  one  part  of  his  kingdom, 
declared  that  the  honor  of  knighthood  should 
be  conferred  upon  the  one  who  would  kill  the 
boar,  and  a  Maxwell  having  succeeded  in  kill- 
ing the  dangerous  animal,  was  knighted  and 
received  as  his  coat-of-arms  a  boar's  head.  Dr. 
Maxwell  I'epudiates  this  tradition,  and  is  of 
opinion  that  the  coat-of-arms  has  reference  to 
the  pig-headedness  so  notorious  in  the  whole 
family.  Robert  Maxwell  (father)  was  born 
March  17,  1767,  in  Franklin  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, but  went  when  a  mere  child  with  his 
father  to  Mifflin  county,  where  he  afterwards 
purchased  the  land  on  which  Lewistown  is  now 
built.  In  1792  he  removed  to  Clearfield  coun- 
ty, where  he  built  a  shanty  on  the  present  site 
of  Clearfield,  Pa.,  and  was  employed  by  the 
Baring  Bros.  (English  capitalists)  to  survey  the 
"Bingham  Lands,"  an  extensive  body  of  land 
which  they  owned  in  that  section  of  the  coun- 
ty. He  carried  a  rifle  with  his  compass,  and 
employed  Indians  to  carry  the  chain,  as  there 
were  no  white  settlers  within  forty  miles  of  his 
location.  He  afterwards  settled  in  Clarion 
county,  where  he  died  on  St.  Patrick's  day,  1845 
(it  being  his  .seventy-eighth  birthday).  He  and 
his  wife  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  He  married  Jane  Kelley,  who  was 
born  in  Penu's  Valley,  Centre  county,  in  1780, 
and  died  in  1847.  Her  father,  Edward  Kelley 
(maternal  grandfather),  was  a  Revolutionary 
soldier,  and  seven  brothers  of  Dr.  Maxwell's 
maternal  grandmother  were  starved  to  death  on 
a  British  prison  ship  on  the  Delaware  river. 

Dr.  Maxwell  grew  to  manhood  near  the 
place  of  his  birth  and  received  a  good  practical 
business  education.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years 
he  was  appointed  county  surveyor  of  Clarion 
county,  and  in  the  same  year  (1845)  commenced 
to  read  medicine  with  Dr.  James  Ross,  of 
Clarion,  Pa.  When  he  completed  the  required 
course  of  reading    he  entered   the  medical  de- 


partment of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
from  which  he  was  graduated.  In  1855  he 
came  to  Worthington,  where  he  practiced  until 
March  3,  1863,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Union 
army  and  was  appointed  assistant  surgeon  of 
the  45th  regiment.  Pa.  Vols.  He  served  until 
August  31,  1864,  was  discharged  on  accouut  of 
physical  disability  and  returned  to  Worthing- 
ton. After  having  partly  regained  his  health 
he  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession,  in 
which  he  has  continued  ever  since.  In  1874  he 
removed  from  Worthington' to  one  of  his  farms 
in  West  Franklin  township,  where  he  now  re- 
sides. His  field  of  practice  embraces  the  west- 
ern part  of  Armstrong  and  the  eastern  part  of 
Butler  counties,  and  he  has  frequently  ridden 
for  two  weeks  at  a  time  with  neither  rest  nor 
sleep.  His  ability  and  skill  have  secured  for 
him  the  extensive  practice  which  he  enjoy.s, 
while  his  integrity  as  a  man  and  his  usefulness 
as  a  citizen  have  won  him  the  respect  and  es- 
teem of  all  who  know  him.  •  He  owns  about 
two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land  in  West 
Franklin  township  and  makes  a  specialty  of 
raising  fine  stock. 

In  1848  Dr.  Maxwell  married  Hannah  Lo- 
baugh,  who  was  a  daughter  of  John  Lobaugh, 
of  Clarion  county.  She  died  in  1871,  and  in 
1872  he  married  Mrs.  Nannie  (Huston)  Cowan, 
of  this  county.  To  this  second  union  have  been 
born  five  children,  four  sons  and  one  daughter  : 
William  H.,  John  R.,  Thomas  McC,  Robert 
C.  and  Jennie  C. 

Dr.  John  K.  Maxwell  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  and  is  a  Free  and  Accepted 
Mason.  He  is  a  pronounced  republican  in  pol- 
itics, has  held  at  diff'erent  times  the  various 
borough  ofiices  of  Worthington  as  well  as  filling 
some  of  the  offices  of  West  Franklin  township. 
Dr.  Maxwell  has  always  been  devoted  to  his 
profession,  in  which  he  has  attained  high  and 
honorable  .standing.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Armstrong  County  Medical  society  and  the 
State  Medical  society  of  Pennsylvania. 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


603 


JAMES  OBEY,  a  resident  of  North  Buffiilo 
township  and  an  old  and  experienced 
engineer,  is  a  son  of  John  D.  and  Saraii  (Benney) 
Obey,  and  was  born  in  Pittsburgh,  Allegheny 
county,  Pennsylvania,  July  4, 1827.  The  Obey 
family  is  of  German  descent  and  one  of  its 
members,  the  grandfather  of  James  Obey,  was 
born  in  Baden,  Germany,  from  whence  he  emi- 
grated to  France,  which  he  left  on  account  of 
his  religion  and  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1820.  He  settled  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  where 
he  lived  a  retired  life.  He  was  a  whig  in 
politics,  a  member  of  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal church  and  married  Mary  Shatter,  by 
whom  he  had  two  children,  one  son  and  one 
daughter.  His  son,  John  D.  Obey  (father),  was 
born  in  Baden,  and  came  to  Pittsburgh  with 
his  iather.  He  served  in  the  "  Pittsburgh 
Blues"  and  participated  in  the  battle  of  the 
Cowpens.  He  was  a  butcher  by  trade,  but  kept 
a  hotel  in  Pittsburgh  for  a  number  of  years  and 
for  seven  years  was  landlord  of  a  hotel  at  one 
end  of  the  bridge  over  the  Monongahcla  river. 
He  was  a  whig  in  politics,  a  member  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  church  and  married  Sarah 
Benney.  To  their  union  were  born  ten  children : 
Mary  (now  deceased)  ;  Nancy,  John  (deceased); 
Jane  (deceased) ;  James,  William  (deceased) ; 
Sarah,  Catherine,  I^ucy  and  Edward  (deceased). 
Mrs.  Obey  was  a  daughter  of  John  Benney 
(maternal  grandfather),  who  was  born  in  1770 
in  Scotland.  He  came  to  Pennsylvania  in  1794 
and  settled  on  Sandy  creek.  He  was  a  cabinet- 
maker by  trade,  a  whig  in  politics,  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcojial  church,  and  married 
Nancy  Wyburn,  who  bore  him  five  children, 
two  sons  and  three  daughters. 

James  Obey  was  rearetl  in  Pittsburgh,  and 
after  attending  the  public  schools  of  that  city, 
learned  the  trade  of  engine-builder.  He  worked 
at  different  branches  of  this  business  and  then 
became  a  steamboat  engineer  on  boats  running 
from  Pittsburgh  to  New  Orleans.  Leaving  the 
river,  lie  was  a  rolling-mill  engineer  for  tweuty- 
36  . 


two  years.  In  1860  he  removed  to  Armstrong 
county  and  purchased  in  North  Buffalo  town- 
ship the  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifteen  acres 
upon  which  he  now  resides. 

July  15,  1847,  he  married  Mary  A.  Berry, 
daughter  of  Jose])h  Berry,  of  Pittsburgh,  and  a 
native  of  south  Wales,  who  came  with  her 
parents  t«  Pennsylvania  in  1838.  She  was  born 
April  28,  1831,  and  died  October  26,  1877, 
leaving  five  children,  all  daughters:  Anna  M,, 
born  June  23,  1850,  married  to  Robert  Hod- 
son;  Sarah  B.,  born  November  6,  1852,  and 
wife  of  George  Davis;  Laura  E.,born  Septem- 
ber 15,  1854,  and  wife  of  W.  A.  Nicholson; 
Mary  E.,  born  Jainiary  25,  1862,  and  married 
to  George  Evans ;  and  Lucy  M.,  born  March 
24,  1806,  and  now  the  wife  of  J.  R.  Campbell. 

In  politics,  James  Obey  is  a  stanch  repub- 
lican. He  was  elected  treasurer  of  the  city  of 
Pittsburgh  in  1863,  and  a  member  of  the  city 
council  in  1863  and  1864.  He  is  a  member,  in 
high  standing,  of  St.  Clair  Lodge,  No.  362, 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of  Pittsburgh.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Main  street  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  of  Pittsburgh,  and  is  thoroughly 
versed  in  the  principles  of  engineering,  as  well 
as  having  years  of  valuable  experience  in  the 
practice  of  that  science  on  the  western  waters  and 
in  the  great  iron  mills  of  western  Pennsylvania. 


JOHN  M.  WILLIAMS,  postmaster  and  pro- 
"  prietor  of  the  leading  drug  store  at  Worth- 
ington,  in  West  Franklin  township,  is  a  son  of 
Jeffei-son  F.  and  Eliza  J.  (Huston)  Williams, 
and  was  born  in  Manor  township,  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania,  May  31,  1858.  The 
Williainses  are  of  Scotch  descent.  John  Williams 
(grandfather)  was  born  in  the  western  part  of 
Pennsylvania,  from  whence  he  removed  in  early 
life  to  Manor  township,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming  until  the  late  war,  when  he  enlisted  in 
a  regiment  of  Pa.  Vols.,  and  died  in  the  service 
during  the  fall  of  1864.     Four  of  his  sons  also 


604 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  ABMSTRONO  COUNTY. 


served  iu  the  Union  army,  and  one  of  them, 
Jefferson  F.  Williams  (father),  was  born  in 
Manor  township,  this  county,  iu  1830.  He 
followed  farming  until  the  fall  of  1864,  when 
he  enlisted  in  the  5th  Pa.  Heavy  Artillery,  and 
died  at  Fort  Reno  in  December,  1864,  of  ty- 
phoid fever,  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-four  years. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church,  and  a  man  who  was  respected  by  his 
neighbors  and  all  who  knew  him.  He  married 
Eliza  J.  Huston,  a  native  of  what  is  now  East 
Franklin  township.  After  his  death  she  mar- 
ried J.  F.  Irwin  aud  now  resides  at  Grove  City, 
Mercer  county,  where  she  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church. 

John  M.  Williams  wa.s  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  uutil  he  was  seven  years  of  age,  when  he 
then  accompanied  his  mother  to  Dayton,  this 
county,  where  he  attended  the  Soldiers'  Orphans' 
school.  He  afterwards  attended  Glade  Run 
academy,  from  which  lie  was  graduated  in  the 
fall  of  1878.  Leaving  school,  he  engaged  in 
the  planing-mill  business  at  Dayton,  which  he 
followed  until  the  full  of  1884,  when  his  mill 
was  burned.  While  at  Dayton  he  read  medi- 
cine with  the  intention  of  attending  lectures  and 


practicing,  but  the  loss  of  his  mill  compelled 
him  to  relinquish  his  medical  studies,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1885  he  engaged  in  the  drug  busi- 
ness at  Elderton,  where  he  remained  until 
March,  1888.  He  then  came  to  Worthington 
and  opened  his  present  drug  store.  He  keeps  a 
large  and  well-assorted  stock  of  pure  and  fresh 
drug.s,  standard  proprietary  medicines  and  choice 
toilet  articles.  In  December,  1889,  he  was  ap- 
pointed postma.ster  of  Worthington,  which  posi- 
tion he  still  holds. 

He  united  in  marriage  with  Ida  V.  Hinder- 
liter,  daughter  of  John  Hinderliter,  of  Dayton. 
Their  union  has  been  blest  with  five  children, 
four  sons  and  one  daughter :  Arthur,  Mark, 
Earl,  Joseph  and  Eliza. 

John  M.  Williams  is  a  republican  in  politics 
and  has  been  elected  school  director  of  Worth- 
ington, of  whose  town  council  he  is  a  member. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Junior  Oi'der  of  United 
American  Mechanics  and  the  Royal  Arcanum. 
Mr.  Williams  gives  close  attention  to  the  wants 
of  his  patrons,  and  by  his  medical  knowledge 
is  well-qualified  to  correctly  and  safely  fill 
physician.?'  prescriptions.  He  is  industrious, 
painstaking  aud  active  and  enjoys  a  good  trade. 


PARKS,  BETHEL,  GILPIN,  BURRELL  AND 
KISKIMINETAS  TOWNSHIPS. 


HMoriecd  and  Descriptive. — These  five  town- 
ships are  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county, 
and  lie  in  the  Barren  measures,  excepting  the 
southeastern  part  of  Kiskirainetas  township, 
which  contains  a  small  area  of  the  Pittsburgh 
coal  bed,  and  the  valleys  of  Roaring  run  in 
Kiskiminetas  and  Crooked  creek  in  Burrcll 
township,  which  carry  the  Lower  Productive 
coal  measures. 

Parks  Township. — Allegheny  township,  on 
December  26,  1878,  passed  from  the  map  of 
Armstrong  county,  and  in  its  place  appeared 
the  names  of  Parks,  Bethel  and  Gilpin  town- 
ships, which  were  formed  from  its  territory. 
Conrad  Weiser  passed  through  Allegheny  town- 
ship in  1748.  There  were  several  Indian 
towns  on  its  territory,  near  the  site  of  Leech- 
burg,  and  about  the  mouth  of  the  Kiskiminetas, 
and  several  whites  were  killed  in  the  township 
between  1785  and  1795.  Crosbysburg  was  laid 
out  about  1816,  Jacksonville  about  1828,  and 
Kelly's  Station  was  established  June  14,  1860. 
Parks  township  was  named  in  honor  of  the 
Parks  family  and  contains  some  very  fine  farm- 
ing land. 

Bethel  Township  was  organized  on  December 
26,  1878,  and  was  named  after  old  Bethel 
church  and  school-house,  which  were  on  its 
territory.  Bethel  Lutheran  church  is  two  and 
one-half  miles  from  Kelly's  Sta'tion. 

Gilpin  Township  is  the  last  of  three  town- 
ships into  which  Allegheny  was  divided,  and 
derives  its  name  from  John  Gilpin,  of  Kittan- 


ning,  who,  as  an  attorney,  had  assisted  in  the 
movement  for  the  division  of  Allegheny  into 
the  three  townships  of  Parks,  Bethel  and 
Gilpin. 

Kiskiminetas  Township  is  named  from  the  Kis- 
kiminetas river,  which  forms  its  southern  bound- 
ary line,  and  was  formed  from  Allegheny  town- 
ship, June  19,  1832.  The  Indian  town  of 
Toquhesp  was  near  the  Northwest  coal  works  and 
one  and  a  quarter  miles  northeast  of  its  site  is 
the  "  Indian  Spring,"  where  on  a  large  rock  the 
Indians  carved  the  rude  figure  of  a  medicine 
man,  which  is  .still  very  legible,  with  the  letters 
I  O  O  II  near  the  right  arm.  Among  the  early 
settlers  between  1790  and  1800  were  the 
Andersons,  Kings,  Waltenbanghs  and  Wolfs. 
There  were  eight  salt  works  in  the  townsiiip  in 
1845.  Kiskiminetas  post-office  was  established 
in  1824,  Spring  Church  in  1852,  Long  Run  in 
1857  and  Shady  Plain,  March  2,  1867,  with 
David  D.  P.  Alexander  as  postmaster. 

Burrcll  Township  was  formed  in  1855  from 
Allegheny  and  Kittanning  townships,  and  was 
named  in  honor  of  Judge  J.  M.  Burrell,  whose 
sketch  appears  in  this  volume.  In  1811,  Geo. 
Beck,  Sr.,  had  a  powder-mill ;  in  1812  a  salt 
works  was  operated  on  the  Hooversburg  tract 
of  laud,  and  in  1825,  Frederick  Altman  es- 
tablished a  plow  manufacturing  establishment. 

Williamsburg  was  laid  out  about  1819  by 
Wm.  Fiscus,  Sr.,  and  the  first  post-office  (Pitt's 
Mill)  in  the  township  was  established  June  16, 
184-3. 

605 


60G 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


The  geological  map  of  Armstrong  county, 
published  in  1880,  unfortunately  blends  the 
coioring  of  the  Lower  Productive  coal  and  the 
Pottsville  conglomerate  areas  so  as  to  almost 
make  them  indistinguishable  from  each  other. 
As  R.  W.  Smith's  history  gives  so  much  of  the 
local  geology  of  the  county,  we  have  merely 
presented  the  general  geological  structure  of 
each  township,  in  regard  to  coal  and  lime. 
From  all  histories  and  historical  sketches  of  the 
couuty  and  its  different  sections,  we  could 
gather  but  little  concerning  the  early  settlers, 
block-houses  and  Indian  occupation  of  the 
country.  We  took  special  pains  to  secure  the 
names  of  the  settlers  iu  1807  from  the  assess- 
ment lists  of  that  year  in  which  we  preserved 
the  spelling  of  the  names  as  written  on  those 
lists.  Six  new  townships  had  been  formed  in 
1806,  and  in  several  instances  the  name  of  the 
same  jterson  undoubtedly  appears  upon  two 
different  assessment  lists — one  of  his  old  town- 
ship and  the  other  of  his  new  township.  Au 
exhaustive  search  back  of  1807  to  find  the 
names  of  the  pioneer  settlers  would  require 
several  years  of  time,  and  as  all  the  assessment 
lists  of  Westmoreland  county  back  of  1785 
have  been  destroyed,  a  complete  list  could  not 
then  be  secured. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


HPjNRY  J.  ALMS,  now  engaged  in  farming 
in  Kiskiminetas  township,  is  a  man  who 
owes  all  of  his  success  in  life  to  his  own  persist- 
ent efforts  and  great  energy.  He  was  born  in 
Bell  township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, December  (3,  1 820,  and  is  a  son  of  George 
W.  and  Elizabeth  (Smeltzer)  Alms.  Tradition 
states  that  Rev.  Andrew  V.  Alms  (grandfather), 
with  twelve  other  children,  were  stolen  from  a 
school  in  Germany  and  brought  to  America, 
where  Andrew  was  sold  to  a  man  for  a  certain 
number  of  years.     At  the  end  of  this  time  he 


enlisted  in  the  Revolutionary  army  under 
Washington  and  served  under  him  to  the  close 
of  the  war.  He  then  bought  a  farm  in  West- 
moreland county,  on  Beaver  run.  He  taught 
school  and  a  singing-school  and  preached  as  a 
supply.  He  married  a  Miss  Kunkle,  of  North- 
ampton county,  by  whom  he  had  seven  chil- 
dren :  John,  George  W.,  Henry,  Peter,  Michael, 
Sarah  and  Catherine.  He  was  a  democrat,  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  died  in 
1825.  Mrs.  (Kuukle)  Alms  died  in  1830. 
Jacob  Smeltzer  (maternal  grandfather)  was  born 
east  of  the  mountains.  He  came  with  his  par- 
ents west  of  the  mountains,  where  he  and  a  play- 
mate were  captured  by  the  Indians,  with  whom 
they  remained  seven  or  eight  years  before  being 
exchanged.  The  others  of  the  family,  except 
a  younger  brother,  were  massacred  during  an 
Indian  raid.  He  .served  under  Washington  in 
the  Revolutionary  war.  He  was  a  carpenter 
by  trade  and  took  up  a  tract  of  land  near 
Perrysville.  He  married  and  had  seven  chil- 
dren :  Jacob,  Daniel,  Polly,  Katy,  Elizabeth, 
Susan  and  Mattie.  He  died  about  1830  and 
his  wife  in  1835.  George  W.  Alms  (father)  was 
born  iu  Westmoreland  county,  on  November 
10,  1787.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  in  wliich  he 
was  chorister,  a  Jeffersonian  democrat  and 
served  in  the  war  of  1812.  In  1809,  he 
married  Elizabeth  Smeltzer,  by  whom  he  had 
nine  children  :  Jacob,  Mary  A.,  Hannah,  Su- 
sanna, Henry  J.,  Andrew,  George,  Joseph  and 
Margaret.  George  W.  Alms  died  in  1859,  at 
seventy-one  years  of  age  and  his  wife  in 
1878,  aged  ninety-two  years. 

Henry  J.  Alms  was  reared  in  Westmoreland 
county,  where  he  received  the  limited  education 
of  the  old  subscription  schools  of  that  day,  but 
by  reading  and  observation  since  leaving  school, 
he  has  acquired  a  vast  amount  of  information 
and  Ls  a  well-informed  man.  Leaving  school, 
he  worked  for  ten  years  in  coal-mines,  was  a 
boatman  on  the  river  for  three  years  and  then 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


607 


learned  the  trade  of  blacksmith.  In  1856  he 
came  to  Kiskiminetas  township,  where  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  seventy  acres  near  Maysville 
and  followed  blacksmithing  until  1882,  when 
he  engaged  in  his  present  business  of  farming. 

On  December  2,  1851,  Mr.  Alms  united  in 
marriage  with  Charlotte,  daughter  of  John 
Shoup,  of  South  Bend,  and  who  was  born 
June  19,  1836.  Three  children  were  born  to 
Mr.  and  Airs.  Alms  :  John  G.,'  born  February 
2,  1853  (dead);  Abbie  A.,  born  June  26, 1854, 
wife  of  Reetl  Walker ;  and  Charlotte  E.,  born 
September  11,  1855  (dead).  On  February  5, 
1856,  Mrs.  Alms  died.  September  15,  1857, 
he  married  for  his  second  wife,  Fannie,  daughter 
of  Jacob  Kier,  of  Indiana  county.  Si.K  chil- 
dren have  blest  this  union  :  Nora,  born  March 
21,  1859,  wife  of  George  Mack  ;  Harry,  born 
September  22,  1860,  married  to  Kate  Ringer; 
Virginia,  born  September  8,  1862  ;  Thomas, 
born  June  1,  1865;  Frank,  born  October  4, 
1868  ;  and  Maud,  born  December  4,  1873. 

Henry  J.  Alms  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church,  iu  which  he  served  as  an  elder  for 
several  years.  He  is  a  conservative  democrat 
in  politics,  has  held  township  offices  and  by 
honest,  energetic  and  persistent  labor  has  acquir- 
ed a  competency. 


AMOS  ALTMAN,  one  of  Parksville's  lead- 
ing merchants  and  business  men,  is  a  son 
of  Isaac  and  Elizabeth  Altman,  and  was  born  i 
in  Burrell  township,  Armstrong  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, April  21, 1843.     His  paternal  grand-  • 
father,  Frederick  Altman,  was  born  in  Germany, 
from  whicii  country  he  emigrated  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  settled  in  Kittanning  township.  , 
He  was  a  plowmaker  by  trade,  and  enjoyed  the 
distinction  of  having   made   the   first    one-half 
patent    plow    lever    manufactured    iu    western 
Pennsylvania.     His  son,  Isaac  Altman  (father), 
was  born  in  1805,  in  Kittanning  township  (now 
Burrell),  and  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  and 


cabinet-maker,  which  he  followed  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  July  2,  1888.  He  was 
a  republican  in  politics,  and  a  deacon  in  St. 
Michael's  Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  of 
which  both  he  and  his  wife  were  esteemed  mem- 
bers. He  married  Elizaljeth  Robb,  who  was 
born  in  1822,  in  Kittanning  township,  and 
still  resides  on  the  old  homestead,  iu  Burrell 
township. 

Amos  Altman  grew  to  manhood  on  his 
father's  farm.  He  received  his  eduaition  in 
the  common  schools,  and  leaving  school,  was 
esgaged  in  farming  until  1864.  In  that  year 
he  enlisted  iu  Co.  15,  6tii  Pennsylvania  Heavy 
Artillery  and  served  until  June,  1865,  when  he 
was  discharged  at  Ft.  Ethau  Allen,  Vt.,  but 
was  not  mustcrwl  out  of  the  service  until  he 
reached  Camp  Howe,  at  Pittsburgh.  Return- 
ing home,  he  followed  farming  until  1876, 
when  he  embarked  iu  the  mercantile  business  at 
Cochran's  Mills,  in  which  he  continued  for 
seven  years.  In  1883  he  removed  to  Parks- 
ville,  where  he  opened  his  present  general  mer- 
cantile establishment.  He  has  succeeded  in  build- 
ing up  an  extensive  and  profitable  trade,  and 
keeps  an  excellent  stock  of  dry-goods,  groceries, 
notions  and  hardware,  together  with  everything 
else  to  be  found  in  a  first-class  mercantile  estab- 
lishment. 

In  1867  he  married  Mary  M.  Schall,  daugh- 
ter of  Michael  Schall,  of  Burrell  township,  and 
to  their  union  have  been  born  six  children, 
three  sons  and  three  daughters :  Clara  E.,  Su 
sauna  E.,  Laura  H.,  David  C,  Charles  O.  and 
Ralph  W. 

Amos  Altman  is  a  democrat  and  has  filled  the 
township  offices  of  auditor  aud  collector  of  taxes 
During  Cleveland's  administration  he  held  the 
office  of  postmaster  at  Dime.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  the  United 
Workmen  and  the  People's  Mutual  Accident  As- 
sociation. Mr.  Altman  served  acceptably  during 
his  term  as  postmaster  and  is  probably  as  well 
acquainted  with  all  the  people  in  his  township 


608 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


as  any  man  in  it.     He   is  well   and   favorably 
known  as  a  merchant. 


SAMUEL  S.  BLYHOLDER,  an  ex-State 
officer  of  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  a  justice  of  the  peace  and 
leading  citizen  of  Gilpin  township,  is  a  son  of 
John  G.  and  Rachel  (Bouch)  Blyholder,  and 
was  boi'n  in  Allegheny  (now  Gilpin)  township, 
Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  April  30, 
1849.  John  G.  Blyholder  was  born  in  1806, 
in  Germany,  from  whence  he  emigrated  to 
Pennsylvania,  in  1831,  and  settled  at  Greens- 
burg,  in  AVestmoreland  county,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming.  In  1842  became  to  Gilpin 
township,  and  lived  as  a  tenant,  and  in  1859 
j)iirchased  the  farm  upon  which  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  now  resides.  He  was  a  democrat  in 
politics,  filled  various  township  offices,  and  was 
a  member  and  one  of  the  officers  of  tiie  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  church  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1883,  when  he  was  in  the  seventy- 
second  year  of  his  age.  He  married  Rachel 
Bouch,  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church,  who  was  born  in  Armstrong  county  in 
1817,  and  died  August  30,  1890,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-three  years. 

Samuel  S.  Blyholder  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  in  Gilpin  township,  attendetl  the  public 
schools  and  Irwin  high  school.  He  made  a 
specialty  of  vocal  music,  which  lie  afterwards 
taught  for  ten  years,  although  engaged  at  the 
same  time  in  farming.  In  1881  he  embarked 
in  the  hardware  business  at  Leechburg,  but  after 
his  father's  death,  in  1883,  he  disposed  of  his 
mercantile  establishment  and  jjurchased  the 
homestead  farm,  where  he  has  been  engaged  ever 
since  in  farming.  His  farm  consists  of  one 
hundred  and  forty-seven  acres  of  well-improved 
land.  Among  his  farm  machinery  he  has  in- 
cluded a  steam  chopping  mill. 

December  30,  1880,  he  married  Annie  D. 
Sweeney,  daughter  of  William  Sweeney,  of  West- 


moreland county.  To  their  union  have  been 
born  four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters  : 
Orrin  C,  Elma  M.,  Mary  F.  and  Samuel  W. 
Samuel  S.  Blyholder  is  a  prominent  demo- 
crat, has  filled  the  offices  of  school  director  and 
township  auditor,  and  is  now  serving  his  second 
term  as  justice  of  tlie  peace.  In  1878  he  re- 
ceived the  nomination  of  his  party  for  member 
of  the  Pennsylvania  House  of  Representatives, 
and  although  the  county  was  republican  by  one 
tiiousand  majority,  he  was  beaten  only  by  fifty- 
four  votes.  He  is  a  deacon  and  trustee  of  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  church.  He  is  a  member 
of  Leechburg  Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and 
Mt.  Joy  Grange,  No.  537,  Patrons  of  Husband- 
ry. In  the  last-named  order  he  has  held  both 
county  and  State  offices.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Theil  college,  of 
Greenville,  Mercer  county,  and  has  for  several 
years  been  a  member  of  the  committee  on  mis- 
sions, of  the  Pittsburgh  Synod  of  tlie  Lutheran 
church.  Mr.  Blyholder  is  a  good  neighbor,  a 
popular  citizen,  an  efficient  public  official  and  an 
earnest  worker  in  lodge  and  church.  He  is  a 
man  of  good  judgment,  clear  perception  and 
great  determination,  and  it  is  a  matter  of  no  sur- 
prise that  he  has  achieved  success  and  occupies  a 
prominent  position  in  his  township  and  county. 


GEORGE  BOWMAN,  a  well-known  and  sub- 
stantial farmer  of  Gilpin  township  and 
a  strong  advocate  of  Jeffersonian  democracy,  is 
a  son  of  Abraham  and  Frances  (Rugh)  Bow- 
man, and  was  born  in  Hempfield  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  April  15, 
1813.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Abraham 
Bowman,  was  born  in  Northumberland  county 
and  became  an  early  settler  of  Westmore- 
land county,  in  which  he  resided  until  his 
death.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  church  and  married  Frances  Rugh, 
who  was  bora  in  Hempfield  township,  that 
county,  and  died  in  1852. 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


609 


George  Bowman  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  at  a  time  when  farmers'  sons  had  to  en- 
counter many  hardships.  He  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  subscription  schools  of  that  period 
and  then  engaged  in  farming.  In  1841  he  re- 
moved to  Gilpin  township,  where  lie  purcha.sed 
twenty-three  acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  has 
resided  ever  tince.  He  also  owns  a  valuable 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty-two  acres  of 
good  farming  and  grazing  land,  which  is  situ- 
ated in  Parks  township. 

In  1835  he  married  Sarah  Turney,  daughter 
of  John  Turney,  of  Gilpin  township,  and  to 
their  union  have  been  born  nine  children,  two 
sons  and  seven  daughters  :  Margaret,  Frances 
L.,  Hannah  M.,  Lavina  C,  John  P.,  Sarah  A., 
George T.,  Lydia  and  Christy  A.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bowman  have  sixty  grandchildren  and  five 
great-grandchildren. 

George  Bowman,  his  wife  and  all  of  his 
children  are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Luth- 
eran churcii.  In  politics,  as  in  religion,  Mr- 
Bowman's  family  is  a  unit,  and  all  of  his  sons 
and  sons-in-law  follow  in  his  footsteps  and  vote 
the  democratic  ticket.  Mr.  Bowman  is  an  ac- 
tive worker  in  the  democratic  party  and  has 
served  four  terms  as  road  supervisor  of  Gilpin 
township,  and  has  also  filled  acceptably  the 
office  of  school  director.  On  July  4,  1890,  the 
descendants  of  George  Bowman  and  his 
esteemed  wife  gathered  at  the  homestead  and 
the  seventy  present  represented  four  genera- 
tions, while  the  twelve  who  were  absent  were 
not  forgotten  in  the  pleasant  and  interesting  ex- 
ercises of  that  long-to-be-remembered  occasion. 
Mr.  Bowman  has  never  been  idle  during  his 
long  life  and  is  always  energetic  and  enthusiastic 
in  whatever  enterprise  he  engages.  He  is 
thorough-going  and  wields  an  influence  in  his 
community,  in  school,  church    and  civil  afiairs. 


WILLIAM  T.  CAROTHERS,  a  man  of 
excellent  character  and  high  standing  and 
au  extensive  farmer  and  stock-raiser  of  Kiski- 
minetas  township,  was  born  in  Conemaugh 
township,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  Sep- 
tember 5,  1850,  and  is  a  son  of  James  and 
Elizabeth  (Henderson)  Carotliers.  His  paternal 
grandfather  Carotliers  was  born  in  the  eastern 
part  of  Pennsylvania,  came  to  Indiana  county 
in  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century 
and  settled  along  Black  Legs  creek.  He  was  of 
Irish  descent.  He  married  Nancy  Dickson,  l)y 
whom  he  had  seven  children,  three  sons  and 
four  daughters  :  James  (father),  John,  William 
D.,  Mary  (Mrs.  Black),  Ciua  (Jklrs.  Crook- 
shanks),  Eliza  (Mrs.  Lytic)  and  Martha  (Mrs. 
Cravener).  Robert  Hendenson  (maternal 
grandfather)  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1782, 
came  to  America  about  1805  and  settled  in 
Conemaugh  townshi]),  Indiana  county.  He 
bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres, 
in  the  woods,  which  he  cleared  and  improved. 
He  was  an  industrious  farmer  and  acquired  con- 
siderable property.  He  served  in  the  war  of 
1812  and  was  a  democrat,  but  never  aspire<l  to 
office.  He  married  Margaret  Graham,  by 
whom  he  had  eleven  children,  four  sons  and 
seven  daughters :  William,  Edward,  Robert 
(died  when  young),  Joseph,  Mary  (Mrs.  Mc- 
Means),  Elizabeth  (mother  of  subject),  Jane 
(Mrs.  Daugherty),  Isabella,  Margaret  (Mrs. 
Getty),  Sarah  (Mrs.  Longwell)  and  Lucinda  F. 
(died  when  young).  He  was  a  member  of 
Saltsburg  Presbyterian  church  and  was  a  very 
strict  adherent  to  the  doctrines  and  practices  of 
his  church.  He  died  in  1871,  aged  eighty-nine 
years  and  his  wife  died  about  1865,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-five  years.  James  Carothers  (father) 
was  born  on  the  old  homestead  in  Indiana 
county,  in  1814.  He  worked  as  a  laborer  for 
some  years — part  of  this  time  on  the  Pennsyl- 
vania canal.  In  1853  he  moved  to  Armstrong 
county,  where  he  bought  a  farm  of  two  hun- 
dred acres  of  very  fertile  land  near  Maysville. 


filO 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


He  was  a  republican  in  politics,  a  member  of 
Olivet  United  Presl)yteriau  church,  in  which  he 
was  a  trustee  and  a  hard  worker.  In  184G  he 
married  Elizabeth  Henderson,  by  whom  he  had 
four  children :  Robert  H.,  an  editor  and  pub- 
lisher of  Louisville,  Ky.,  is  a  graduate  of  Lafa- 
yette college,  was  a  professor  at  Shippensburg 
Normal  and  went  from  there  to  Louisville  to 
become  principal  of  the  Youug  Men's  high 
school ;  William  T.,  Lucy  F.,  and  Martha  A. 
James  Carothers  died  January  29,  1887.  Mrs. 
Carothers  is  still  living. 

William  T.  Carothers  was  reared  on  a  farm 
and  received  his  education  in  the  Maysville 
public  schools.  In  1879  he  bought  his  father's 
farm  and  finished  his  present  handsome  resi- 
dence, which  had  been  commenced  by  his 
father. 

On  January  2,  1878,  he  married  Minnie  J. 
Stear,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Augusta  Stear,  a 
farmer  of  Armstrong  township,  Indiana  county  ; 
she  is  highly  respected  by  all  who  know  her. 

He  is  a  republican  iu  politics  and  a  member 
and  trustee  of  Olivet  United  Presbyterian 
church.  In  addition  to  farming  he  raises  con- 
siderable stock  and  of  late  years  has  given  some 
atlention  to  raising  thoroughbred  horses  and 
cattle.  Mr.  Carothers  is  a  liberal  contributor  to 
liis  church  and  to  all  moral  movements  or  socie- 
ties deserving  of  aid  aud  encouragement. 


JOHN  S.  CHAMBERS,  a  courteous  gentle- 
man and  a  native  and  resident  of  Kiski- 
minetas  township,  was  born  March  20,  1860, 
on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  resides,  in  Kiski- 
minetas  township,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  is  the  youngest  child  of  John  W. 
aud  JNIargaret  (Hunter)  Chambers.  His  pater- 
nal grandfather,  Benjamin  Chambers,  was  born 
in  Westmoreland  county  in  1798.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Poke 
run.  In  1819  he  married  Mary  Ralston,  daugh- 
ter of  Robert  Ralston,  and  moved  to  a  farm 


I  near  Markle,  Westmoreland  county,  where  he 
'  resided  until  his  death.  They  had  seven  chil- 
;  dren :  John  W.,  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
;  sketch  ;  Robert,  born  in  1822,  married  Eliza- 
!  beth  Henry ;  George,  born  in  1823,  married 
Eliza  Jones,  sister  of  Rev.  J.  M.  Jones  ;  Eliza- 
beth, born  in  1824,  married  William  McKil- 
]  lip,  who  died  in  1869,  and  in  1874  she  married 
William  Miller,  an  elder  of  Apollo  Presbyterian 
church  and  one  of  its  original  members;  James, 
1  born  in  1826,  married  Charlotte  Marlin,  who 
died  in  1886,  and  in  1889  he  married  Mrs. 
Theresa  Taylor;  Benjamin,  born  in  1830,  mar- 
ried Nancy  McCartney,  who  died  in  1855,  and 
afterwards  married  Sarah  Hull ;  Nancy,  born 
in  1836,  married  Samuel  Hays,  and  died  in 
1876 ;  Mary,  born  in  1843,  married  David 
Forry.  Mr.  Chambers  died  in  1844,  and  is 
buried  at  Poke  run.  Mrs.  Chambers  died  in 
1879,  and  wa.s  buried  in  Iowa.  His  maternal 
great-grandfather.  Hunter,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  His  maternal  grandfather, 
James  Hunter,  was  born  iu  Westmoreland 
county,  near  Greensburg,  in  1788,  and  then 
moved  to  within  nine  miles  of  Indiana,  Indiana 
county,  where  he  resided  on  the  farm  owned 
by  his  father.  He  was  an  old-line  whig,  a 
member  and  elder  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
at  Bethel,  a  good  Christian  and  a  conscientious 
mau.  In  1813  he  married  Mary  Ralston, 
daughter  of  Matthew  Ralston,  who  came  from 
Ireland  and  settled  in  Westmoreland  county. 
i  They  had  five  children :  Matthew,  born  in 
I  1814,  married  Hannah  Kilgore;  Margaret, 
born  in  1815,  mother  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketi'h ;  James,  born  in  1817,  married  Mary 
Ralston  (died  1886);  Martha,  born  in  1818, 
wife  of  Jonas  Hilderbran,  and  Mary,  born  in 
1820,  wife  of  William  Stewart;  she  died  in 
1857.  Mrs.  Hunter  died  in  1820,  and  in  1822 
Mr.  Hunter  married  Jane  Davis,  daughter  of 
William  Davis,  who  was  a  farmer  of  Indiana 
county.  To  this  second  union  wei'e  born  six 
children :  Jane,  born  in  1823,  wife  of  James 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


fill 


Nesbit  (she  died  1866);  William,  born  in  1825 
(died  1856);  Robert,  born  in  1S26  (died  1844); 
John,  born  in  1828 ;  David,  born  in  1830, 
married  Mary  Ackisoii,  served  in  the  civil  war 
from  1861  to  18(i4,  wlieu  he  was  honorably 
di.s(^iiarged  (died  18.S1);  and  Susan, born  in  1832, 
wife  of  William  Lowman  (she  died  in  1851). 
Mr.  Hunter  diet!  in  1854,  and  is  buried  at 
Bethel.  Mrs.  Hunter  .lied  in  1860.  John  W. 
Chambers  (father)  was  born  near  Markle,  in 
Westmoreland  county,  May  9,  1820.  In  1851 
he  moved  to  Armstrong  county,  where  he 
bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  eleven  acres 
of  land. 

He  was  a  stanch  republican  and  a  mem- 
ber and  trustee  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
at  Boiling  Springs,  which  he  aided  in  every 
possible  way.  INlarch  31,  1842,  Mr.  Chambers 
married  Margaret  Hunter,  by  whom  he  had 
nine  children  :  Benjamin  F.,  born  October  29, 
1843,  died  April  2,  1844;  Mary  E.,  born  Jan- 
uary 27,  1845;  Benjamin  C,  born  February  6, 
1847;  an  infant  son,  born  January  13,  1849, 
died  January  17,  1849;  Nancy  J.,  born  April 

28,  1850;  Martha,  born  September  5,  1852, 
married  David  H.  McKalip,  a  mechanic  at 
Verona,  on  December  25,  1877;  William  J. 
C,  born  December  2,  1 854,  died  December  22, 
1868;  Margaret  E.  H.,  born  June  3,  1858, 
and  John  S.      Mr.  Chambers  died  November 

29,  1883. 

John  S.  Chambers  was  reared  on  the  farm 
until  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Kiski- 
minetas  township.  After  leaving  school,  he 
taught  eight  terms.  He  is  a  well-informed 
and  energetic  young  man,  and  has  the  esteem 
and  confidence  of  his  neighbors. 

He  is  a  republican  in  political  matters,  and 
has  held  most  of  his  township's  offices.  He  is 
an  earnest  Christian  worker,  and  is  a  member 
of  Boiling  Springs  Presbyterian  church,  in 
which  he  has  been  a  trustee  for  ten  years. 


HENRY  DUNMIRE,  one  of  the  highly 
respected  and  industrious  citizens  of  Kis- 
kiminetas  township,  was  born  on  the  farm  on 
which  he  now  resides  in  Kiskiminetas  township, 
Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  July  19, 
1826,  and  is  a  son  of  Solomon  and  Margaret 
(Hancock)  Dunmire.  George  Dunmire  (paternal 
grandfather),  a  native  of  Germany,  came  to  Penn- 
sylvania and  purchased  and  lived  on  a  farm  in 
Westmoreland  county.  He  married  and  had  si.\ 
children,  four  sons  and  two  daughters.  Stophle 
Hancock  (maternal  grandfather)  was  of  English 
descent  and  owned  antl  lived  on  a  farm  in 
Westmoreland  county  nearly  all  of  his  life.  He 
spent  his  last  days  in  Armstrong  county  with 
his  daughter,  Mrs.  Margaret  Dunmii-e  (mother). 
He  married  Magdalena  Clair,  by  whom  he  had 
six  children,  five  sons  and  one  daughter.    Solo- 

I  mon  Dunmire  (father)  was  born  in  Westmore- 
lend  county  in  1789.  He  worked  on  his 
father's  farm  until  1810,  when  he  came  with 
his  father  to  Armstrong  county,  where  he  bought 
a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acies,  one  mile 
north  of  Maysville.  This  farm  is  now  one  of  the 
most  productive  of  the  township.  He  after- 
wards purchased  another  farm  adjoining  of  sixty 

'  acres.  The  country  was  all  woods  and  abounded 
in  deer,  bears,  turkeys,  etc.     He  was  a  farnier, 

I  carpenter,  stone-mason  and  cooper.     For  fifteen 

!  years  he  ran  a  di.stillery  known  as  "  Dunmire's 
Distillery."  The  farmers  brought  their  rye  to 
him  to  have  it  converted  into  whiskey.  He  was 
very  fond  of  working  with  bees  and  had  some- 
times as  many  as  one  hundred  hives.  He  was 
hard-working,  industrious  and  honest,  and  was 
the  leading  man  in  his  community.  He  was  a 
strict  democrat,  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  died  May  16,  1845,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-seven  years.  In  1804  he  married  Mar- 
garet Hancock,  who  died  February  17,  1866, 
aged  eighty-five  years.  They  had  twelve  chil- 
dren :  George,  a  farmer  of  Kansas ;  Mary  M. 
(Mrs.  White) ;  Isaac  (dead);  Samuel  (dead) ;  John, 
Polly  (Mrs.  Steffy) ;  Hannah  (Mrs.  Deamer) ; 


612 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Sarah  (Mrs.  Steffy) ;  Andrew,  a  farmer  of  Arm- 
strong county ;  Henry  (subject) ;  Margaret 
(Mrs.  Davis) ;  and  William,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one. 

Henry  Dunmire  received  his  education  in  the 
schoolsof  Kiskiminetas  township,  and  at  his  fath- 
er's death  he  bought  the  home  farm  from  the  heirs. 
He  has  been  a  farmer  all  his  life  and  has  dealt 
some  in  stock.  He  has  been  very  successful  in 
farming  and  has  a  good  farm,  a  fine  frame  resi- 
dence and  a  large  convenient  barn.  He  is  a  strict 
democrat,  but  no  office-seeker.  As  a  business 
man  he  is  honest,  and  as  a  citizen  and  neighbor 
is  respected  and  esteemed.  He  is  of  German- 
English  extraction  and  by  years  of  honest  toil 
has  acquired  a  conipetency. 

On  December  9,  18-52,  he  married  for  his 
first  wife  Margaret  L.,  daughter  of  Michael  An- 
derson, who  is  a  blacksmith  by  trade  and  a 
farmer  in  Kiskiminetas  township.  Three  chil- 
dren were  born  to  this  union ;  Elmira,  wife  of 
John  y.  Sipes,  now  living  in  Dakota ;  Ander- 
son (dead) ;  and  Marion,  at  home.  Mrs.  Dun- 
mire died  iu  October,  1859,  and  in  1864,  Mr. 
Dunmire  married  Rachel  Moore,  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  Moore,  a  cooper  by  trade  and  a  farmer  of 
Kiskiminetas  township.  To  this  second  union 
were  born  tliree  children  ;  Laura,  wife  of  Luther 
Anderson,  of  Apollo:  Inis,  wife  of  Wm.  Kun- 
kle,  of  Apollo ;  and  Smith,  who  is  still  at  home. 


JOHN  S.  FREE  was  a  man  whose  life  had 
^  been  one  of  industry,  integrity  and  econ- 
omy. For  over  half  a  century  he  had  been  a 
pillar  of  strength  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  where  his  services  were  very  valuable 
and  where  they  were  highly  appreciated.  He 
was  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Annie  (Stevenson) 
Free,  and  was  born  on  the  Youghiogheny  river, 
two  miles  above  McKeesport,  in  Allegheny 
county,  Pennsylvania,  May  4,  1810.  His 
father,  Daniel  Free,  was  a  native  of  Bucks 
county,  and  a  miller  by  trade.     He  operated 


the  Crawford  mill,  in  Westmoreland  county,  for 
some  years,  and  then  came  to  Leechburg,  where 
he  died,  in  1848,  at  sixty -two  years  of  age. 
He  married  Annie  Stevenson  and  they  reared  a 
a  family  of  seven  sons  and  four  daughters. 
These  children  are  all  dead  except  Jackson  Free. 

John  S.  Free  was  reared  in  Allegheny  coun- 
ty, and  attended  the  subscription  schools  of 
that  period.  For  some  time  during  his  early 
life  he  was  a  steerer  on  the  packet-boats  on  the 
old  Pennsylvania  canal.  In  1838  he  removed 
to  Parks  township,  Armstrong  county,  and 
purchased  the  farm  of  ninety  acres  which  he 
tilled  until  his  death. 

On  June  5,  1834,  he  married  Mary  Duulap, 
a  daughter  of  William  Dunlap,  of  Apollo,  and 
who  was  born  June,  1812,  and  passed  away 
August  Kt,  1857.  To  their  union  were  born 
nine  children,  of  whom  all  are  dead  except 
Reuben  L.,  who  married  Ella  Nora  Cogley,  of 
Leechburg,  aud  is  now  a  bar-roller  at  that 
place.  Of  these  children  three  were  daughters : 
Laureta  H.,  Grace  I.  and  Ethel  J.,  aud  three 
of  the  sons  lost  their  lives  in  the  late  war. 
In  April,  1858,  John  S.  Free  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Mary  Davis,  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
Davis,  of  Bethel  township,  and  who  died  June 
10,  1889.  To  this  second  union  were  born 
three  sons :  Horner  D.,  a  farmer  of  Parks  town- 
ship; aud  Miles  P.,  and  Rev.  Harry  S.,  a  min- 
ister of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  a 
resident  of  Boston,  Mass. 

In  jjohtics  Mr.  Free  was  a  republican,  and 
at  one  time  served  as  overseer  of  the  poor  of 
Parks  township.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  for  over  fifty 
years,  aud  Divine  service  was  frequently  held 
in  his  house  before  his  denomination  built  their 
church  at  Leechburg.  He  was  a  steward  and 
class-leader  in  his  church  and  was  highly  es- 
teemed by  all  who  knew  him.  Money-getting 
or  keeping  had  not  been  the  sole  object  in  life 
with  him,  and  he  was  satisfied  with  a  comfort- 
able living  honestly  earned.     His  life  was  one 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


613 


of  usefulness  and  unselfishness  in  the  different 
communities  in  which  he  resided.  He  passed 
from  the  scenes  and  trials  of  life  on  September 
14,  1890,  when  in  the  eighty-first  year  of  his 
age,  and  his  remains  were  interred  in  Lceehburg 
cemetery.  Although,  at  his  advanced  age,  his 
death  was  not  entirely  unexpected,  yet  it  caused 
sincere  regret  among  his  numerous  friends  and 
ac(iuaintances.  His  public  life  was  character- 
ized by  the  same  admirable  qualities  for  which 
he  was  distinguished  in  private  life.  His 
ciiosen  field  of  effort  was  in  his  churcii,  where 
he  won  the  esteem  and  love  of  his  pastors  and 
fellow-members  by  his  zeal  and  devotion  to  the 
cause  of  Christianity.  He  made  his  life  a  suc- 
cess and  left  to  his  family  the  priceless  inherit- 
ance of  a  good  name  and  spotless  reputation. 


WILLIAM  G.  GUTHRIE.  Few  persons 
have  a  just  conception  of  tlie  extent  and 
importance  of  the  natural  gas  territory  of  west- 
ern Pennsylvania,  and  among  those  who  are  en- 
gaged in  the  development  of  the  gas-fields  of 
Armstrong  county  is  William  G.  Guthrie,  of 
Kiskirainetas  township.  He  is  a  son  of  Andrew 
D.  and  Margaret  (Cummins)  Guthrie,  and  was 
born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  resides  in 
Kiskimiuetas  township,  Armstrong  county, 
Pennsylvania,  December  16,  1848.  His  pater- 
nal grandfather,  James  Guthrie,  was  born  on 
Beaver  run,  in  Westmoreland  county,  between 
1770  and  1775,  and  came  to  Armstrong  county 
about  1796,  where  he  bought  a  farm  of  three 
hundred  acres  of  land.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  has  the  receipt  which  was  given  his 
grandfather  by  William  Penn's  heirs,  for  the 
purchase  money  for  this  farm.  This  farm  was 
in  the  woods  and  Indians  and  wild  animals 
were  plenty.  He  built  a  log  cabin  and  cleared 
out  a  large  part  of  his  farm. 

He  was  in  active  service  in  the  war  of  1812, 
and  afterwards  drew  a  pension.  He  was  a  whig, 
an   old  and  influential   member   of  Saltsburg 


Presbyterian  church,  of  which  he  was  an  elder 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  always  did  all  he 
could  to  further  the  cause  of  Christianity.  Mr. 
Guthrie  died  in  December,  1848,  and  Mrs. 
Guthrie  died  in  April,  1849.  Jainiary  5, 1796, 
he  m.irried  Margaret  Dixon  and  had  ten  chil- 
dren :  Jennie,  Agnes,  Samuel,  John,  Mary, 
-lames,  who  died  in  infancy  ;  William,  Andrew 
I).,  Joseph  R.  and  James  S.    Thoy  are  all  dead. 

William  Cummins  (maternal  grandfather) 
was  born  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  Va., 
moved  to  Indiana  county,  where  he  bought  a 
farm  near  Two  Lick,  and  in  a  short  time  .sold 
it  and  moved  to  Crooked  creek.  He  was  a 
stock-dealer,  was  very  successful,  and  at  his 
death  owned  nearly  one  thousand  acres  of  land. 
He  was  a  whig,  but  never  took  an  active  part 
in  political  matters,  a  presbyterian  in  religion, 
and  married  IMargaret  Todd.  They  had  eleven 
children  :  David,  Susan,  Samuel,  Jane,  Ellen, 
Elizabeth,  Mary,  W^illiam,  Joseph,  Margaret 
and  John.  All  these  are  dead  except  Margaret, 
mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Mr. 
Cummins  died  in  1833  and  Mrs.  Cummins  some 
years  later.  A.  D.  Guthrie  (father)  was  born  on 
the  farm  now  owned  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
June  2,  1812.  He  was  a  farmer  and  a  repub- 
lican in  politics,  but  never  held  any  office.  He 
was  a  hard-working,  energetic  man,  continued 
to  improve  his  farm  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  September  24,  1860,  at  forty-eight 
years  of  age,  and  his  remains  are  buried  at 
Beaula  church.  He  married  Margaret  Cum- 
mins, who  was  born  May  12,  1813,  by  whom 
he  had  five  children  :  Twins,  born  September 
5,  1844;  Margaret  J.,  August  28,  1845;  John 
C,  born  December  16,  1846,  and  William  C. 

William  C.  Guthrie  was  educated  in  the  pul> 
lie  schools  of  Kiskiminetas  township  and  Eld- 
er's Ridge  academy.  After  leaving  school  he 
was  engaged  in  farming  for  seven  years  and 
then  became  a  contractor  in  the  charcoal  busi- 
ness at  Apollo.  He  is  now  engagetl  in  the  gas 
business  and  has  leased  a  large  amount  of  terri- 


014 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


tory  for  the  Pine  Run  Gas  company.  He  owns 
a  farm  of  tliree  luindred  acres  of  well-improved 
and  very  productive  land.  He  enlisted  in  July, 
1864,  in  a  regiment  of  militia  (100  days'  men) 
from  Pennsylvania,  was  at  the  burning  of 
Chambersbnrg,  and  was  discharged  in  JNoveni- 
ber  of  the  same  year. 

December  5,  1878,  Mr.  Guthrie  united  in 
marriage  with  Margaret,  daughter  of  William 
McAdoo,  of  Kiskiminetas  township,  and  their 
union  has  been  blest  with  four  children:  John  A., 
born  August  25,  1879;  Nancy  T.,  born  April 
11,  1881  ;  Margaret  J.,  born  January  15,  1884, 
and  William  J.,  born  September  19,  1885. 

William  C.  Guthrie  is  a  republican,  but  takes 
no  active  part  in  politics.  He  has  served  as 
school  director  for  seven  years  and  is  a  member 
of  Boiling  Springs  Presbyterian  church.  He  is 
a  member  of  Lodge,  No.  437,  Free  and  Accept- 
ed Masons,  and  is  also  a  Knight  Templar  in  the 
Masonic  fraternity. 


GIDEON  HECKMAN,  a  respected  citizen 
and  prosperous  farmer  of  Pai'ks  town- 
ship, is  one  of  the  self-made  men  of  this  county, 
He  is  a  son  of  Abraham  and  Esther  (Klingen- 
smitli)  Heckman,  and  was  born  in  what  is  now 
(Hlpin  township,  Armstrong  county,  Pa.,  Feb- 
ruary 26,  1834.  The  Heckman  family  of  Arm- 
strong county  is  of  German  origin,  but  its  an- 
cestors for  several  generations  have  been  natives 
of  the  United  States.  Philip  Heckman  (grand- 
father) was  born  in  1770,  in  Lancaster  county, 
from  whence  he  removed  to  Armstrong  county, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1839,  in  Gilpin  township,  at  sixty- 
nine  years  of  age.  One  of  his  sons,  Abraham 
Heckman  (father),  was  born  in  1813,  in  West- 
'  moreland  county,  but  removed  to  Armstrong 
county  in  1815,  where  he  has  since  been  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits.  He  is  now  in  the 
seventy-eighth  year  of  his  age  and  is  an  active 
man  for  his  years.     He  is  a  member  of  the 


Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  a  strong  demo- 
crat, and  has  filled  various  township  offices. 
He  marrie<l  Esther  Klingensmith,  who  was 
born  in  Gilpin  township,  in  1816,  aud  is  an 
esteemed  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church.  They  reared  a  family  of  seven  sons 
and  three  daughters. 

Gideon  Heckman  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  in  Gilpin  township,  and  received  a  com- 
mon-school education.  Leaving  school,  he 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising,  which  he 
has  followed  ever  since.  He  now  owns  a  pro- 
ductive farm  of  one  hundred  acres  of  land, 
which  is  well  improve<l  and  well  cultivated. 

On  October  19,  1859,  he  married  Sarah 
Shoemaker,  daughter  of  Daniel  Shoemaker,  of 
Burrell  township.  To  their  union  have  been 
born  five  children, three  sons  and  two  daughters: 
Essie,  wife  of  Dr.  U.  0.  Heilman,  of  Leech- 
burg  ;  Harry  Birt,  who  married  Emma  Small 
and  resides  in  Westmoreland  county ;  Miles, 
Ada  and  William. 

In  jjolitics,  Mr.  Heckman  is  a  democrat,  has 
filled  various  township  offices,  and  is  now  serv- 
ing his  tenth  year  as  school  director.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church, 
and  has  been  for  more  than  two  years  a  deacon 
in  his  church.  Gideon  Heckman  commenced 
life  for  himself  without  capital  and  has  secured 
his  present  competency  by  his  own  energy  and 
enterprise. 


HIRAM  HILL,  who  was  engaged  in  farming 
in  Gilpin  township  until  his  death  in 
1891,  wns  oue  of  the  most  successful  salt  man- 
ufacturers of  the  Allegheny  and  Conemaugh 
valleys.  He  was  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Waltz)  Hill,  and  was  born  in  Allegheny  (now 
Gilpin)  township,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, December  17,  1812.  The  Hill  family  is 
of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  aud  was  one  of  the 
pioneer  families  of  Westmoreland  county,  where 
it    was  founded  by   John    Hill   (grandfather), 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


615 


who  was  a  native  of  an  eastern  Pennsylvania 
county.  He  settled  near  Salem,  in  that  county, 
where  he  was  captured  by  a  band  of  luiliaus. 
By  one  account  he  was  never  heard  of  after- 
wards, and  according  to  another  account  he  was  ! 
taken  by  his  red  captors  to  "  Hickory  Flats," 
above  the  site  of  Oil  city,  and  tortured  to  death.  1 
His  son,  John  Hill,  .Tr.  (father),  was  born  in  \ 
1772,  and  was  a  wlieelwright  by  trade.  He 
ran  one  of  the  first  saw  and  grist-mills  erected 
in  his  neigiiborhood  on  the  Kiskiminetas  river, 
and  the  people  came  to  it  for  thirty  miles  to  get 
their  grain  ground.  lie  removed,  in  1811,  to 
Allegheny  (now  Gilpin)  township,  wiiere  he 
made  his  home  until  his  death,  on  January  9, 
1848,  when  he  was  in  the  seventy-.seventh  year 
of  his  age.  He  was  an  active,  energetic  man, 
a  democrat  in  politics  and  a  member  of  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  church.  He  was  reared 
on  the  frontier,  became  accustomed  to  danger 
and  fatigue,  and  was  a  fine  type  of  tiie  useful 
and  hardy  pioneer  of  western  Pennsylvania. 
He  was  one  of  the  commissioners  appointed  by 
the  trovernmeut  to  clear  out  tiie  Kiskiminetas 
river,  and  after  settling  in  Gilpin  township  (then 
a  part  of  Allegheny),  he  planted  one  of  the 
first  orchards  of  southern  Armstrong  county. 
As  a  farmer  he  was  very  successful,  and  as  a 
citizen  he  cotnmandetl  the  respect  of  all  who 
knew  him.  He  married  Elizabeth  Waltz,  of 
German  descent.  She  was  a  native  of  West- 
moreland county,  and  a  member  of  the  Luth- 
eran church.  She  died  October  13,  1815,  leav- 
ing ten  children,  of  whom  Daniel  is  still  living. 
For  his  second  wife,  Mr.  Hill  married  Susan 
Emmon,  who  lived  to  be  near  one  hundred 
years  of  age.  To  this  second  union  were  born 
nine  children. 

Hiram  Hill  was  reared  ou  the  farm  and  re- 
ceived a  practical  businass  education.  At  the  age 
of  twenty-one  years  he  embarked  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  salt,  which  he  followetl  successfully  for 
many  years  in  the  Allegheny  and  Conemaugh 
Valleys.      In   1865    he    moved    from    his  salt 


works  and  purchased  the  farm  upon  which  he 
lived  until  his  death.  It  contains  one  hundred 
and  twenty-.seven  acres  of  well  improved  land, 
on  which  is  a  large  and  conveniently  arranged 
brick  dwelling-house.  This  farm  is  about 
three  miles  from  Leechburg,  on  the  Leechburg 
and  Kittanning  road.  Besides  his  home  farm, 
Mr.  Hill  owned  two  other  productive  farms  in 
Armstrong  county. 

In  IS.'M  he  married  Margaret  Shaffer, 
daughter  of  John  Shaffer,  of  Gilpin  township. 
She  was  born  in  1809  and  died  May  20,  1887, 
when  in  the  79th  year  of  her  age.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hill  were  born  six  children,  two  sons  and 
four  daughters  :  Elizabeth,  Eliza,  Frances  S., 
Jefferson,  Daniel  M.  and  Harriet,  who  died  in 
infancy. 

Hiram  Hill  was  a  democrat  in  politics  and 
liad  held  the  office  of  .school  director  of  Gilpin 
township  for  several  years.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  General  Synod  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  church,  and  died  on  January  16,  1891, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  nearly  eighty  years. 
His  life  was  one  of  honesty  and  usefulness. 


TAMES  y.  JACKSON,  a  representative 
*'  farmer  of  Armstrong  county,  is  one  of  that 
class  of  men  who  win  success  and  honorable 
standing  in  life  through  their  own  energy  and 
individual  merit.  He  is  the  eldest  son  of  John 
and  Elizabeth  (McCartney)  Jackson,  and  was 
born  on  the  old  Jackson  iiomestead  in  Kiski- 
minetas township,  Armstrong  county.  One  of 
the  oldest  and  most  highly  respected  families  of 
Kiskiminetas  township  is  the  .lackson  family 
(see  .sketch  of  Gen.  S.  ^I.  Jack.son,  of  Apollo). 
It  was  founded  by  James  Jackson,  who  came 
with  his  parents  to  Chester  county  prior  fo  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  afterwards  acconipanicfl 
them  to  Hannastown,  Westmoreland  couifty. 
Some  time  after  the  destruction  of  that  place 
by  the  Indians,  they  came  to  Kiskiminetas 
township,  where  they  were  the  first  settlers  in 


CIG 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


that  part  of  the  county  which  is  north  of  the 
river.  There  James  Jackson  married  and 
lived  until  his  death,  at  eighty-four  years  of 
age.  James  and  Jane  Jackson  (paternal  grand- 
parents) reared  a  family  of  four  sons  and  one 
daughter.  The  eldest  son,  John  Jackson,  was 
born  October  12,  1797,  and  died  January  8, 
1853. 

He  was  a  man  of  integrity,  and  his  ser- 
vices were  in  great  demand  among  his  neigh- 
bors as  an  arbitrator  in  disputes.  On  October 
25,  1826,  he  married  Elizabeth  McCartney,  an 
estimable  Christian  woman,  who  was  born  at 
Indiana,  Pa.,  October  10,  1805,  and  died 
August  9,  1880.  They  had  ten  children: 
Nancy  J.  (Coleman) ;  Sarah  T.  (Martin) ;  James 
Y.,  General  Samuel  M.,  Jolm  T.,  William  T. 
(deceased) ;  Mary  E.  (Owens) ;  Martha  M. 
(Cochran) ;  Joseph  B.,  and  Winfield  S.  (de- 
ceased). 

James  Y.  Jackson  attended  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  township,  and  was  one  of  the  few 
farmers  of  the  towiiship  who  cared  to  continue 
their  studies  beyond  their  school-days.  Always 
fond  of  books,  he  has  indulged  his  taste  for 
literature  as  far  as  his  leisure  time  and  financial 
ability  will  permit,  and  isoneof  the  well-read  men 
of  Armstrong  county.  He  has  given  his  farm  the 
benefit  of  his  reading  on  agriculture  and  con- 
ducts his  farming  operations  upon  the  latest 
and  best  scientific  methods.  His  abundant 
crops  amply  repay  him  for  his  time  and  labor. 
He  is  widely  known  as  a  raiser  of  thorough- 
bred stock,  especially  horses,  of  which  he  owns 
some  of  the  finest  in  the  county.  He  owns  a 
farm  of  two  hundred  and  four  acres  of  land, 
upon  which  he  has  erected  a  handsome  brick 
house,  a  commodious,  substantial  barn,  and  all 
other  necessary  out-buildings.  During  the  late 
civil  war  he  enlisted  in  the  Pennsylvania  Mil- 
itia for  the  protection  of  the  State,  but  as  four 
of  his  brothers  were  from  home,  fighting  in 
defence  of  their  country,  he  deemed  it  his  duty, 
as  the  eldest  son,  to  look  after  his  parents  and 


the  families  of  his  brothers,  and  on  that  account 
did  not  join  his  brothers  at  the  front. 

On  November  8,  1856,  he  married  Wilhel- 
mina  Townsend,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Cath- 
erine Townsend,  of  Kiskiminetas  township. 
(See  sketch  of  A.  K.  Townsend.)  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Jackson  have  been  born  five  sous  and 
seven  daughters  :  Laura  V.,  the  wife  of  W.  W. 
Beatty,  a  farmer ;  Catharine,  married  to  J.  P. 
Wilson,  who  is  engaged  in  farming ;  Hannah 
M.,  who  died  November  5,  1865;  Winnie  Z., 
the  wife  of  William  Henderson  ;  Ada  M.,  mar- 
ried to  Edward  Culp;  Carrie  A.,  married  to 
Harry  Walker,  an  iron-worker;  Samuel  H., 
who  married  Martha  M.  Van  Tassel,  and  is  an 
iron-worker  ;  Burton  W.,  an  iron-worker  ;  John 
S.,  James  E.,  Florence  W.,  and  Arthur  N. 

James  Y.  Jackson  is  an  active  republican  in 
politics,  and  has  frequently  been  elected  school- 
director  of  Kiskiminetas  township.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  and 
is  a  trustee  of  the  church  of  that  denomination 
at  Apollo.  He  has  always  been  identified  with 
all  the  moral  reforms  of  his  township  for  the 
good  of  society,  and  is  a  man  of  liberal  and 
progressive  ideas. 


GEORGE  H.  JONES,  a  descendant  of  two 
old  substantial  English  families  and  one  of 
Kiskiminetas  township's  public-spirited  and  in- 
fluential citizens,  was  born  at  Soho  Hill,  Pitts- 
burgh, Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania,  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1833,  and  is  a  sou  of  Peter  and 
Rachacl  (Hulton)  Jones.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, Jones,  was  born  in  Mancliester,  Lanca- 
shire, England.  He  was  a  linen  weaver  by 
trade,  a  member  of  the  church  of  England, 
married  and  had  one  child,  Peter  Jones  (fatiier). 
Mr.  Hulton  (maternal  grandfather)  was  born 
near  Manchester,  England,  and  was  the  owner 
of  "  Hulton  Hall,"  which  was  a  large  and 
imposing    castle.      He    owned   a    large    tract 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


617 


of  land,  including  a  hunting  park  and  pleasure 
grounds.  He  belonged  to  the  nobility  of 
England.  He  was  a  member  of  the  "  King's 
Guards,"  was  considered  the  handsomest  man 
in  England,  and  was  six  feet  six  inciies  in 
height,  with  a  perfect  form  and  fine  physique. 
A  portrait  of  him  now  hangs  in  the  gallery 
of  Windsor  castle.  He  was  an  episcopalian 
and  married  a  lady,  by  whom  he  had  two 
children  :  Rachel  (mother  of  subject)  and 
Jonathan,  for  whom  Hulton's  station,  on  the 
A.  V.  R.  R.,  was  named,  and  who,  after  the 
death  of  his  fatlier,  came  to  America  and 
settled  near  Minersville,  Pa.  There  is  a  for- 
tune of  4,000,000  pounds  sterling  coming  to 
the  Hulton  heirs,  and  their  case  is  now  in  the 
English  courts  of  Chancery,  as  tiie  will  of  the 
grandfather  was  stolen  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  Peter  Jones  (father)  was  born  in 
Lancashire,  England.  He  learned  tlie  trade 
of  weaver  witli  his  father,  at  which  he 
worked  for  some  time.  He  came  to  Amer- 
ica, settled  in  Lancaster  county,  where  he  re- 
mained but  a  short  time  and  then  removed  to 
Soho,  then  Pitt  township,  Allegheny  county. 
He  was  considered  one  of  the  finest  weavers  in 
Pennsylvania.  He  served  in  the  English  army 
and  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  church  of  England  and 
after  becoming  a  citizen  of  the  United  States 
was  a  whig  in  politics.  He  married  Rachel 
Hulton  and  had  six  children  :  Elizabeth,  wife 
of  Edward  Winters  and  after  his  death  married 
Thomas  Towers ;  Jonathan  H.,  married  Mrs. 
Baldwin;  Rachel  (dead);  Sarah  (dead);  Wil- 
liam, who  died  young ;  and  George  H.  The 
three  eldest  were  born  in  England.  Mrs.  Jones 
died  in  1872. 

George  H.  Jones  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Pittsburgh.  After  leaving 
school  he  was  a  boatman  on  the  Ohio  river  and 
was  next  employed,  for  eighteen  years,  in  the 
lumber  yards  of  James  McBrier.  In  1872  he 
came  to  Armstrong  county,  where  he  bought  a 


farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  very 
fertile  land,  two  miles  east  of  Apollo.  In 
1876  lie  embarked  in  his  present  dairy  business. 
He  has  thirty  cows  and  sells  forty  gallons 
of  milk  per  day  at  Apollo. 

In  September,  1858,  Mr.  Jones  married 
Kliza  A.,  daugiiter  of  Thomas  Fletcher,  a  cabi- 
net-maker of  Butler  county.  Seven  children 
have  blest  their  union,  two  sons  and  five  daugh- 
ters: Nellie,  born  January  24,  1860,  and  died 
when  young ;  Elizabeth  T.,  born  October  5, 
1862;  John  F.,  born  February  14,  1864,  mar- 
ried Auuie  Pool,  and  is  now  dead ;  William 
E.,  born  June  11,  1866;  Annie,  born  January 
17,  1869;  Sadie,  born  July  22,  1871;  and 
Catherine,  born  December  12,  1875. 

Politically,  Mr.  Jones  is  a  republican.  He 
lias  been  very  succe.ssful  in  life  and  has  one  of 
the  finest  residences  in  the  county. 


WILLIAM  KEPPEL,  a  farmer  of  Arm- 
strong county,  and  a  justice  of  the  peace 
of  Parks  township,  is  a  son  of  David  and  Mag- 
dalene (Hawke)  Keppel,  and  was  born  in  Parks 
township,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  De- 
cember %i,  1848.  The  Keppel  family  is  of 
German  descent,  and  one  of  its  members,  Nich- 
olas Keppel  (great-grandfather),  emigrated  from 
Germany  to  Pennsylvania  early  in  the 
eighteenth  century.  His  .son,  Daniel  Keppel 
(grandfather),  was  born  in  this  State  in  1767^ 
and  died  in  1824.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Yearyan,  a  daughter  of  George  Yearyan,  of 
Westmoreland  county.  They  had  twelve  chil- 
dren :  Sasan,  Margaret,  George,  Mary,  Eliza- 
beth, Daniel,  Francis,  Christina,  Esther, 
Philip,  Hannah  and  David.  George  Yearyan 
(maternal  grandfather)  was  a  "  redemptioner," 
and  was  brought  to  this  country  by  David 
Kaufman,  a  farmer,  for  whom  Yearyan  worked 
for  three  years  to  repay  the  amotuit  of  money 
his  passage  had  cost.  At  the  end  of  these  three 
years'    service   he   received    from    Kaufman  a 


618 


BIOOBAPHIES  OF 


horse,  a  saddle  and  bridle,  and  two  suits  of 
clothes.  His  wife  was  a  Miss  Williams,  of 
Welsh  descent.  David  Keppel  (fatlier)  was 
born  February  6,  1818,  on  the  old  Keppel 
homestead,  where  he  lived  all  his  life.  He  was 
highl)'  esteemed  in  the  neighborhood  and  served 
as  justice  of  the  peace  and  school  director,  hav- 
ing been  elected  to  office  by  the  Democratic 
party.  He  was  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
church  when  he  died,  August  20,  1888.  In 
January,  1844,  he  married  Magdelene  Hawke, 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Mary  Hawke,  of 
Westmoreland  county.  To  this  union  were 
born  five  children,  three  of  whom  are  now  liv- 
ing :  William,  Mary,  wife  of  S.  S.  Marshall,  of 
Beaver  Falls,  and  Caroline,  wife  of  D.  N.  So- 
ber, of  Westmoreland  county.  Magdalene 
(Hawke)  Keppel  died  May  17,  1855,  and  in 
1858  Mr.  Keppel  married  Elizabeth  Whitesell. 

William  Keppel  attended  the  common 
schools  of  Armstrong  county  and  the  Academy 
at  Leechburg.  He  has  been  a  farmer  and 
stock-dealer  all  his  life,  owning  two  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  of  land,  which  he  has  in  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  and  on  which  he  raises 
horses  and  cattle.  He  is  an  elder  and  trustee  in 
the  Presbyterian  church,  the  church  of  his  fore- 
fathers, and  has  served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace, 
township  auditor  and  school  director. 

On  March  13,  1873,  he  married  Susan  L. 
Kepjiel,  daughter  of  Jacob  Kepjjel,  of 
Westmoreland  county.  They  have  had  seven 
children,  of  whom  six  are  now  living : 
David  Jame.s,  born  April  6,  1874;  Albert 
Jacob,  born  August  18,  187G  ;  Philip  Frank, 
born  October  16,  1878;  Charles  Hawke,  born 
August  23,  1881 ;  William  McBryar,  born 
January  25, 1885 ;  Paul  Whitesell,  born  June  4, 
1887 ;  and  Magdalene,  born  November  18,  1889. 

Squire  Keppel  is  one  of  the  substantial  citi- 
zens of  Armstrong  county,  and  is  respected  for 
his  integrity.  Honorable  in  business  transac- 
tions and  exemplary  in  life,  he  is  a  worthy  de- 
scendant of  respected  pioneer  ancestors. 


JOHN  KIRKLAND,  whose  family  traces  its 
ancestry  back  among  the  old  and  substantial 
families  of  county  Down,  Ireland,  is  one  of  the 
pro.sperous  and  respected  farmers  of  Kiskimi- 
netas  township.  He  was  born  in  county 
Down,  Ireland,  August  1,  1816,  and  is  a  son 
of  Kobert  and  Elizabeth  (Cook)  Kirkland. 
Robert  Kirkland  was  born  in  county  Derry  in 
1780,  came  to  America  and  settled  in  Washing- 
ton county,  Pennsylvania.  In  1830  he  came 
to  Armstrong  county,  where  he  bought  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land  in  Kiskiminetas 
township,  which  was  in  the  woods  and  abound- 
ed with  wild  animals.  This  land  he  cleared 
and  improved  to  some  extent.  He  was  a  dem- 
ocrat, but  never  aspired  to  political  honors. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Church  of  England 
and  a  devout  Christian.  In  1798  he  married 
Elizabeth  Cook,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children, 
of  whom  only  four  lived  to  come  with  their 
father  to  America — two  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters :  Mary,  married  to  John  Ford,  of  Apollo ; 
Leah,  wife  of  Daniel  Deamer,  of  Apollo; 
Ebenezer,  who  married  Elizabeth  Hart,  and 
resides  at  Apollo;  and  John.  Mr.  Kirkland 
died  May  14,  1857,  and  his  remains  were 
buried  in  Spring  Church  cemetery  ;  while  Mrs. 
Kirkland  had  died  May  24,  1840,  and  was  the 
first  person  whose  remains  were  buried  in  that 
cemeteiy. 

John  Kirkland  was  reared  in  Kiskiminetas 
township  and  received  his  education  in  the  sub- 
scription schools  of  that  township.  He  has 
always  been  a  farmer,  and  purchased  his  fa- 
ther's farm,  which  he  has  entirely  cleared  and 
greatly  improved.  He  built  a  fine  house  and 
other  necessary  buildings.  He  owns  two  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land. 

On  December  15,  1843,  he  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Sarah,  daughter  of  George  Deamer, 
who  died  in  Beaver  county.  Pa.  This  uuion 
was  blest  with  eight  children,  three  sons  and 
five  daughters  :  Robert,  born  January  22, 
1844,  married  Elizabeth  Miller,  and  died  Jan- 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


619 


uary,  1888;  George,  born  March  2,  1846, 
married  to  Elizabeth  Beck,  and  now  resides  at 
Apollo;  James,  boru  July  8,  1848,  married 
Elizabeth  Galaher,  and  lives  on  a  farm  in  Kis- 
kiminetas  township;  Elizabetli,  boru  August  1, 
1851,  and  at  home;  Isabella,  born  April  13, 
1856,  married  David  McMin,  of  Apollo;  Mary 
I.,  born  July  9,  1859,  wife  of  Levi  Hartman; 
Emma  L.,  born  December  14,  1867,  and  died 
in  1875.  Mrs.  Kirkland  died  of  consumption 
on  March  6,  1871. 

John  Kirkland,  like  his  father  before  him, 
is  a  stanch  democrat  and  has  always  voted  for 
the  nominees  of  his  party.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  and  Grange  No.  519, 
Patrons  of  Husbandry,  in  which  he  has  taken 
the  fourth  degree  of  that  order. 


HENRY  J.  KLINGENSMITH.  One  full 
of  years  and  possessed  of  the  confidence 
of  his  fellow-citizens,  who  has  passed  away 
during  the  last  decade,  was  the  late  Henry  J. 
Klingensmith,  of  Gilpin  township.  He  was  a 
son  of  John  and  Catherine  Klingensmith,  and 
was  born  in  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylva- 
nia, in  1802.  The  Klingensmith  family  is  of 
German  origin,  and  John  Klingensmith  (fa- 
ther) was  a  resident  of  Westmoreland  county 
until  1802,  when  he  removed  to  Armstrong 
county,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  until 
his  death. 

Henry  J.  Klingensmith  was  brought  by  his 
parents  to  what  is  now  Gilpin  township  when 
he  was  but  three  mouths  old.  He  was  reared 
on  his  father's  farm  and  attended  the  subscrip- 
tion schools.  Leaving  school,  he  engaged  in 
farming,  which  he  followed  as  long  as  he  lived. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  he  owned  the  home 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres  and 
about  sixty  acres  of  land  in  another  part  of  the 
township. 

On  July  15,  1822,  he  married  Fannie  Heck- 
man,  daughter  of  Philip  Heckman,  of  Armstrong 
37 


county.  They  reared  a  family  of  twelve  children, 
whose  names  were  :  Mary,  Esther,  Levi,  Cyrus, 
Elizabetli,  Susan,  Henry,  Abraham,  Catherine, 
John,  Gideon,  Shiloh,  ten  of  whom  are  still 
living:  Esther,  wife  of  Henry  Isensee;  Susan, 
.ibraiiam  and  Gideon,  all  residents  of  Arm- 
strong county ;  Levi  resides  in  Michigan,  Cy- 
ras in  Minnesota,  Henry  in  Kansas,  Catharine 
Dubois  in  Ohio,  John  in  Texas.  Of  the 
seven  sons,  five  of  them  enlisted  and  served  in 
the  Union  armies  during  the  late  civil  war. 
Mrs.  Klingensmith  resides  on  the  old  home- 
stead and  has  reached  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-nine  years.  She  is  very  active  for  a 
woman  of  her  age,  and  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  for  over  half 
a  century. 

In  politics  Henry  J.  Klingensmith  was  a 
republican  and  served  several  terms  as  road 
supervisor  of  Gilpin  township.  He  was  an 
esteemed  member  of  the  Zion's  Forks  Lutheran 
church,  and,  before  he  was  incapacitated  by  old 
age  from  active  service,  served  frequently  as  a 
trustee  and  as  a  deacon.  He  was  noted  for  his 
benevolence  and  hospitality,  and  none  were 
ever  turned  from  his  door  who  sought  food  or 
shelter.  He  contributed  freely  to  help  the 
church  and  aid  the  worthy  poor,  and  his  loss 
was  sincerely  mourned  by  many  who  had  been 
recipients  of  his  charities. 


TOSIAH  W.  KLINGENSMITH,  the  post- 
^  master  of  Dime,  an  active  republican  leader 
of  Parks  townshij)  and  one  of  the  survivors  of 
Gettysburg,  is  a  son  of  Adam  and  Anna  M. 
(Kirkland)  Klingensmith,  and  was  born  on  the 
farm  on  which  he  now  lives,  in  Parks  townsliij), 
A rmstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  June  20, 1 841 . 
The  Klingensmiths  are  of  German  descent,  and 
George  Klingensmith  (grandfather)  was  born  in 
1779,  in  Westmoreland  county.  He  removed 
in  1820  to  Armstrong  county  and  was  engaged 
in  farming,  in  what  is  now  Parks  township,  until 


G20 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Ills  deatli,  wliich  occurred  iu  1857.  His  son, 
Adam  Klingensmitli  (father),  was  born  in  1812, 
iu  Westmoreland  county,  but  came  to  Armstrong 
county  with  liis  parents  Mhen  he  was  eight 
years  of  age.  He  followed  farming  in  Parks 
township,  where  he  died  in  1874,  aged  sixty- 
three  years.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  and  he  was  a 
deacon  in  the  church  of  that  denomination 
at  Bethel.  He  was  a  strong  democrat  and 
married  Anna  M.  Kirkland,  a  native  of  Mc- 
Keesport,  Allegheny  county.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  paased  away  in 
1881,  when  she  was  in  the  seventy-sixth  year 
of  her  age.  Her  father,  John  Kirkland  (mater- 
nal grandfather),  was  a  native  of  Scotland  and 
came  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he  followed  boating 
on  the  Monongahela  river  between  McKeesport 
and  Pittsburgli.  In  1812  he  fell  overboard 
from  a  flat-boat  on  which  he  was  employed  as  a 
polesnian  and  was  drowned. 

Josiah  W.  Klingensmitli  was  rearefl  on  a 
farm  and  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  township.  During  the 
summer  of  1857  he  engaged  in  boating  on  the 
old  Penusylvania  canal,  which  he  followed  that 
season.  The  succeeding  five  years  he  worked 
on  a  farm  as  farm  hand,  receiving  for  his  labor 
the  magnificent  sum  of  $10  and  $12  per  mouth. 
In  18G2  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Co.  C,  139th 
regiment,  Pa.  Vols.,  for  three  years.  He  helped 
to  bury  the  dead  who  had  lain  for  eleven  days 
on  the  battle-field  of  Second  Bull  Run.  After 
burying  the  dead  at  Bull  Run,  his  regiment 
moved  on  to  Sharpsburg,  Md.,  where  they 
joined  the  Ctli  Coi-ps  of  the  main  army  and 
marched  to  Autietam.  Mr.  Klingensmith  was 
an  active  "wearer  of  the  blue,"  enduring  all 
the  hardships  of  an  active  soldier,  and  never 
once  missing  an  engagement  in  which  his  regi- 
ment participated.  Among  the  most  noted  are 
the  battles  of  Antietam,  Fredericksburg  (two 
engagements,  December,  '62,  and  May,  '63), 
M'^ilderness  and  Gettysburg.     He  participated 


in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  after  a  forced  march 
of  thirty-six  hours,  during  which  time  his  com- 
pany had  not  been  allowed  to  cook  any  food. 
He  was  under  fire  and  in  active  service  at  Gettys- 
burg during  the  greater  ]>art  of  twenty-four 
hours.  On  May  5,  1864,  he  was  wounded  in 
the  left  hand  by  a  musket-ball,  at  one  of  the 
Wilderness  fights,  and  was  sent  to  Lincoln  Hos- 
pital, at  Washington,  where  he  remained  until 
the  following  August.  On  December  24,  1864, 
he  was  discharged  on  account  of  disability,  and 
has  never  recovered  the  use  of  his  hand.  After 
being  discharged  from  the  army,  Mr.  Klingen- 
smith was  engaged  in  farming  until  1874,  when 
he  opened  his  present  store  on  the  farm  where 
he  resides.  In  1881  Dime  post-office  was  estab- 
lished at  Mr.  Klingeusmith's  store  and  he  was 
appointed  postmaster.  He  served  as  such  until 
February,  1886,  when  a  democrat  was  appoint- 
ed, but  in  1889  he  succeeded  his  democratic 
friend  and  has  served  as  postmaster  until  the 
present  time.  Besides  his  home  farm  of  fifty-six 
acres,  he  owns  two  other  farms,  one  of  ninety- 
eight  acres  lying  in  Parks  town.ship,  and  the 
other  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  in  Kis- 
kiminetas  township.  Two  hundred  and  .seventy 
acres  of  his  land  is  underlaid  with  a  vein  of  coal 
four  feet  ten  inches  thick. 

In  1866  he  married  LucindaKnappenbarger, 
daughter  of  John  Knappenbarger.  They  have 
eight  children,  three  sons  and  five  daughters : 
Mary  A.,  John  A.,  who  married  Lavina  Brown 
and  resides  with  his  father;  Wm.  F.,  Nancy  B., 
Susan  M.,  Olive  L.,  Josiah  W.,  and  S.  Myrna. 

Josiah  W.  Klingensmith  is  an  active  repub- 
lican and  was  elected  assessor  of  Parks  town- 
ship when  it  was  formed.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Boiling  Springs  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church  and  for  sixteen  years  was  a  member  of 
the  church  council.  Mr.  Klingensmith  com- 
menced life  for  himself  with  nothing  in  the 
shape  of  money  or  land,  and  has  honestly  ac- 
quired all  of  his  means  by  his  own  hard  work 
and  good  management. 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


C2I 


WILLIAM  K.  KUHNS,  who  is  a  com- 
fortably situated  farmer  of  Gilpin  town- 
ship, served  during  the  late  war  as  a  soldier  in 
the  6th  Pa.  Heavy  Artillery.  He  is  a  son  of 
David  and  Hattie  (Stack)  Kuhps,  and  was  born 
on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  resides  in  Gilpin 
township,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvatiia, 
September  19,  1839.  The  Kuhns  family  is  of 
German  descent,  and  David  Kuhus  (father)  was 
a  native  of  Westmoreland  county  and  came  to 
Gilpin  township,  where  he  purchased  a  farm. 
He  was  extensively  engaged  in  farming  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  the  fall  of  1803. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
church  of  that  denomination  at  Leeehburg,  in 
which  he  held  the  offices  of  deacon  and  elder 
at  various  times.  In  politics,  he  was  a  whig 
until  1856,  when  he  became  a  republican.  He 
married  Hattie  Steck,  a  lutheran  and  native  of 
Westmoreland  county. 

William  K.  Kuhns  was  reared  in  his  native 
township,  where  he  received  a  good  common- 
school  education.  Leaving  school,  he  engaged  in 
his  present  business  of  farming.  He  owns  the 
homestead  farm  of  one  hundred  and  six  acres, 
in  the  cultivation  of  which  he  takes  great  pride. 
In  1864  he  enlisted  in  the  6th  Pa.  Heavy 
Artillery,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war 
when  he  was  honorably  discharged  at  Fort 
Ethan  Allen. 

In  1861  he  married  Susan  Townsend,  daugh- 
ter of  Isaac  Townsend,  of  Westmoreland 
county.  They  are  the  parents  of  four  children  : 
Mary  E.,  Hattie  H.,  Emma  R.  and  Louis  M. 

William  K.  Kuhns  is  a  member  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  church  of  Leeehburg,  in 
which  he  has  served  for  some  years  as  a  deacon. 

In  politics  he  is  a  republican.  Mr.  Kuhns 
spends  most  of  his  time  in  the  cultivation  and 
impi'ovement  of  his  farm.  He  also  raises  some 
stock  and  has  made  considerable  improvements 
on  his  land.  He  is  one  of  the  reliable  and 
trustworthy  citizens  of  his  township. 


ZACHARIAH  T.  LESSIG,  one  of  the 
steady  and  industrious  tradesmen  and 
farmers  of  Gilpin  township,  is  a  son  of  Squire 
Joseph  and  Christina  (Klingensmith)  Lessig,  and 
was  born  in  Gilpin  township,  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania,  March  14,  1859.  The 
Lessig  family  is  of  German  descent.  Squire 
Joseph  Lessig  (father)  was  born  in  1814,  in 
Westmoreland  county,  but  removed  to  Arm- 
strong county,  where  he  followed  his  trade  of 
house  carpenter  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1886,  when  he  was  in  the  seventy-third  year 
of  his  age.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  church,  an  active  supporter  of 
the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  for 
nearly  fifteen  years  held  the  office  of  justice  of 
the  peace  of  Gilpin  township.  He  owned  a 
good  farm,  which  he  tilled  for  several  years 
previous  to  his  death.  He  married  Christina 
Klingensmith,  who  was  born  in  1824  in  what 
is  now  Gilpin  township  (then  Allegheny).  Mrs. 
Christina  (Klingensmith)  Lessig  was  a  con- 
sistent member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church  and  passed  away  in  1886,  at  sixty-two 
years  of  age. 

Zachariah  T.  Lessig  was  reared  in  Gilpin 
township,  where  he  received  a  common-school 
education,  and  under  his  father's  instructions 
learned  the  trade  of  carpenter,  which  he  has 
followed  ever  since.  He  owns  the  old  home- 
stead, upon  which  he  resides,  and  a  portable  saw- 
mill, which  he  runs  during  the  winterseason. 

In  1876  he  married  Polly  J.  Small,  daugh- 
ter of  Philip  Sraail,  ot  Bethel  township.  Their 
union  has  been  blessed  with  six  children,  two 
sons  and  four  daughters  :  Herman  E.,  Alfred 
O.,  Ella  C,  Maggie,  Hally  A.  and  Emma  J. 

Zachariah  T.  Lessig  is  a  pronounced  demo- 
crat in  political  opinion  and  holds  the  offices  of 
constable  and  auditor  of  Gilpin  township.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church,  of  which  he  is  a  trustee.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  and  takes  an 
interest  in  every  movement  calculated  to  benefit 


022 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


the  farmers  as  a  class  or  to  iucrease  the  produc- 
tions of  the  soil. 


TAMES  McADOO,  who  has  been  in  the  mer- 
^  cautile  business  continuously  for  twenty- 
one  years,  is  the  leading  merchant  of  Maysville. 
He  was  born  near  the  old  steam  mill,  in  Bell 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
December  31,  1839,  and  is  the  fifth  child  of 
William  and  Nancy  (Gallaher)  McAdoo.  Sam- 
uel McAdoo  (paternal  grandfather)  was  a  native 
of  Ireland,  in  which  country  he  died.  William 
McAdoo  (father)  was  born  in  county  Donegal, 
Ireland,  in  1800,  and  was  engaged  in  farming 
until  he  was  thirty  years  of  age,  when  with  his 
wife  and  one  child,  he  came  to  America.  He 
first  stopjied  at  Nealie's  salt  works,  near  Salina, 
Westmoreland  county,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
boiling  salt  for  six  years.  He  then  moved  to  a 
farm  of  one  hundred  aud  thirty  acres  in  Kiski- 
minetas  township,  Armstrong  county,  which 
was  nearly  all  woods  and  which  he  cleared  and 
improved.  He  afterwards  bought  forty  acres 
of  adjoining  land  and  his  success  in  life  was  due 
to  his  energy  and  good  business  tact.  He  was  a 
democrat,  but  never  took  any  active  part  in 
politics.  He  was  one  of  the  first  members  of 
Elder's  Ridge  Presbyterian  church.  He  was  a 
kind  and  indulgent  father,  a  Christian  gentle- 
man and  died  in  August,  1875,  aged  seventy-five 
years.  In  1826  he  was  married  to  Nancy 
Gallaher,  in  Ireland,  where  their  eldest  child  is 
buried.  They  had  nine  children :  Samuel,  born 
in  1831;  Mary,  born  October  11,  1833;  Sarah, 
born  April  24,  1836;  John,  born  October  23, 
1837;  James,  born  December  31,  1839;  Wil- 
liam, born  February  20,  1841 ;  Jane,  born 
October  1,  1843;  Nancy,  born  February  18, 
1846;  and  Margaret,  born  July  17, 1848.  Mrs. 
McAdoo  (a  daughter  of  Daniel  Gallaher,  who 
was  a  native  of  Ireland)  died  April  14,  1884, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years  and  nine  months. 
James  McAdoo  was  reared  on  the  farm  and 


received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Kiskiminetas  township  aud  Elder's  Ridge 
academy.  He  then  entered  Duif's  Commercial 
college,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1863. 
He  worked  on  the  farm  in  summer  and  for  sev- 
eral years,  during  which  he  taught  fourteen 
terms  of  winter  school  in  Kiskiminetas  town- 
ship, in  all  of  which  schools  he  was  very  suc- 
cessful. In  1870  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  with  J.  G.  Walker,  with  whom  he 
continued  until  1874,  when  he  sold  his  interest 
to  Mr.  Walker  and  started  in  business  at  Mays- 
ville, where,  in  1878,  he  formed  a  mercantile 
partnei-ship  with  J.  S.  McAwley.  They  have 
a  good  trade,  carry  about  five  thousand  dollars' 
worth  of  goods  and  their  yearly  sales  amouut 
to  eight  thousand  dollars.  When  Peuusylvauia 
was  threatened  by  a  Confederate  invasion  in 
1863,-he  entered  the  Union  army,  iu  June  of 
that  year,  as  a  private  iu  Co.  H,  .54th  regiment. 
Pa.  Militia,  under  Col.  Gallagher  and  was  at  the 
(capture  of  Gen.  Morgan. 

April  14,  1870,  Mr.  McAdoo  was  married  to 
Eliza  J.,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Howe,  a  farmer 
of  Allegheny  county,  who  resides  three  miles 
from  Tarentum,  Pa.  This  union  has  been  blest 
with  four  children,  one  son  and  three  daughters : 
Florence,  born  August  9,  1871,  is  attending 
school  at  Slippery  Rock ;  William  A.,  born 
February  5,  1873  (is  at  Elder's  Ridge  acad- 
emy) ;  Nancy  R.,  born  August  6, 1876,  aud  Har- 
riet M.,  born  July  21,  1881. 

James  McAdoo  is  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  at  Elder's  Ridge,  in  which  he  has 
been  an  elder  for  eight  years.  He  has  always 
been  a  democrat,  is  liberal  in  his  political  views 
aud  stands  high  as  a  man  of  integrity  and  cor- 
rect business  methods. 


JOHN  S.  McAWLEY,  a  prosperous  mer- 
^  chant  of  Maysville  and  who  served  on  the 
.southern  border  of  this  State  during  the  Confed- 
erate invasion  of  1864,  is   a  sou  of  James  and 


ARMSTRONG  COUNTY. 


623 


Sarah  (Ripple)  McAwley,  and  was  born  at 
Gamble's  salt  works,  in  Kiskiminetas  township, 
Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  August  31, 
1846.  Samuel  McAwley  (grandfather)  was 
born  in  Huntingdon  county,  from  which  he 
removed,  some  time  between  the  years  1825  and 
1830,  to  Westmoreland  county,  on  the  opposite 
bank  of  the  Conemaugh  river  from  Salts])nrg 
One  of  his  sons,  James  McAwley  (father),  was 
born  in  1812,  in  Huntingdon  county,  removed 
with  li is  father  to  Westmoreland  county,  and 
about  1830  came  to  Gamble's  salt  works,  in 
Kiskiminetas  township,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  salt  for  twenty-eight 
years.  In  1852  he  purchased  and  removed  to 
the  farm,  in  Kiskiminetas  township,  comprising 
one  hundred  and  eleven  acres  of  land,  where  ho 
still  resides,  and  upon  which  lie  has  raised  some 
very  fine  stock.  By  energy  and  frugality  he 
has  ac<|uired  a  competency,  and  now,  in  the  even- 
ing of  life,  surrounded  by  bis  cbiblren,  he  is 
enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  labors.  Pie  is  a  demo- 
crat in  politics,  but  at  elections  votes  for  the 
local  candidates  whom  he  considers  best  quali- 
fied for  office,  regardless  of  party  lines.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Apollo, 
and  in  1835  married  Sarah  Rijtplc,  who  was 
born  in  1812,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Louis  Rip- 
ple, who  was  a  native  of  Greencastle,  Pa.,  from 
whence  he  removed  to  Westmoreland  county,  in 
tiie  neighborhood  of  Latrobc,  and,  about  the  year 
1850,  came  to  Armstrong  county,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming.  .lames  and  Sarah  McAwley 
were  the  parents  of  eight  children  :  David,  born 
February  7,  1836,  and  died  March  31,  1836; 
Mary  M.,  born  June  13, 1837,  married  to  W.  J. 
Elwood  ;  Catherine,  born  September  25,  1839  ; 
James,  born  January  9,  1841,  and  died  Novem- 
ber 7,  1844;  an  iul\mt,  born  March  29,  1843, 
and  died  March  19,  1845  ;  Samuel,  born  May 
25, 1845,  and  mai'ried  Jane  Clawsou  ;  an  infant 
which  died,  and  J.  S.,  born  August  31,  1847. 

John  S.  McAwley  grew  to   manhood  on  the 
farm,  and  attended  the  public  schools  of  Kiski- 


minetas township  and  Elder's  Ridge  academy. 
In  1859,  at  thirteen  years  of  age,  he  went  into 
the  oil  region  of  Pennsylvania,  where  he  worked 
for  nine  years,  and  then  came  to  Maysville, 
where  he  has  resided  ever  since.  In  August, 
1864,  he  enlisted  under  Capt.  Weaver,  in  Co. 
F,  1st  Pa.  Battalion,  commanded  by  Colonel 
Stewart,  and  served  four  months,  being  present 
at  the  burning  of  Chambersburg.  After  he  was 
discharged  from  the  array  he  returned  to  Kis- 
kiminetas township,  and  in  1878  he  entered  into 
his  present  mercantile  partnership  at  Maysville, 
with  James  McAdoo.  Ho  has  been  successful 
as  a  merchant,  and  his  firm  carries  a  heavy  and 
well  assorted  stock  of  goods. 

On  October  16, 1877,  he  married  Nancy  Mc- 
Adoo, who  was  a  daughter  of  William  McAdoo, 
and  died  Septemlier  9,  1878,  leaving  one  child, 
a  son  :  William  J.,  born  July  17,  1878. 

In  politics,  John  S.  McAwley  is  a  democrat. 


PHILIP  R.  McGRANN,  postmaster  of 
Logansport  and  a  prosperous  merchant  of 
Bethel  township,  has  been  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful railroad  foremen  of  Pennsylvania.  He 
was  born  in  Columbia  count}',  Pennsylvania, 
December  27,  1845,  and  is  a  son  of  Philip  and 
Catherine  (Shelhammer)  McGranu.  Philip 
McGrann,  Sr.  (father),  was  born  in  1811,  in 
county  Cavan,  Ireland,  and  came,  in  1828,  to 
Penn.sylvania,  where  he  became  a  coal-miner  in 
Columbia  county.  He  was  a  democrat  in  poli- 
tics, a  protestaut  in  faith  and  died  in  1873,  at 
sixty-three  years  of  age.  He  married  Catherine 
Shelhammer,  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church, 
who  was  born  in  Columbia  county  about  1810, 
and  is  now  a  resident  of  Rock  Glenn,  Luzerne 
county. 

Philip  R.  McGrann  was  reared  in  his  native 
township,  where  he  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools.  Since  leaving  school  he  has 
been  principally  employed  in  constructing  and 
repairing  canals  and  railroads.    He  was  foreman 


(;i>4 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


on  the  Allegheny  Valley  R.  R.,  the  Wilming- 
ton &  Birdsboro'  R.  R.,  and  the  Baltimore  & 
Potomac  R.  R.,  when  they  were  in  process  of 
construction.  In  1873  he  removed  to  Arm- 
strong county,  and  from  1873  to  1882  was  fore- 
man on  the  Limestone  quarry  at  Manorville. 
In  1883  he  ensjao'ed  in  the  lumber  business  at 
Manorville,  and  in  1885  opened  his  present 
general  mercantile  store  at  Rock  Glenn,  which 
is  one  mile  from  Logansport.  He  has  a  well 
selected  stock  of  goods  and  commands  a  large 
and  rapidly  increasing  trade.  On  October  14, 
1890,  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Logans- 
port  and  keeps  the  post-oiBce  in  his  store. 

On  July  21,  1872,  he  married  Mary  Keiser, 
daughter  of  Henry  Keiser,  of  Selin's  Grove, 
Snj'der  county.  They  had  one  child,  a  daugh- 
ter: Utica  Blanche.  Mrs.  McGrann  died  Nov. 
7,  1874,  and  on  January  18,  1877,  Mr.  Mc- 
Grann united  in  marriage  with  Mary  C.  Heil- 
man,  daughter  of  Simon  Heilman,  of  this 
county. 

In  politics,  Philip  R.  McGrann  is  a  republi- 
can. He  is  one  of  the  enterprising  citizens  of 
Bethel  township  and  has  always  been  a  man  of 
energy  and  activity.  He  never  idles  any  of  his 
time  away,  is  always  prompt  and  on  time  with 
his  work  and  has  always  been  successful  in 
whatever  he  has  undertaken. 


JOSEPH  MYERS.  One  of  Gilpin  town- 
^  ship's  many  prosperous  farmers  and  worthy 
citizens  is  Joseph  Myers.  He  is  a  son  of 
David  and  Elizabeth  (Klingensmith)  Myers, 
and  was  born  in  Gilpin  township,  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania,  July  1,  1819.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  Adam  Myers,  was  a 
native .  of  Germany.  Before  he  attained  his 
majority  he  came  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he  set- 
tled in  Westmoreland  county  and  purchased  a 
farm.  He  was  engaged  in  farming  until  his 
death,  when  he  was  in  the  ninetieth  year  of  his 
age.     His  son,  David  Myers  (father),  was  born 


in  Westmoreland  county,  but  came  to  what  is 
now  Gilpin  township  when  a  young  man.  He 
carried  the  chain  for  the  surveyors  when  the 
townships  of  Kiskiminetas  and  Allegheny  were 
laid  out.  He  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  but 
after  his  removal  to  this  county  he  engaged  in 
farming,  which  he  followed  until  his  death  in 
1830,  at  thirty-six  years  of  age.  He  was  a 
democrat  in  politics  and  a  member  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  church.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Klingensmith,  who  was  born  on  Brush  creek, 
Westmoreland  county,  in  1794,  and  died  in 
1856,  when  she  was  in  the  sixty-first  year  of 
her  age.  She  was  an  estimable  woman  and 
united  with  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church, 
of  which  she  was  a  member  for  many  years  be- 
fore her  death. 

Joseph  Myers  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm 
and  received  a  good  common  English  educa- 
tion. In  early  life  he  followed  droving  for  a 
few  years  and  then  engaged  in  his  present  busi- 
ness of  farming.  When  Allegheny  township 
was  divided  and  Gilpin,  Parks  and  Bethel 
townships  erected  out  of  its  territory,  he  aided 
the  surveyors  in  laying  out  the  boundary  lines 
of  these  respective  townships.  He  owns  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  seventy-nine  acres  of  well- 
improved  laud,  which  he  carefully  cultivates. 

On  June  8,  1841,  he  married  Magdalena 
Allhouse,  daughter  of  John  Allhouse,  of  Gilpin 
township.  To  their  union  were  born  six  chil- 
dren, of  whom  two  are  living:  Abraham,  a 
carpenter  residing  in  Washington  townshiji; 
and  Julia,  wife  of  John  Small,  of  Gilpin  town- 
ship. Mrs.  Myers  died  in  1856,  upon  the  same 
day  upon  which  her  husband's  mother  passed 
away.  On  September  6,  1860,  Joseph  Myers 
united  in  marriage  with  Elizabeth  Lessig, 
daughter  of  Squire  Joseph  Lessig  (see  sketch  of 
Z.  T.  Lessig).  To  this  second  union  were  born 
nine  children,  of  whom  three  sons  and  two 
daughtere  are  living:  Mahala,  Mary  E.,  Asa, 
Theodore  and  Recy.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Lessig) 
Myers  died  August  7,  1883. 


ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


625 


Joseph  Myers  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church  and  an  earnest  democrat  in  politics.  He 
has  filled  the  township  offices  of  constable, 
school  director  and  overseer  of  the  poor.  Mr. 
Myers  has  shown  excellent  judgment  in  the 
management  of  his  farm  and  is  a  man  who 
strictly  attends  to  his  own  affairs. 


TSAAC  XOVINGER,  a  farmer  of  Gilpin 
J-  township,  who  was  engaged  upon  the  con- 
struction of  the  Pennsylvania  canal  and  rail- 
road, and  who  served  faithfully  for  three  years 
in  the  armies  of  the  Union,  is  a  son  of  Isaac 
and  Hannah  (Hagg)  Novinger,  and  was  born 
in  Dauphin  county,  Pennsylvania,  November 
IG,  1829.  His  paternal  grandfather  Novinger 
was  born  in  Wiirteniberg,  Germany,  and  be- 
came one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Dauphin 
county,  where  he  was  often  disturbed  and  har- 
assed by  the  Indians.  After  Indian  troubles 
had  ceased  he  cleared  out  his  farm  and  resided 
in  that  county  until  his  death.  His  son,  Isaac 
Novinger,  Sr.  (father),  was  born  in  Dauphin 
county,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  wheel- 
wright. While  working  at  his  trade  he  was 
also  engaged  in  farming.  He  was  a  soldier  in 
the  war  of  1812,  during  which  he  served  at 
Philadelphia  in  the  year  1814.  He  died  in 
Dauphin  county  in  1857,  when  he  was  in  the 
sixty-second  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a  demo- 
crat in  politics,  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  church  and  married  Hannah  Hagg,  a 
native  of  Dauphin  county  and  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  church. 

Isaac  Novinger  was  rearetl  on  the  farm  and 
obtjiinetl  his  educjition  in  the  subscription 
schools  of  his  boyhood  days.  At  the  age  of 
nineteen  years  he  removed  to  Westmoreland 
county  and  worked  on  the  construction  of  the 
Pennsylvania  railroad,  between  Pittsburgh  and 
Greensburg.  He  subsequently  followed  boat- 
ing for  four  years  on  the  Pennsylvania  canal, 
and  then  for  four  years  was  engaged  on  steam- 


boats and  coal-boats  on  the  Ohio  river.  On  the 
18th  of  August,  1862,  he  enliste<l  as  a  private 
in  Co.  C,  139th  regiment.  Pa.  Vols.,  under 
Captain  ,Parr,  and  served  until  the  end  of  the 
war,  when  he  was  honorably  discharged  June 
21,  1865.  He  particijiated  in  all  the  engage- 
ments of  his  regiment,  was  always  able  to  per- 
form any  duty  assigned  to  him  and  never  spent 
a  day  in  the  hospital  during  the  three  years  of 
his  term  of  service.  When  he  was  discharged 
he  returned  to  Westmoreland  county,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  fanning  until  March,  1869, 
when  his  father-in-law  purchased  the  farm  on 
which  he  moved  and  now  resides,  and  at  his 
death  willed  one  hundred  and  ten  of  its  two 
hundred  and  ten  acres  to  Mr.  Novinu-cr's  wife. 
Mr.  Novinger  purchased  the  other  one  hundred 
acres,  and  he  and  his  wife  now  own  the  entire 
farm. 

October  4, 1860  he  married  Mary  A.  Grinder, 
daughter  of  Andrew  Grinder,  of  Westmoreland 
county.  They  are  the  parents  of  six  children, 
two  sons  and  four  daughters :  Catherine,  An- 
drew, Thomas,  Hannah,  Mary  E.  and  Isa. 

Isaac  Novinger  is  a  strong  democrat,  has 
filled  nearly  all  of  his  township's  offices  and  at 
present  is  serving  as  overseer  of  the  poor  of 
Gilpin  township.  His  farm  is  well  improved 
and  productive,  and  lies  convenient  to  public 
highways.  But  few  men  have  passed  through 
so  many  dangers  and  escaped  so  luckily  as  he 
has.  He  has  been  a  determined,  persistent  and 
hard  worker  during  his  eventful  life,  and  is 
now  comfortably  situated  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of 
his  many  years  of  labor. 


JB.  PARKS.  One  of  the  early  settled  and 
•  substantial  families  of  southern  Arm- 
strong county,  noted  for  over  three-quarters  of 
a  century  for  thrift,  business  ability  and  moral 
standing,  is  the  Parks  family,  of  near  Leech- 
burg;  and  one  of  its  well-known  and  highly 
respected  members  is  J.  B.  Parks,  an  intelligent 


020 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


citizen  and  extensive  farmer  of  Parks  township. 
He  is  a  sou  of  Robert  and  Jane  (Bratton)  Parks, 
and  was  born  in  Mifflin  co.,  Pennsylvania,  Nov. 
11,  1810.  His  paternal  grandfather  was  in  all 
probability  born  in  York  county,  as  he  removed 
from  there  to  Huntingdon  county.  He  served 
in  the  Revolutionary  war  under  Washington, 
and  was  one  of  those  who  endured  all  the  jiri- 
vations  and  sufferings  of  the  dreary  winter  at 
Valley  Forge.  He  was  an  earnest  Christian, 
and  was  a  strict  member  of  the  Covenanter 
church,  in  which  he  was  a  zealous  and  indefatig- 
able worker.  He  owned  a  good  farm  in  Hunt- 
ingdon county,  and  about  1758  married  a  lady 
whose  name  cannot  be  secured  at  tiiis  writing, 
by  whom  he  had  four  sons  and  two  daughters  : 
William,  James,  Robert,  Arthur,  Margaret  and 
Fannie.  The  second  son,  Robert  Parks  (father), 
was  born  in  York  county,  August  14, 1769,  and 
removed  with  his  father  to  Huntingdon  county. 
At  sixteen  years  of  age  he  went  to  Mifflin 
county,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  shoe-  I 
maker  and  purchased  a  farm.  In  1814  he  dis- 
posed of  his  shoe-shop  and  land  and  came  to 
Armstrong  county,  where  he  purchased  from 
John  Montgomery  a  farm  of  four  hundred 
acres  of  land  about  two  miles  east  of  Leech-  : 
burg.  This  tract  was  known  as  "Fanners' 
Delight,"  and  he  added  adjoining  farms  to  it  ! 
by  purchase  until  he  had  a  solid  body  of  six 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  good  farming  and 
rich  coal  land.  He  purchased  his  land  at  about 
six  dollars  and  fifty  cents  per  acre.  At  his 
death  this  land  was  divided  by  his  direction 
between  his  three  sons,  and  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  fell  heir  to  the  homestead  part,  and  has 
in  his  possession  the  original  patent  for  this 
land,  issued  by  King  George  III.  of  England, 
in  1754.  He  was  a  man  of  large  stature,  was 
very  industrious  and  stood  high  as  a  citizen  and 
a  Christian.  He  was  a  democrat  of  the  strictest 
type  and  a  consistent  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  He  was  held  in  such  high 
esteem  in  Allegheny  township,  that  when  it  was 


divided,  in  1878,  into  three  townships,  the  part 
in  which  he  lived  was  called  Parks  township. 
He  died  August  19,  1858,  when  in  the  nine- 
tieth year  of  his  age.  On  October  19,  1790, 
he  married  Jane  Bratton,  and  to  them  were 
born  twelve  children  :  twins,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy ;  Margaret,  wife  of  Joseph  Shields,  born 
1792;  Isabella,  who  married  Andrew  Arnold; 
born  1794;  Piiebe,  wife  of  J.  E.  Brown,  born 
1796  ;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  George  T.  Crawford, 
born  1798;  John,  born  1800,  who  married 
Sarah  Gourley  and  after  her  death  married 
Elizabeth  Shriber;  Jane  M.,  wife  of  James 
Fitzgerald,  born  1803  ;  Sidney  G.,  who  married 
John  Lefever,  born  1805;  Robert  P.,  Sarah 
E.,  wife  of  Alexander  Gordon,  born  1808 ; 
J.  B.,  William  G.,  who  married  Rhoda 
Thompson  and  then  Ellen  Parr,  born  1813. 
Mrs.  Parks,  who  died  in  1847,  aged  seventy- 
eiglit  years,  was  a  daughter  of  James  Bratton 
(maternal  grandfather),'  who  was  a  native  of 
Ireland,  settled  on  a  large  tract  of  land  in  Mif- 
flin county,  which  was  afterwards  purchased  by 
Robert  Parks,  and  in  1768  married  Jane  Brat- 
ton, who  bore  him  six  children :  Jane  (Mrs. 
Parks),  William,  Elizabeth  (Mrs.  Starks), 
George,  Phebe  (Mrs.  Brown),  and  Robert. 
After  James  Brattou's  death,  his  widow  mar- 
ried Alex.  Stolford,  by  whom  she  had  one 
daughter  :    Margaret  (Mrs.  Stuart). 

J.  B.  Parks  received  his  education  in  the  old 
subscription  schools,  taught  one  term  in  1828, 
became  an  assistant  surveyor  on  the  Pennsyl- 
vania canal  and  afterwards  helped  lay  out  the 
borough  of  Leechburg.  He  came  in  1814  with 
his  father  to  the  farm  which  he  now  owns,  and 
after  leaving  the  engineer  corps  on  the  Pennsyl- 
vania canal,  he  engaged  in  farming  and  stock- 
dealing,  which  business  he  has  followed  success- 
fully ever  since.  He  has  a  rich  and  valuable 
farm  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  on  which 
he  has  erected  a  fine  brick  dwelling,  built  a  good 
baru  and  neat  and  substantial  fences.  He  is  a 
scientific  farmer,  uses  all  the  latest  improved 


ARMSTROlffG   COUNTY. 


627 


farm  machinery  and  raises  some  very  fine 
stock. 

December  17, 1840,  he  married  Lucinda  Hill, 
daughter  of  Hon.  Jacob  Hill,  who  was  suc- 
cessively a  hotel-keeper,  a  merchant,  and  a 
member,  for  two  terms,  of  the  Pennsylvania 
legislature.  They  had  fourteen  children,  of 
whom  ten  are  living  :  Robert  G.,  a  farmer,  who 
married  Margaret  Cline;  Hannah  U.,  J.  H.,  a 
druggist,  who  married  Mary  C.  Taylor;  Isa- 
bella C,  wife  of  T.  J.  Elwood;  John  W., 
married  Anna  Bladen,  and  is  an  engineer  in 
West  Penn  Steel-works;  Phebe  C,  wife  of  S. 
C.  Bole;  Thomas  J.,  an  iron-worker  of  Apollo, 
who  married  Sarah  M.  Thompson;  W.  F., 
married  Mary  I.  Pinkcrton  (now  dead),  and 
is  a  dentist  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.;  Sidney  P.,  and 
Edmeston  B.,  a  teacher.  The  four  who  died 
were:  Jane,  Ella,  Blanche  and  Ellis.  Mrs. 
Parks  was  born  December  17,  1824,  and  died 
January  27,  1878.  She  was  a  fond  mother,  a 
kind  and  sympathizing  friend  and  a  devoted 
Christian,  and  was  loved  and  respected  by  all 
who  knew  her. 

J.  B.  Parks  is  a  Jeffersonian  democrat,  has 
held  all  of  his  to\vnship's  offices,  and  is  an  influ- 
ential man  in  political  aifairs  as  well  as  business 
matters.  He  has  been  an  elder  for  thirty  years 
of  the  Leechburg  Presbyterian  church  and  was 
one  of  the  heaviest  contributors  toward  the 
erection  of  both  the  old  and  new  church  build- 
ings. Mr.  Parks  is  of  Scotch-Irish  descent, 
and  his  success  in  life  is  mainly  due  to  his 
great  will-power,  industry  and   good  judgment. 


ROBERT  PARKS,  one  of  the  representa- 
tive farmers  of  Parks  township,  is  the 
only  living  son  of  William  G.  and  Rhoda 
(Thompson)  Parks,  and  was  born  on  the  farm 
on  which  he  now  resides,  in  Parks  township, 
Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  29, 
184.3.     His   paternal    great-grandfather,  John 


Parks,  removed  from  York  to  Huntingdon 
county,  where  he  owned  a  good  farm.  He 
served  under  Washington  at  Valley  Forge,  was 
a  strict  covenanter  and  married  a  lady  by  whom 
lie  had  four  sons  and  two  daughters  (see  sketch 
of  J.  B.  Parks).  His  son,  Robert  Parks  (grand- 
father), was  born  August  14,  1769,  in  York 
county,  and  after  spending  some  years  in  Hunt- 
ingdon and  Mifflin  counties,  came,  in  1814,  to 
what  is  now  Parks  township,  where  he  bought 
a  four  hundred  acre  tract  of  land,  two  miles 
east  of  Leechburg,  known  as  "  Farmers'  De- 
light." He  afterwards  added  two  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  to  it  by  purchase,  and  at  his  death 
his  land  was  divided  between  his  three  Sons. 
Parks  township  was  named  after  him.  In  1790 
he  married  Jane  Bratton,  daughter  of  James 
Bratton,  by  whom  he  had  twelve  children.  One 
of  their  sons  was  AVilliam  G.  Parks  (father),  who 
inherited  the  part  of  the  homestead  farthest  U|i  the 
river.  He  was  born  June  1,  1813,  in  Mifflin 
county,  and  when,  in  1858,  he  came  in  posses- 
sion of  his  present  farm,  he  went  to  work  with  a 
will  to  improve  it.  He  erected  fine  buildings,  put 
upgood  fences  and  bought  farm  machinery  of  all 
kinds.  His  varied  and  extensive  improvements 
and  methods  of  farming  have  made  it  one  of  the 
most  valuable  farms  in  the  county.  He  has 
been  a  resident  of  Leechburg  since  1882,  is  an 
exemplary  citizen  of  his  borough  and  is  a  prom- 
inent member  and  zealous  worker  of  the  Leech- 
burg Presbyterian  church.  He  is  one  of  the 
directors  of  the  Apollo  Savings  bank,  also  of 
the  Leechburg  Batiking  company  and  a  director 
of  the  Westmoreland  and  Armstrong  County 
Fire  Insurance  company.  In  politics  Mr.  Parks 
is  a  republican.  June  14,  1839,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Rhoda  Thompson,  of  Mercer 
county.  Pa.  To  them  were  born  four  .sons : 
James  Bratton,  born  March  16,  1840,  wounded 
at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  3,  1863,  died  Aug.  8, 
1863,  and  buried  in  Nat.  Cem.,  sec.  C,  grave  88 ; 
Robert,  John  Thompson,  born  April  14,  1845, 
died  October  20,  1861 ;  and  William  Findley, 


628 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


born  December  18,  1847,  and  died  Sejitember 
19,  1861.  Mrs.  Parks  was  a  daughter  of  John 
Thompison,  a  native  of  county  Antrim,  Ireland, 
who  came  to  Mercer  county,  where  lie  was  a 
farmer,  an  old-line  whig  and  a  deacon  of  the 
Covenanter  church.  November  29,  1804,  he 
married  Mary  Ann  Findley,  of  county  Fer- 
managh, Ireland,  aiul  their  union  was  blessed 
with  fourteen  children.  Mrs.  Rhoda  (Thomp- 
son) Parks  was  born  August  4,  1813,  and  died 
February  21,  1848.  On  June  12,  1860,  Mr- 
Parks  married  Ellen,  daugiiter  of  James  B. 
Parr,  of  New  Alexandria,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa. 

Robert  Parks  was  reared  on  the  farm,  ob- 
tained a  good  English  education  and  has  been  a 
very  industrious  and  successful  farmer  of  his 
native  township,  in  which  he  has  always  resided. 

October  21, 1873,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Sara  E.  Ralston.  To  them  have  been  born 
three  children  :  William  Thompson,  Elizabeth 
Mason,  who  died  March  25,  1883;  and  James 
Bratton.  Mrs.  Parks  is  a  daughter  of  John 
Ralston,  who  was  born  at  Cougruity,  Westmore- 
land county.  Pa.,  March  13,  1809,  and  died 
November  9,  1881.  He  owned  a  well-tilled 
farm  of  two  hundred  acres,  was  a  republican 
Avho  had  held  several  of  his  township's  offices 
and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
in  which  he  was  twice  elected  elder,  but  would 
not  accept  the  office.  In  February,  1838,  he 
married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Thomas  Mason, 
of  near  Hannastown,  Pa.,  by  whom  he  had  five 
children:  Nancy  A.  (Mrs.  Kelly)  of  Iowa; 
Sara  E.  (Mrs.  Parks);  Emma  J.  (Mrs.  Irwin); 
Dr.  W.  C.  (see  his  sketch) ;  and  Mary  M.  (Mrs. 
Dr.  Johnson)  now  dead. 

Robert  Parks  has  one  of  the  best  farms  in 
that  section,  on  account  of  its  great  fertility  and 
the  high  state  of  cultivation  in  wliich  he  keeps 
it.  He  has  led  a  busy,  useful  and  honorable 
life  and  stands  well  in  the  estimation  of  all  who 
know  him.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyter- 
ian church  at  Leechburg,  where  he  has  been  an 


elder  since  January  14,  1882,  discharging  the 
duties  of  this  office  conscientiously  and  effi- 
ciently. 


GEORGE  TOWNSEND,  one  of  the  repre- 
sentative farmers  of  Kiskiminetas  town- 
ship, was  born  March  12,  1844,  on  the  farm 
on  which  he  now  resides,  in  Kiskiminetas 
township,  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Shoe- 
maker) Townsend.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
Isaac  Townsend,  was  born  in  England  in  1760, 
and  came,  in  1775,  to  what  is  now  Kiskimin- 
etas township,  where,  about  1780,  he  married 
Rachel  King,  by  whom  he  had  seven  sons  and 
three  daughters.  (For  fuller  history  see  sketch 
of  Absalom  Townsend.)  One  of  these  sons  was 
William  Townsend  (father),  who  was  born  in 
Kiskiminetas  township  in  1800.  At  fifteen 
years  of  age  he  learned  the  trade  of  blacksmith 
with  his  father,  and  worked  with  his  brother 
until  his  marriage,  when  he  bought  the  farm 
now  owned  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and 
removed  to  it  in  the  spring  of  1829.  He  fol- 
lowed farming  until  his  death,  on  April  6, 
1884.  He  was  a  democrat,  a  member,  deacon 
and  elder  of  the  Lutheran  church  at  Maysville, 
and  married  Elizabeth  Shoemaker,  an  esteemed 
woman,  who  was  beloved  by  all  who  knew  her. 
They  had  twelve  children  (two  died  in  infancy), 
six  sons  and  six  daughters :  Joseph,  Augu.stus, 
Elizabeth,  Susan,  Linus  and  Polly,  all  de- 
ceased; Margaret,  born  in  1832,  wife  of  Israel 
Ashbaugh ;  Labanna,  born  in  1839,  married 
to  Julia  Armstrong;  Israel,  born  in  1841, 
married  Sarah  Shirley;  and  George.  Mr. 
Townsend  died  April  6,  1884,  and  Mrs.  Town- 
send  died  September  1,  1889.  Both  sleep  in 
the  cemetery  at  Maysville.  Mrs.  Townsend 
was  a  daughter  of  Solomon  Shoemaker  (mater- 
nal grandfather),  who  was  born  in  Loudon 
county,  Va.,  in  1770,  came  to  Armstrong 
county    in    1799,    and     settled    near    Spring 


ARMSTBONG   COTNTT. 


629 


Church,  where  he  took  up  three  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  of  land,  which  he  and  his  sons 
cleared  and  improved.  He  was  a  democrat,  a 
member  of  the  Reformed  church  for  some  time 
at  what  is  now  known  as  St.  James',  and  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Lutheran  church 
at  Boiling  Springs.  In  1790  he  married  Eliza- 
beth Uncafer,  of  Loudon  county,  Va.,  and 
they  had  nine  children,  of  whom  six  grew  to 
man  and  womanhood:  John,  born  in  1795, 
married  Nancy  Mimmelright;  Joseph,  born  in 
1799,  married  to  Sallie  Winel;  Catherine,  born 
in  1801,  wife  of  John  Earhart;  George,  born 
May  26,  1804,  married  Elizabeth  Grimm; 
■  Margaret,  born  in  1807,  wife  of  Raymond 
Deiisell ;  and  Elizabeth  (mother).  Mrs.  Shoe- 
maker passed  away  in  1846,  and  Mr.  Shoe- 
maker died  in  1854. 

George  Townsend  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Kiskiminetas  township.  At  the  death  of  his 
father  he  bought  the  homestead  farm,  on  which 
he  now  resides.  It  contains  one  hundred  and 
thirty-seven  acres,  and  is  now  one  of  the  best 
farms  in  the  county. 

On  July  2,  1874,  he  married  Frances  M., 
daughter  of  John  Laughlan,  who  is  a  farmer 
of  Kiskiminetas  township.  Four  children  have 
been  born  to  this  union, — one  son  and  three 
daughters:  Delia  M.,  born  May  8,  1875;  Wil- 
liam M.,  born  June  14,  1876  ;  Mary  E.,  born 
August  24,  1880,  and  Hannah  P.,  born  Octo- 
ber 4,  1882.  Mrs.  Townsend  passed  away 
April  28,  1888. 

George  Townsend  is  a  prominent  democrat 
in  politics,  but  no  aspirant  for  office.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church  at  Maysville, 
of  which  he  has  been  both  deacon  and  elder. 
He  has  been  very  successful  in  life,  and  is  one 
of  the  influential  men  of  his  township. 


ABSALOM  K.  TOWNSEND  is  descended 
from  the  highly  respected  Townsend  and 
Ulani  families  of  Armstrong  county,  and  his 
life  is  an  illustration  of  the  many  good  qualities 
of  his  worthy  ancestors.  He  was  born  in  De- 
cember, 1826,  on  the  old  Townsend  homestead, 
in  Kiskiminetas  township,  Armstrong  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Cathe- 
rine (Ulam)  Townsend.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, Isaac  Townsend,  was  born  in  England 
about  1760.  He  was  a  farmer,  whose  father 
was  a  large  land-holder,  who  by  bailing  his 
friends  lost  all  he  had.  Isaac  Townsend  came 
to   America   about   1775,  settled  in  what  was 

j  then  Westmoreland  countv,  now  Kiskiminetas 
township,  Armstroug  county,  where  he  bought 
four  hundred  acres  of  land  from  George  Wolfe, 
for  which  he  paid  about  seventy-five  cents  per 

j  acre.  It  is  now  one  of  the  most  fertile  farms  in 
the  county.  He  could  do  almost  anything.  He 
was  active  and  energetic  and  was  a  man  of  good 
judgment.  He  was  a  democrat  and  was  suc- 
cessively auditor,  assessor  and  road  supervisor 
of  his  township.  He. was  reared  a  Quaker,  but 
after  his  marriage  united  with  the  Lutheran 
church,  in  which  he  was  an  elder  for  a  number 
of  years.  In  1780  he  married  Rachel  King,  of 
German  extraction  and  a  native  of  Northamp- 
ton county.  They  had  ten  children :  John, 
Henry,  Isaac,  Robert,  Joseph,  William,  Polly, 
Susan  and  two  infants  which  died.     Mr.  Town- 

[  send  died  in  1838  and  Mrs.  Townsend  in  1847. 
A.  K.  Townsend's  maternal  grandfather,  Daniel 
Ulam,  was  born  in  eastern  Pennsylvania  about 
1745  and  moved  to  Westmoreland  county  in 
1 805,  where  he  bought  and  farmed  a  large  tract 
of  land.     He  was  a  democrat,  a  member  of  the 

\  Lutheran  church  and  an  upright  man.  In 
1775  he  married  and  had  eight  children: 
Jacob,  a  hotel-keeper,  married  Catherine  Lip- 
pincot;  Peter,  a  hotel-keeper  and  cabinet- 
maker; Daniel,  a  cabinet-maker,  married  Susan 
Townsend;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Barney  Cline; 
Catherine,     Hannah,    wife    of    Jacob     Hill ; 


630 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


and  Martha,  who  married  Joseph  Townsend. 
Mr.  Ulam  died  in  1815  and  Mrs.  Ulam  in 
1839.  Henry  Townsend  (father)  was  born  on 
the  home  farm  about  1795.  He  followed  farm- 
ing, but  in  early  life  he  drilled  several  salt 
wells  and  manufactured  salt.  He  was  a  demo-  | 
crat,  and  a  member  of  Yockey's  Lutheran 
church.  He  was  a  man  of  high  standing,  and 
on  February  2,  1829,  married  Catherine  Ulam, 
by  whom  he  had  ton  children :  Rachel,  wife  of 
James  Leech  ;  Martha,  wife  of  James  Young ; 
Linus,  married  Mary  Brown  ;  Caroline,  wife  of 
John  Whigham ;  Absalom  K.,  Leonidas,  mar- 
ried Nancy  Brown  ;  Abner  (deceased) ;  Willa- 
mina,  wife  of  James  Jackson  ;  Harry,  married 
to  Margaret  Sipes;  Bethma  F.  (dead);  and 
Hannah  P.,  wife  of  Geo.  Wilson. 

Absalom  K.  Townsend  attended  the  old  sub- 
scription schools  and  is  a  well-read  man,  who  is 
acquainted  with  all  the  current  topics  of  the 
day.  He  has  increased  his  farm  (which  is  one 
of  the  best  in  the  county)  by  successive  pur- 
chases, until  he  now  owns  four  hundred  acres  of  j 
choice  land.  He  is  a  Jacksoniaa  democrat,  an 
influential  citizen  and  a  member  of  Elder's  , 
Ridge  Presbyterian  church.  1 

On  November  6,  1851,  Mr.  Townsend  mar- 
ried Mary  J.,  daughter  of  Joiin  Gamble,  a  salt 
manufacturer,  who  resided  at  Kiskiminetas  salt- 
works. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Townsend  have  been  the 
parents  of  ten  children :  Linus  E.,  born  October 
29,  1852,  married  Margaret  Dunmire;  Fannie 
C,  born  March  .30,  1854,  wife  of  Mitchell 
Steward;  Henry  B.,  born  April  9,  1856,  mar- 
ried to  Jennie  Fairman  ;  Anna  M.,  born  March 
4,  1858,  wife  of  Henderson  Lafferty,  M.D.,  and 
is  now  dead;  Margaret  E.,  born  March  11, 
1860,  was  killed  in  a  railroad  wreck;  Caroline 
W.,  born  March  21,  1862,  wife  of  James  Neely 
and  now  dead;  John  F.,  born  January  8, 1864; 
James  L.,  born  July  5,  1866  ;  George  W.,  born 
November  20,  1868;  and  Absalom  H.,  born 
October  2,  1874. 


JOHN  H.  WILSON,  a  very  pleasant  gentle- 
man and  an  industrious  farmer  of  Kiski- 
minetas township.was  born  near  Elizabeth,  Eliza- 
beth township,  Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania, 
May  27,  1827,  and  is  the  fourth  sou  of  Hugh 
M.  and  Mary  (Henderson)  Wilson.  The  Wil- 
son and  Henderson  families  settled  at  an  early 
day  in  western  Pennsylvania.  Capt.  James 
Wilson,  the  paternal  grandfather  of  John  H. 
Wilson,  was  a  native  of  Chester  county  and 
commanded  a  company  of  minute-men.  He 
married  Isabella  Mitchell  and  settled  prior  to 
1800  in  Allegheny  county,  where  he  reared  a 
family  of  six  sons:  Hon.  John,  James,  Samuel, 
Thomas,  David  and  Hugh  M.  The  Henderson 
family,  of  Washington  county,  was  planted  by 
Matthew  Henderson  (maternal  great-grand- 
father), who  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Wash- 
ington and  Jefferson  college.  His  son.  Rev. 
Matthew  Henderson  (maternal  grandfather), 
was  born  January  10,  1762,  in  Chester  county, 
and  married  (1786)  Rebecca  Patterson,  of  Lan- 
caster county,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children. 
(See  sketch  of  W.T.  Wilson  for  fuller  history.) 
Hugh  M.  Wilson  (father)  was  born  April  1, 1793, 
and  removed  from  Allegheny  county  in  1835  to 
Kiskiminetas  township,  where  he  became  the 
owner  of  over  six  hundred  acres  of  land.  He 
died  July  31,  1872.  He  was  a  republican, 
and  a  ruling  elder  of  Olivet  United  Presbyterian 
church,  and  married  (December  15, 1815)  Mary 
Henderson.  They  had  eight  children  :  Rebecca 
(Watson),  James  D.,Rev.  Matthew  H.,  Mitchell, 
Martha  (deceased) ;  John  H.,  Thomas  J.  (de- 
ceased) ;  and  William  T. 

John  H.  Wilson  received  a  good  practical 
education  in  the  .subscription  .schools  of  Alle- 
gheny county  and  the  early  free  schools  of  Kis- 
kiminetas township.  Leaving  school,  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock-rai.sing,  which  he 
has  followed  ever  since.  To  the  one  hundred 
and  eighty-two  acres  of  land  in  this  township 
which  he  inherited  from  his  father,  he  has  added 
by  purchase   eighteen   acres  more,   and  has  a 


ARMSTRONG   COVNTT. 


631 


farm  of  two  hundred  acres  of  good  fanning 
land. 

October  6,  1854,  Mr.  Wilson  married  Nancy 
J.  Warner.  They  are  the  parents  of  eleven 
children,  seven  sons  and  four  daughters :  Samuel 
P.,  born  July  7,  1855;  H.  M.,  born  August  19, 
1857;  James  H.,  born  October  10,  1859; 
Matthew  T.,  born  March  2,  1861,  married  to 
Kate  Lambing  and  resides  at  Greensburg;  Mary 
E.,  born  November  9,  1862;  Rebecca  W.,  born 
March  14,  1864;  William  A.,  born  June  24, 
1865;  John  H.  and  Nancy  J.  (twins),  born 
December  10,  1866;  Martha  B.,  born  De- 
cember 27,  1870;  and  Charles,  born  January 
22,  1874. 

In  politics,  John  H.  Wilson  is  a  republican. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church  at  Olivet,  in  which  he  has  always  been 
an  active  and  efficient  worker. 


WILLIAM  T.  WILSON,  a  successful  farm- 
er and  a  prominent  and  useful  member 
of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  in  Kiskimin- 
etas  township,  was  born  near  Elizabeth,  Alle- 
gheny' county,  Pennsylvania,  November  4, 
1830,  and  is  the  youngest  of  eight  children  born 
to  Hugh  M.  and  Mary  (Henderson)  Wilson. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  Capt.  James  Wilson, 
was  born  in  Chester  county,  Pa.,  between  1770 
and  1780.  He  was  a  small,  muscular  man,  and 
removed  to  Allegheny  county,  where  his  wife 
was  much  afraid  of  the  Indians.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  one  or  two  Indian  expeditions  and 
commanded  a  company  of  minute-men.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Associate  Reformed  church, 
and  married  (about  1783)  Isaijella  Mitchell.  To 
them  were  born  six  children  :  John,  who  was  a 
member  of  the  Legislature  from  Alle- 
gheny county  ;  James,  Samuel,  Thomas,  David 
and  Hugh.  His  maternal  great-grandfather, 
Matthew  Hendei-son,  was  a  pioneer  of  Wash- 
insrton  countv,  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
Wasliington    and   Jefferson  college.       His  son. 


Rev.  Matthew  Henderson  (maternal  grand- 
father), was  born  in  Chester  county,  January  10, 
1762,  and  came  to  Allegheny  county  and  set- 
tled near  the  Wilsons.  He  was  a  minister  of 
the  Associate  Reformed  church,  and  a  whig. 
October  3,  1786,  he  married  Rebecca  Patterson, 
of  Lancaster  county,  and  they  had  nine  children  : 
Martha,  Mary,  Matthew,  a  member  of  the  Con- 
stitutional Convention  of  1838  ;  Samuel,  John, 
Arthur,  Ebcnezer,  James  and  Rebecca.  Hugh 
M.  Wilson  (father)  was  born  in  Allegheny 
county,  April  1,  1793,  was  a  merchant  of  Eliz- 
abeth, that  county,  for  some  time  and  then 
farmed  and  ran  a  saw  and  grist-mil  until  1834, 
when  he  sold  out  and  came  to  Armstrong 
county,  in  March,  1835.  He  bought  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-eight  acres  in  Kiskiminetas  town- 
ship, and  bought  two  other  tracts  of  land,  mak- 
ing six  hundred  acres  in  all.  He  was  a  whig 
and  rej)ublican  in  politics.  He  was  a  niember 
of  the  Associate  Reformed  church  and  after- 
wards united  with  tlie  United  Pre.sbyterian 
church  of  Olivet,  of  which  he  was  a  ruling  elder 
for  fifty  years.  On  December  21, 1815,  he  mar- 
ried Mary  Henderson,  by  whom  he  had  eight 
children  :  Rebecca,  born  in  1816,  married  Thos. 
Watson,of  Indiana  comity  ;  .lames,  born  in  1818, 
married  Nancy  Wray  :  Matthew  H.  (a  minis- 
ter), born  in  1820,  married  Mary  Blasdell ; 
Mitchell,  born  in  1822,  married  Elizal>eth 
Moore;  Martha,  born  in  1824,  died  in  1845; 
John  H.,  born  in  1827,  married  to  Nancy 
Warner;  Thomas  J.,  born  in  1829,  died  in 
1890;  and  William  T.  Mrs.  Wilson  died 
June  30,  1867,  and  Mr.  Wilson  July  31,  1872. 
They  both  sleep  in  the  cemetery  at  Olivet. 

William  T.  Wil.son  is  of  Scotch-Irish  extrac- 
tion and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Kiskiminetas  township.  He  has  been  a  farm- 
er all  his  life  and  liy  energy  and  perseverance 
has  accumulated  a  handsome  property.  He 
enlisted  in  the  State  Militia  in  September,  1862, 
and  again  in  July,  1863,  but  was  not  in 
a  ctive  service. 


632 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


On  November  25,  1857,  Mr.  Wilson  united 
in  marriage  with  Eliza  Scott,  a  native  of  Eng- 
land and  a  daughter  of  Hugh  and  Margaret 
Scott,  natives  of  county  Tyrone,  Ireland.  Their 
union  has  been  blest  with  ten  children  :  Hugh 
S.,  born  in  1858,  married  to  Mary  Brown; 
Mary^born  in  1859  (deceased) ;  Maggie,  born 
in  1861  (deceased) ;  Martha,  born  in  1862  ; 
Eliza,  born  in  1864  (deceased) ;  John,  born  in 
1865  (deceased);  James  C,  born  in  1867 
(deceased) ;  Rebecca  E.,  born  in  1870  (de- 
ceased);  Alice,  born  in  1875  ;  and  Willie,  born 
in  1880.  Mrs.  Wilson  is  an  active  church 
worker. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Wilson  was  a  republican 
until  fifteen  years  ago,  when  he  became  a  pro- 
hibitionist, and  is  now  a  strong  advocate  of 
temperance.  He  is  a  member  of  Olivet  United 
Presbyterian  church,  in  which  he  was  a  trustee 
for  eighteen  years,  chorister  for  twenty  years 
and  Sunday-school  teacher  for  about  thirty 
years. 


JOHN  M.  WRAY  is  one  who  is  highly  es- 
teemed by  his  fellow-citizens  of  Kiskimi- 
netas   township  for   his   integrity,   candor  and 
usefulness.      He  is  the  second   son  of  Robert 
and  Abigail  (Manners)  AV^ray,  and  was  born 
near  Saltsburg,  in   Indiana  county,    Pennsyl- 
vania,  November    23,    1817.      His    paternal 
grandfather,  Daniel  Wray,  was  born  in  county 
Antrim,  Ireland,  about  1754,  and  after  resid-  I 
ing  successively  in  Mercer  and  Westmoreland 
counties,  removed  to  the  site  of  Saltsburg,  Indi- 
ana county,  where  he  purchased  two  hundred 
acres  of  land  when  that  country  was  all  in  woods  } 
and  infested  by  wolves.     He  was  a  whig  and  a 
presbyterian,  and  died  about  1825.     He  mar-  | 
ried    Elizabeth    McKibben,   by  whom  he  had 
seven  children:  James,  Elizabeth,  John,  Jane, 
Margaret,  William  and  Robert.     Roliert  Wray  | 
(father)  was  born  near  Mercersburg,   Franklin  [ 
county.  Pa.,  December  8,  1784,  and   in  1800 


went  with  his  father  to  the  site  of  Saltsburg, 
where,  after  his  father  became  sickly,  he  assumed 
management  of  the  farm,  and  completed  the 
payments  on  it.  A  portion  of  the  purchase 
money  he  raised  by  boiling  salt  water.  In 
1819  he  came  to  Kiskiminetas  township,  where 
he  died.  He  was  much  respected  by  all  who 
knew  him,  and  was  frequently  called  upon  to 
settle  disputes  between  his  neighbors.  He  was 
a  republican,  had  held  all  of  his  township's 
offices,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Elder's  Ridge 
Presbyterian  church,  on  whose  first  building 
committee  he  served.  He  owned  six  hundred 
acres  of  land,  which  he  divided  between  three 
of  his  sons,  besides  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  near  Olivet,  which  he  gave  to  another  son. 
In  1812  he  married  Abigail  Manners,  an  indus- 
trious and  amiable  woman,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  John  Manners,  a  strong  presbyterian,  who 
was  born  in  Washington  county  in  1760,  mar- 
ried Sallie  Couch  in  1785,  helped  suppress  the 
Wiiiskey  Insurrection,  and  came  to  near  Avon- 
more  coal-works,  where,  on  his  farm  of  two 
hundred  acres,  he  reared  a  family  of  eight 
children  :  Joseph,  Elizabeth,  Nathan,  Margaret, 
Nancy,  George,  Polly  and  Abigail.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Wray  were  born  eleven  children : 
Sarah,  born  July  9,  1814,  married  Robert 
Smith  and  died  June  13,  1860;  Daniel,  born 
April  1,  1816  ;  John  M.,  Elizabeth,  born  Jan- 
uary 1,  1820,  married  John  A.  Ewiug,  and  re- 
sides at  Olivet;  Margaretta,  born  February  29, 
1824;  an  infant  who  died  July  15, 1824;  Wil- 
liam H.,  born  December  2,  1821,  and  married 
Susan  Townsend ;  Nancy,  born  August  11, 
1825,  and  married  James  D.  Wilson,  of  Olivet; 
Robert,  born  February  11,  1827;  Anna  J., 
born  March  16,  1830;  and  Abigail  M.,  born 
July  29,  1832. 

John  M.  Wray  was  i-eared  in  Kiskiminetas 
township,  where  he  received  his  education  in  the 
early  subscription  schools  which  were  taught  in 
the  old  log  school-house.  Attaining  his  major- 
ity, he  engaged  in  farming,  which    he  has  fol- 


ARMSTROXG  COUNTY. 


633 


lowed  ever  since.  He  was  in  the  mercantile 
business  for  three  years  at  Olivet,  with  Henry 
Townseud  (1857  to  1860).  In  1865  he  again 
became  a  partner  of  Mr.  Townsend,  but  after- 
wards opened  a  store  on  his  farm,  which  he  con- 
ducted for  ten  years,  and  then  transferred  it  to 
hie  son. 

July  19,  1840,  Mr.  Wray  married  Anna  M., 
daughter  of  Robert  Townsend,  of  South  Bend. 
They  have  been  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
two  sons  and  six  daughters:  Harriet,  born 
November  9,  1840,  wife  of  B.  H.  Scott;  Clara 
E.,  born  in  1842,  wife  of  T.  M.  Marshall; 
Abigail,  born  August  14,  1844,  wife  of  D.  D. 
P.  Alexander,  postmaster  at  Apollo;  Hiram  H., 
born  January  24,  1848,  married  a  Miss  Har- 
mon; Anna  M.,  born  June  18,  1850  (dead); 
Robert  T.,  born  May  4,  1853  ;  Mary  A.,  born 
May  15,  1856  ;  and  Emma  E.,  born  December 
24,  1859  (dead). 

He  is  a  member  of  Elder's  Ridge  Presbyter- 
ian church.  Mr.  Wray  is  a  republican  in  poli- 
tics, has  held  nearly  all  of  Ids  township's  offices 
and  resides  on  a  fine  farm,  where  he  is  sur- 
rounded by  all  the  comforts  of  life. 


DANIEL  WRAY,  one  of  the  energetic, 
thrifty  and  comfortably  situated  farmers 
of  Kiskirainetas  township,  is  the  eldest  son  of 
Robert  and  Abigail  (Manners)  Wray,  and  was 
born  at  Saltsburg,  Indiana  county,  Pa.,  April 
1,  1816.  Daniel  Wray  (grandfather)  was  born 
in  county  Antrim,  Ireland,  about  1754,  came 
to  America  in  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century  aud  settled  near  Mercersburg,  Franklin 
county.  Pa.  In  a  short  time  he  went  to  Mt. 
Pleasant,  Westmoreland  county,  and  after  a 
residence  there  of  a  few  years  he  removed  to 
the  site  of  Saltsburg  and  purchased  a  farm  of 
two  hundred  acres  of  land.  A  portion  of  that 
town  is  now  built  upon  this  farm,  but  then  it 
was  in  woods,  and  wolves  frequently  attacked 
his  sheep  aud  drove  them  to  his  cabin  door.    He 


j  died  about  1825.  He  was  active  in  the  interests 
of  the  Whig  party,  was  useful  as  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  and  about  1781  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  McKibben,  by  whom  he  had 
seven  children:  James,  Elizabeth,  John,  Jane, 
Margaret,  AVilliam  and  Robert.  John  Manners 
(maternal  grandfather)  was,  in  all  probability, 
horn  in  Washington  county,  about  1760,  and 
about  1810  moved  to  Kiskiminetas  township, 
where  he  bought  a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres, 
adjoining  the  coal  works  at  Avonmore.  He 
was  an  active,  energetic  man  of  good  business 
tact,  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church 

,  and  helped  to  suppress  the  "  Whiskey  Insur- 
rection "  in   Pennsylvania.      In   1785.he  mar- 

j  ried  Sallie  Couch,  by  whom  he  had  eight  chil- 
dren: Joseph,  Elizabeth,  Nathan,  Margaret, 
Nancy,  George,  Polly  and  Abigail  (mother  of 
subject).  Robert  Wray  (father)  was  born  near 
Mercersburg,  Franklin  county,  December  8, 
1784.  In  1800  he  went  to  Saltsburg  with  his 
father,  who  had  purchased  a  farm,  and,  becoming 
sickly,  left  its  management  to  him.  By  farming 
and  boiling  salt  water,  he  raised  means  sufficient 
to  complete  the  payments  on  the  farm  as  fast  as 
they  became  due.  In  1812  he  married  Abigail 
Manners  and  in  1820  came  to  this  township, 
where  he  died  August  15,  1869,  in  his  eighty- 
fifth  year.  (For  further  history  of  him,  see 
sketch  of  John  M.  Wray.) 

Daniel  Wray  was  reared  on  the  farm  until 
twenty-four  years  of  age,  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  subscription  schools  of  Kiskimine- 
tas township  and  Saltsburg.  He  came  with  his 
father  to  Kiskiminetas  township  in  1820.  He 
began  teaching  school  in  1840  and  taught  six 
winter  terms,  working  on  the  farm  during  the 
summer.  At  the  end  of  this  time  he  gave  all 
his  attention  to  farming  and  is  now  the  posses- 
sor of  a  well-improved  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty-five  acres  of  land. 

On  October  20,  1840,  he  married  Sarah 
France,  who  was  born  June  22,  1820,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  John  France,  a  iiirmer  of  South 


634 


BIOORAPHIE&  OF 


Bend  township.  They  have  been  the  parents 
of  seven  children,  four  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters: Eobert,  born  February  15,  1842;  Mary 
E.,  born  April  30,  1844;  Nancy  J.,  born 
November  19,  1847;  John  M.,  born  December 
16,  1849,  married  to  Annie  Burnside;  James 
H.,  born  March  6,  1854,  and  died  in  infancy; 
William  A.,  born  May  9,  1855,  married  to 
Annie  Anderson;  and  Anna  M.,  born  March 
23,  1858,  wife  of  Rev.  Theodore  Lee. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Wray  is  a  stanch  republican 
and  takes  an  active  part  in  the  interests  of  his 
party,  but  has  never  aspired  to  political  honors. 
He  is  a  zealous  church  worker,  belongs  to  the 
Presbyterian  church  at  Elder's  Ridge  and  aids 
the  cause  of  Christianity  in  every  possible  way. 
He  is  an  honest  and  upright  man  and  highly 
respected  by  his  neighbors. 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


The  three  following  sketches  were  not  ob- 
tained in  time  to  insert  in  their  proper  place  in 
this  work : 

JOHN  W.  MORROW,  M.D.,  a  physician  in 
successful  practice  at  Marchand,  Indiana 
county,  Pa.,  is  a  son  of  David  and  Margaret 
(Lytle)  Morrow  and  was  born  in  South  Ma- 
honing township,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania, 
July  15,  1849.  His  paternal  grandfather,  John 
Morrow,  was  a  native  of  county  Down,  Ireland, 
and  in  1812  came  to  Indiana  county,,  where  he 
settled  at  West  Ijcbanon,  in  Young  township. 
He  was  an  ardent  presbyterian  and  late  in  life 
removed  to  Armstrong  county,  where  he  died. 
He  married  Margaret  Gillespie  and  their  chil- 
dren were  Andrew,  who  married  Mary  Coch- 
rane, and  after  her  death  Isabella  Rankin; 
James,  married  Mary  Meanor ;  William,  mar- 
ried Martha  Hutchinson ;  Martha,  widow  of 
John     Marshall ;     Elizabeth,    wife    of    Abel 


Stewart;  John,  married  Margaret  Gibson ;  Mar- 
garet, who  married  Thomas  Ormond  ;  Nancy, 
married  Samuel  Lytle ;  Wilson,  married  Mar- 
garet Stuchel,  and  David.  Of  these  children 
but  two  are  living  :  Martha  and  Elizabeth.  Dr. 
Morrow's  maternal  grandfather,  Robert  Lytle, 
was  born  in  the  Ligonier  Valley,  Westmoreland 
county,  and  came  to  West  Mahoning  township, 
where  he  became  a  large  landholder.  He  was 
an  elder  in  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  was 
connected  with  the  "  underground  railroad  "  and 
helped  many  slaves  to  reach  Canada.  He  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Lytle,  who  was  no  relation  to  him, 
and  their  children  v,ere  William,  who  married 
Sarah  Reed  ;  Robert,  married  a  Miss  Smith  ; 
Alexander,  who  married  a  Miss  Smith,  and  one 
of  his  sons  is  a  missionary  in  India  ;  John,  mar- 
ried Lovina  Reed  ;  Samuel,  who  married  Mar- 
garet Morrow ;  Thomas,  married  Rachel  Miller  ; 
Sarah,  widow  of  John  S.  Marshall ;  Elizabeth, 
Margaret  (mother),  Keturah,  married  Thomas 
Watt,  and  Jane.  Of  these  children  but  two  are 
living :  Sarah  and  Margaret.  David  Morrow 
(father)  was  born  in  1807  and  died  in  1851,  in 
South  Mahoning  township.  He  lived  for  sev- 
eral years  with  a  Rev.  Hyndman,  who  gave 
him  a  good  education.  He  taught  school  for 
several  terms  and  purchased  a  farm,  which  he 
tilled  until  his  death.  He  was  a  whig  and 
abolitionist  and  served  for  several  years  as  a 
justice  of  tlie  peace.  He  was  a  united  presby- 
terian, took  an  active  part  in  political  affairs 
and  married  Margaret  Lytle.  Their  children 
were  Jane,  Catherine,  wife  of  Jesse  William- 
son ;  Robert  (dead);  Thomas,  who  married 
Nancy  Stewart ;  Dr.  John  W.,  and  David,  who 
married  Clara  Cochrane  and  is  superintendent 
of  an  oil  company  at  Bradford,  Pa.  Mrs. 
Morrow,  after  her  husband's  death,  married  a 
Mr.  Laney,  who  is  dead,  and  she  now  resides  on 
the  home  farm. 

John  W.  Morrow  worked  as  an  oil  well 
driller  and  taught  school  for  several  terms  to 
secure   the  means  to  attend  Dayton  academy. 


ABMSTRONO   COUNTY. 


635 


Completing  his  academic  course,  he  read  medi- 
cine with  Dr.  C.  McEwen,  of  Plumville,  and  in 
1872  entered  Jeiferson  college,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  on  March  11,  1875.  After 
graduation  he  returned  to  Marchand,  where  he 
had  practiced  during  his  vacations  in  1873  and 
1874.  He  has  a  remunerative  and  extensive 
practice  throughout  the  section  of  country  sur- 
rounding Marchand. 

He  is  a  republican,  and  in  1890  was  nomi- 
nated by  his  party  as  their  candidate  for  the 
legislature,  by  a  majority  of  nine  hundred  over 
his  closest  competitor.  He  owns  a  farm  of 
three  hundred  acres  of  land  adjoining  Mar- 
chand, where  he  has  some  valuable  real  estate. 
His  farm  is  underlaid  with  coking  coal  and 
lies  in  a  productive  gas  belt.  From  1886  to 
1890  he  and  a  Mr.  Brown  were  engaged  in 
the  general  mercantile  and  drug  business.  He 
is  a  member  and  an  elder  of  the  United  Pres- 
byterian church.  Dr.  Morrow  is  an  earnest 
advocate  and  supporter  of  all  educational  move- 
ments in  his  section  and  was  one  of  those  who 
organized  Marchand  Normal  academy,  for 
whose  establishment  he  worked  zealously  and 
unceasingly. 


ROBERT  A.  McELHOES  is  a  prominent 
democrat  and  leading  farmer  of  Rayne 
township,  Indiana  county.  He  was  born  on 
the  farm  on  which  he  now  resides,  in  Rayne 
township,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  May 
15,  1833,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Martha 
(McCluskey)  McElhoes.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, Thomas  McElhoes,  was  a  native  of 
Scotland,  where  he  married.  He  came  to 
America  and  settled  near  Philadelphia,  but 
afterwards  moved  to  near  Indiana,  Indiana 
county,  where  he  took  up  a  large  tract  of  land 
which  he  farmed  until  Ids  death.  Robert  Mc- 
Cluskey (maternal  grandfather)  was  a  native  of 
Ireland,  came  to  America  and  settled  in  West- 
moreland county,  and  shortly  afterwards  re- 
38 


moved  to  Indiana  county,  where  he  died.  He 
was  a  farmer  of  what  was  then  Washington 
(now  Rayne)  township.  Samuel  McElhoes 
(father)  was  born  in  Chester  county,  Pa.,  about 
1787,  and  died  in  Rayne  township  in  1855. 
He  purchased  the  farm  on  which  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  now  lives.  He  followed  farming, 
stock-raising  and  milling.  He  and  his  brother 
built  the  first  grist-mill,  known  as  McElhoes' 
mill,  which  is  now  owned  by  Robert  A.  Mc- 
Elhoes. He  was  a  democrat  and  married 
Martha  McCluskey,  by  whom  he  had  three 
children  :  Robert  A.,  Agnes  and  John,  all  of 
whom  live  on  the  home  farm. 

Robert  A.  McElhoes  received  his  education 
in  the  common  schools.  He  has  always  been 
a  farmer  and  owns  and  operates  a  saw-mill. 
He  and  his  brother  own  about  eight  hundred 
acres  of  land.  His  home  farm  of  three  hun- 
dred acres  is  well  improved  and  is  underlaid 
with  a  heavy  vein  of  coking  coal.  In  1872  he 
built  a  large  brick  house,  which  is  modern  in 
appearance,  and  erected  a  large  frame  barn  in 
1881,  besides  all  necessary  out-buildings.  He 
is  a  democrat  politically,  but  no  office-seeker. 
He  has  represented  his  party  twice  as  delegate 
to  State  conventions  and  is  frequently  a  dele- 
gate to  county  conventions. 

He  married  Lovina  Prothero,  daughter  of 
John  Prothero,  of  Indiana  county,  and  a  native 
of  England.  Their  union  has  been  blest  with 
nine  children  :  Samuel  E.,  Martha  H.,  William 
C,  Mary  I.,  Sarah,  Charles  J.,  Harvey  J., 
Ephraim  and  Agnes  La  Rue. 


ARCHIBALD  J.  T.  CRAWFORD,  a  well- 
known  citizen  and  a  justice  of  the  peace 
of  North  Mahoning  township,  Indiana  county, 
was  born  in  East  Mahoning  township,  Indiana 
county,  Pennsylvania,  August  21,  1819,  and  is 
the  eldest  son  of  Moses  and  Mary  (Jamison) 
Crawford.  The  Crawford  family  was  one  of 
the  pioneer  families  of  Kentucky,  and   helpetl 


630 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  ARMSTRONG   COUNTY. 


to  wiu  the  "Dark  and  Bloody  Ground"  from 
the  dominion  of  the  Indian.  Moses  Crawford 
(father)  was  born  about  1772,  and  came  at  an 
early  age  from  Kentucky  to  Indiana  county, 
where  he  located  near  Centrcville.  He  after- 
wards removed  to  East  Mahoning  township, 
where  he  died  in  1831.  He  was  a  carpenter 
by  trade  and  a  whig  in  politics,  and  gave  most 
of  his  time  to  farming.  He  served  as  a  scout 
in  the  war  of  1812.  He  was  twice  married. 
His  first  wife  was  a  Miss  Scroggs,  by  whom  he 
had  nine  children  :  Jane,  Samuel,  Mary,  John, 
Allen,  David,  Ann,  Elizabeth  and  James.  His 
second  wife  was  Mary  Jamison,  daughter  of 
Archie  Jamison,  a  Scotch  covenanter,  who  set- 
tled near  Armagh,  where  he  followed  farming. 
By  his  second  marriage  Moses  Crawford  had 
seven  children:  Archibald  J.  T.,  Rachel  (dead); 
Margaret,  William,  Isabella,  Martha  and  Mo- 
ses, Jr. 

A.  J.  T.  Crawford  received  his  education  in 


the  schools  of  his  neighborhood.  He  taught 
seven  terms  of  school  (six  of  them  at  one  place) 
and  then  engaged  in  his  present  business  of 
farming  and  stock-dealing.  He  is  a  republican 
in  politics  and  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace 
in  1872.  He  was  re-elected  in  1877  and  again 
in  1888.  He  has  held  other  township  offices 
and  is  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
church. 

He  married  Emily  Sprankle,  daughter  of  Fred- 
erick Sprankle.  Their  marriage  has  been  blest 
with  three  children :  Amelia,  wife  of  Henry  C. 
PefFer,  a  farmer  of  North  Mahoning  township ; 
Mary,  wife  of  M.  D.,  Shields,  of  Pittsburgh,  a 
mechanic  and  superintendent  for  Vandergrift 
&  Co.;  Rev.  Frederick  S.,  married  Mary  Re- 
pey,  and  is  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
at  McDonald,  Washington  county,  Pa.  Rev. 
Frederick  was  graduated  from  Westminster 
college  and  also  from  the  Theological  seminary 
at  Allegheny  city. 


ERRATA. 


The  ibllowing  corrections  were  seciireil  too  late  to  be  in- 
serted in  their  proper  places  in  the  respective  sketches  to 
which  tliev  belong : 

In  sketch  of  H.  M.  Bell  (p.age  94),  Mary  (Beatty)  Bell 
should  be  Mary  (Bates)  Bell  ;  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  should  be  Presbyterian  church  until  his  marriage, 
when  he  became  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  ;  Mary  Beatty  should  be  Mary  Bates ;  McFarland 
should  be  Irwin  McFarland ;  in  1876  should  be  Sept.  21, 
1877,  and  Gilmore  C.  should  be  Gilmore  F. 

In  sketch  of  Kobert  Thompson,  on  page  105,  in  the 
fourteenth  line  read  Mary  nee  Tompson,  and  after  August, 
1794,  in  the  same  column,  read  the  land  on  which  this  settle- 
ment was  made  was  originally  vested  in  a  near  kinsman 
of  Mrs.  Thompson's,  James  Cannon,  by  deed  from  Thomas 
and  John  Penn,  and  the  Thompsons  afterwards  became 
its  owmei-s.  On  page  105,  second  column  and  eightli  line, 
read  Dec.  4  for  Oct.  5,  and  in  the  same  column,  read  T. 
St.  (Jlair  for  F.  St.  Clair. 

On  page  108  D.  Harrison  Tomb  should  read  D.  Harbi- 
son Tomb. 

On  page  270,  in  sketch  of  Capt.  Jacob  Crep.s,  the  following 
information  hits  been  obtained  :  Jacob  Creps  married 
Mary  A.  Gora,  of  Bucks  county  ;  Susanna  Lutes  should  be 
Susanna    Lutz ;  1st  instead  of  ^>'M  regiment;  at  the  liattle 


of  Fair  Oaks  C'apt.  Creps  received  five  bullet  marks,  and 
the  names  of  Miuorica,  Ella  E.,  Eliza  and  Percy  should 
read  Winona,  Elby  E.,  Elizabeth  and  Percy  A.  In  1890, 
in  a  campaign  of  ten  days,  Capt.  Creps  reduced  the  repub- 
lican majority  10,000  in  his  Congressional  district,  and  he 
is  not  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R. 

On  page  289,  in  sketch  of  Archibald  Smitten,  after 
word  married  insert  August  11,  1853.  Additional  in- 
formation: Ida  J.,  born  June  10,  1859,  and  married 
July  3,  1870;  William  B.,  born  July  18,  1803,  and  married 
August  11,  1880;  Hugh  W.,  bom  April  5,  1800,  and  Mel- 
tha  Belle,  born  June  14,  1874.  Mr.  Smitten  is  a  member 
of  Amor  Lodge,  No.  608,  and  Pine  Grove  Grange,  No.  421. 

In  .sketch  of  VV.  J.  Steele,  on  page  457,  read  two  miles 
for  six  miles  south  of  Oakland  X  roads.  On  page  458,  in 
first  column,  second  line,  omit  words  "for  a  short  time" 
and  add  in  fourth  line  after  1880  "aged  sixty  years."  In 
line  after  word  Steele  add  "  in  the  dry-goods  business,  in 
Paulton,  Pa."  C  G.  L.  for  G.  L.  Pfeffer.  In  the  line,  after 
word  sold  add  "his  store  toStjuires  Brothers  and  accepted 
the  position  of."  In  second  column,  in  line  nine,  after  word 
and  .add  "when  run  to  their  fullest  capacity."  In  the 
twenty-second  line  of  the  same  column  for  seven  children 
read  they  have  five  childi'en,  two  sons  and  three  daughters  : 
Kthel,  Etta,  Clifibrd  Banks,  ^Maurice  Edgar  and  Irma. 


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